Stat - Dunk

I really like basketball.....and analytics. Last week in Boston MIT hosted their Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. How cool is that?

In basketball a few of the stadia have installed 3D cameras that capture 25 images a second to capture everything (I mean everything) that happens on court

Sandy Weil explains that San Antonio players shoot 60 percent after receiving passes from Tim Duncan. That's high! And purely a function of the fact that many teams double team Duncan.

A major finding of the report is also that catch-and-shoot attempts are much more efficient than other types of shots when you control for distance and the presence of a defender. A player’s shooting percentage jumps significantly when the last thing he does before the a shot is the act of catching a pass — and not the act of dribbling. He usually has more space when he catches.

But if you catch a pass and hold the ball for about 2.25 seconds, whatever advantage you gained from catching the pass disappears. This makes sense, since holding the ball gives your defender a chance to catch up to you and prepare to defend your next move.

Thia sort of Optical Tracking Data has the potential to revolutionalize basketball. Looking at the minutia of on court movement, to explain how Ray Allen finds himself so open. If great screeners create great catch and shoot opportunities for guys like Allen, and those are the best field goal opportunities, then what player screens most often? Who are the superstars of screening? And how do you find one in the draft to complement your dead-eye shooting roster?

Fascinating stuff