We typically think of stats in sports as how many points someone scored or how many assists they had. This leads to basic assumptions of "hey that guys pretty good, we should guard him". But imagine if we could have stats beyond stats... like the fact that Kevin Durant, after dribbling more than 6 times, has a shooting percentage in the single digits. There is new technology led by syncronized cameras (Sports VU) around a stadium that track each players every move and can tell you everything you need to know about them. This new technology begs the question of how close teams will be related knowing the weaknesses and strengths of their opponents.
Here is an excerpt from the link that is posted below:
Durant's box score line read 44 points, seven
boards and four assists. SportVU,
meanwhile, detailed that he held the ball for a total
of 2:51, averaging 2.3 seconds on his 75
touches. He was good for 0.6 points per
touch, just up from his season mark of 0.5.
He ran 2.8 miles in all, averaging 4.1
mph. But the really interesting discovery
was that Durant dribbled 96 times, or 1.3
dribbles per touch, and that the more he
put the ball on the floor the worse he shot:
55 percent with zero dribbles vs. 3 percent
with six or more. Consider, for a moment,
the insights gleaned from this correlation.
If opponents know that Durant shoots
worse the more he dribbles, defenders
will force him to put the ball on the floor.
http://www.stats.com/media/ESPN_062011.pdf
2 comments:
Since all of KD's opponents are professional teams, or at least will be when the lockout is over, they have ridiculous amounts of money to spend to pay people to waste their time reviewing these stats and compiling scouting reports. Scouting reports have come a very long way due to technology and as a result they are now down to the smallest detail. Thanks to programs like these an opposing coach can find out everything they need to know about KD and use their report to limit his contributions. I personally wish scouting reports weren't as detailed because they generally work against the superstars, and I love seeing players drop 60, 70, 80, or more points in a game because nights like that make the sport better.
Mr. Russell, coaches get paid millions of dollars to win championships, therefore in a matter of job security, I believe that KD's opponents coaches would like to know everything they can about that certain player. The stat that Bill presents, although it may seem minuscule, is very valuable. It may only mean that he misses one or two shots a game but that could be the game winning shot. Last time i checked, professional basketball was about winning, not how many points one superstar could pour in in one night. Great teams make the sport better, not great superstars.
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