Helena Frye
Basketball statistics have been used to evaluate player and team performance for decades. Basic stats such as points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and shooting percentages are commonly used. The National Association of Basketball Coaches deemed Howard Hobson, who led Oregon to the first NCAA championship in 1939, to be one of the first coaches to analyze the game statistically. He published a book called 'Scientific Basketball' in 1949, which included shooting percentages and other game phases. The NBA's website also posts a simple composite efficiency statistic, derived from a formula that combines points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. Advanced statistics like Player Efficiency Rating (PER) and plus/minus provide even more insights into player performance.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose of basketball statistics | Evaluate a player's or a team's performance |
| Basic stats | Points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, shooting percentages |
| Advanced stats | Player Efficiency Rating (PER), plus/minus, on-court/off-court, player tracking, play types |
| First statistical analysis | Howard Hobson, Oregon coach, published "Scientific Basketball" in 1949 |
| First advanced stats season | 1996-97 season |
| First base stats season | 1946-47 season |
| Pace | Possessions per game |
| PPP | Points per possession |
| TO% | Turnover percentage |
| Average NBA team pace | 94 possessions |
| Top NBA team pace | Houston Rockets, 99 possessions |
| Slowest NBA team pace | New York Knicks, 92.5 possessions |
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Basic stats
Basic basketball statistics, or 'base stats', have been used to analyse the game for decades. They include points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and shooting percentages. These stats are used to evaluate a player's or a team's performance.
Points refer to the number of times a player or team scores, rebounds refer to the number of times a player or team retrieves the ball after a missed shot, and assists refer to the number of passes that lead to a basket. Steals refer to the number of times a player takes possession of the ball from an opponent, and blocks refer to the number of times a player prevents an opponent's shot. Shooting percentages refer to the proportion of shots that a player or team makes, such as field goal percentage or free throw percentage.
Other basic stats include pace, which is the number of possessions per game, and points per possession, which measures the number of points a team scores for each possession regardless of their pace. Turnover percentage measures how often a team loses possession of the ball before creating a scoring opportunity.
Advanced stats provide a more in-depth analysis of a player's or team's performance and include metrics such as Player Efficiency Rating (PER) or plus/minus. These advanced stats go back to the 1996-97 season, while base stats go back to the inaugural 1946-47 season.
The development and use of basketball statistics have evolved over time, with new technologies and analytical methods enhancing the understanding of the game. For example, Second Spectrum software and cameras installed in NBA arenas track player and ball movements 25 times per second, providing data on speed, distance, player separation and ball possession. This allows for the calculation of advanced stats such as on-court/off-court stats, which show how well a team performs with a specific player in the game compared to when they are on the bench.
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Advanced stats
Player efficiency rating (PER) takes into account a variety of factors such as field goal percentage, free throw percentage, rebounds, assists, and blocks. It is a measure of a player's per-minute production. Win Shares, as mentioned, is a statistic that measures a player's individual contributions to their team's victories.
On-court/off-court stats allow analysts to see how well a team performed when a specific player was in the game compared to when they were on the bench. Player tracking uses six cameras in every NBA arena that track the movement of players and the ball 25 times per second. This provides stats based on speed, distance, player separation, and ball possession, such as how many times a player touched the ball and how fast they were moving. Play type data allows analysts to break down how each team plays the game, not just how many points, rebounds, or assists they tally each night.
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Player tracking
The NBA uses an optical tracking system with multiple cameras placed in the catwalks of all 29 NBA arenas. These cameras capture data at a rate of 25 frames per second, feeding it into proprietary software. Computer vision algorithms then extract positional data for players and the ball. The data is used to generate a variety of statistics, which are made publicly available on the NBA website.
The current Official Optical Tracking Provider of the NBA is Second Spectrum, which began league-wide tracking in the 2017-18 season. Previously, the league-wide contract was held by STATS SportVU, which was created by Israeli scientist Miky Tamir in 2005. SportVU was originally designed for military use, utilising missile tracking and advanced optical recognition technology. It was first used to track soccer matches in Israel before being acquired by STATS in 2008 and redirected towards basketball.
The introduction of player tracking technology has provided new insights into basketball performance, allowing for the comparison of all-star and non-all-star players based on various performance metrics. This includes variables such as points per game, minutes played, movement patterns, work rate, technical actions, and individual and team behavioural patterns.
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On-court/off-court stats
Advanced on-court/off-court stats are also available, including usage rate, rebound rate, and the ability to query for stats based on who is on/off the court. These stats can be viewed on the NBA Stats page, which also includes All-Time Leaders under the Player Stats tab. The NBA Stats team is also working on adding coaching statistics to the website.
The EFF statistic, derived from the formula ((Points + Rebounds + Assists + Steals + Blocks) − ((Field Goals Attempted − Field Goals Made) + (Free Throws Attempted − Free Throws Made) + Turnovers)), is a simple composite efficiency statistic used by the NBA. However, it is not highly regarded by statisticians, who prefer the Player Efficiency Rating developed by ESPN basketball statistician John Hollinger.
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Play types
The play type data is an important aspect of basketball statistics, offering an in-depth analysis of how each team plays the game, beyond just the number of points, rebounds, or assists they make. This data helps identify the most frequently used and successful plays for a team or player, such as a pick-and-roll, isolation play, or a post-up.
Since the inception of the NBA in 1946, the league has meticulously tracked various statistics to monitor the performance of players and teams. Initially, the recorded stats were basic, including points scored, shots made and attempted, free throws, and fouls. As the game evolved, the scope of data collection expanded. Rebounds were introduced in 1950-51, followed by steals, blocks, and offensive and defensive rebounds in 1973-74. Turnovers became a tracked statistic in 1974-75, and the 3-point line and its shooting stats were introduced in 1979-80.
The advent of advanced analytics tools like Viziball has further revolutionized basketball statistics. These tools employ mathematical formulas and camera tracking data to provide valuable insights. For instance, the Player Impact Estimate (PIE) and the Usage statistic help assess a player's overall impact on the game. The AST/TOV ratio measures the ratio of assists to turnovers, indicating a player's ability to distribute the ball effectively.
Additionally, the clutchness indicator and index are experimental statistics that analyze the most influential factors on a team's victory. These include effective field goal percentage (efg%), turnover ratio, offensive rebound percentage, and free throw percentage. By weighing these factors, analysts can determine the critical elements that contribute to a team's success.
The evolution of basketball statistics has been instrumental in enhancing our understanding of player and team performance, allowing coaches, analysts, and fans to delve deeper into the intricacies of the game.
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Frequently asked questions
Basic basketball stats such as points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and shooting percentages have been used for decades. The National Association of Basketball Coaches states that Howard Hobson, who led Oregon to the first NCAA championship in 1939, became one of the first coaches to analyze the game statistically.
Basic stats include points per game, assists, blocks, and steals.
Advanced stats are a way to study basketball through objective analysis. They provide a more in-depth look at a player or team's performance beyond a simple box score. Examples of advanced stats include Player Efficiency Rating (PER) and plus/minus.
Technology has played a significant role in the evolution of basketball statistics. NBA arenas now use cameras and tracking software to capture detailed data on player and ball movements, speed, distance, and possession. This has led to the development of advanced stats and new playing philosophies, such as positionless basketball.
Basketball statistics can be found on official league websites, such as NBA.com, and other sports analytics platforms. These sources provide access to basic and advanced stats, player tracking data, and historical information.
