In an age where old heads are complaining that every team plays the same (but anyone who watches games can tell you this is not at all true), I got to thinking about how many different types of offenses there really are in the NBA. I wondered, as any normal person would, "How well can… Continue reading Categorizing NBA Offenses with Machine Learning
Tag: basketball
Tari Eason is an extra possessions savant
I was messing around, making some graphs with advanced stats from Basketball Reference's Advanced stats, when I noticed something interesting. Something remarkable. There are two ways you can give your team an advantage in possessions: you can force turnovers from the other team, or you can grab offensive rebounds. Players can excel at one or… Continue reading Tari Eason is an extra possessions savant
NBA teams have gotten worse at drafting. Why?
NBA teams have gotten worse at drafting. I look into why and what this could mean for future NBA drafts.
The Most Heliocentric Teams in the NBA
image from soaringdownsouth.com Just as in our heliocentric solar system many small planets orbit a much larger sun, heliocentric NBA offenses feature several role players orbiting around one (or two) stars. Think four shooters zipping around the court while Luka Doncic isolates or Trae Young determining the fate of almost every Hawks' possession. A lot… Continue reading The Most Heliocentric Teams in the NBA
Making the playoffs is easier in the East. Would that have helped the Kings avoid a record playoff drought?
Despite more than half of NBA teams making the playoffs each year, the Sacramento Kings have not made the playoffs since 2006, tying the LA Clippers' Extremely Racist Owner Era for the longest playoff drought in league history. As of early March, the Kings look likely to take sole ownership of the NBA's playoff drought… Continue reading Making the playoffs is easier in the East. Would that have helped the Kings avoid a record playoff drought?
The Warriors are in Their Own Universe at Scoring Off of Assists
As of December 9, the Warriors lead the NBA in assists with 28.7 per game, a mere .8 ahead of the second place Spurs. But the raw assists per game numbers do not come close to conveying how much the Warriors are lapping the rest of the NBA at scoring off of passes. The Warriors'… Continue reading The Warriors are in Their Own Universe at Scoring Off of Assists
Have NBA Teams Gotten Better at Drafting?
With the rise of analytics and the global popularity of the NBA and basketball overall, NBA General Managers seem to have more resources at their disposal than ever before. Presumably this fact, paired with decades of history to learn from, would lead to teams being better at picking the best available player when it's their… Continue reading Have NBA Teams Gotten Better at Drafting?