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DavidinNaples started a thread yesterday by giving some player statistics. Some of the comments went down the path of facts, in this case statistics, vs opinion. Which led me to think on how important statistics are in evaluating a player or team.
Team/player statistics generally fall into the category of box score stats or analytics such as efficiency ratings. Both are mathematical and as such “facts”. But as with all facts, they have little meaning without context. Some facts, in a given context, have more meaning than others. Further, the meaning or importance or relevance of facts are in the eye of the beholder and very much subjective ie: facts are the raw material for opinions. The stat book will never be the decider of who is better, LeBron or MJ.
I’ll give a couple of examples of where stats alone can be less than informing:
Three point shooting percentages. DiN’s stats (the facts) show Kyla to be the best three point shooter for Uconn by percentage made. So is she the best three pointer shooter on the team? Say Uconn is down 3, has the ball and there are 20 seconds left in the play. Does Geno draw up a play for Kyla to get the final shot? I don’t think so. Deciding who the best three point shooter is has to take into account how quickly a player can square up and shoot even if well guarded, how well they can come off a screen and find space, how confident they are in taking the shot, even on an off shooting night. Crystal and Meg come to mind. Kyla can make threes if she has plenty of time and space, which is important to keep the D honest, but making open shots isn’t the most important measure of a good shooter.
Rebounds. This is one area where the statistics (number of rebounds) don’t give much insight on who is a good rebounder. For a starter, a lot of total rebounds are shots that come off the rim and end up the hands of a player who happens to be in the right place at the right time. It is a rebound on the stat sheet but doesn’t say anything about how good a rebounder one is. There is no official stat for skill rebounds that are a result of good positioning and boxing out, timing the jump (and how much air you can get under your shoes), seeing while a shot is in the air where the rebound will go if it is a miss and getting to that spot. Grit and desire. Tall players tend to be closer to the basket and get more rebounds, but tall doesn’t always translate to being technically a good rebounder. I think (pesky opinion) Meg, Anna and Griff are the best Uconn skill rebounders. Griff will be the best soon.
Team/player statistics generally fall into the category of box score stats or analytics such as efficiency ratings. Both are mathematical and as such “facts”. But as with all facts, they have little meaning without context. Some facts, in a given context, have more meaning than others. Further, the meaning or importance or relevance of facts are in the eye of the beholder and very much subjective ie: facts are the raw material for opinions. The stat book will never be the decider of who is better, LeBron or MJ.
I’ll give a couple of examples of where stats alone can be less than informing:
Three point shooting percentages. DiN’s stats (the facts) show Kyla to be the best three point shooter for Uconn by percentage made. So is she the best three pointer shooter on the team? Say Uconn is down 3, has the ball and there are 20 seconds left in the play. Does Geno draw up a play for Kyla to get the final shot? I don’t think so. Deciding who the best three point shooter is has to take into account how quickly a player can square up and shoot even if well guarded, how well they can come off a screen and find space, how confident they are in taking the shot, even on an off shooting night. Crystal and Meg come to mind. Kyla can make threes if she has plenty of time and space, which is important to keep the D honest, but making open shots isn’t the most important measure of a good shooter.
Rebounds. This is one area where the statistics (number of rebounds) don’t give much insight on who is a good rebounder. For a starter, a lot of total rebounds are shots that come off the rim and end up the hands of a player who happens to be in the right place at the right time. It is a rebound on the stat sheet but doesn’t say anything about how good a rebounder one is. There is no official stat for skill rebounds that are a result of good positioning and boxing out, timing the jump (and how much air you can get under your shoes), seeing while a shot is in the air where the rebound will go if it is a miss and getting to that spot. Grit and desire. Tall players tend to be closer to the basket and get more rebounds, but tall doesn’t always translate to being technically a good rebounder. I think (pesky opinion) Meg, Anna and Griff are the best Uconn skill rebounders. Griff will be the best soon.
