1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

[Grantland] Databall

Discussion in 'NBA Dish' started by kevC, Feb 6, 2014.

  1. kevC

    kevC Member

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2007
    Messages:
    7,394
    Likes Received:
    5,117
    http://grantland.com/features/expected-value-possession-nba-analytics/

    This is absolutely fascinating. We all have heard about SportsVU and what it could mean for the course of NBA Analytics, but they way they are going about to practically extract information from the data is absolutely mind-boggling. The "Expected Possession Value" or EPV, finding an expected point value to any given moment on a basketball court (who has the ball, where are the players, where are the defenders, all affecting how the play will turn out), is an idea that I always thought would be a dream to be able to capture and now we have the technology to be able to actually do it. :eek::eek::eek:

    I can't wait to see a complete set of data after the 2013-14 season (it's installed in every arena now), especially the Rockets players.
     
    #1 kevC, Feb 6, 2014
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2014
  2. Stats

    Stats Member

    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2013
    Messages:
    284
    Likes Received:
    8
    That's super interesting for me. The spread between the league best and worst is only 7 points. The spread between league average and Paul is only 3.5 points?
     
  3. SacTown

    SacTown Member

    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2011
    Messages:
    4,590
    Likes Received:
    235
    If Ricky Rubio is -3.33 and Morey is a stats geek, then why did Morey want Rubio so badly? Does that tell us, Morey's strategy is indeed flawed?
     
  4. Voice of Aus

    Voice of Aus Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2013
    Messages:
    5,157
    Likes Received:
    410
    I'm picking morey's judgement over these guys metric, even if it's really impressive perhaps in a different system or back when morey wanted him he could of become a + nba player
     
  5. SacTown

    SacTown Member

    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2011
    Messages:
    4,590
    Likes Received:
    235
    Well the other argument against this is that Morey didn't have any NBA data on Rubio at the time which these guys do.
     
  6. BigBenito

    BigBenito Member

    Joined:
    Sep 5, 2002
    Messages:
    7,355
    Likes Received:
    175
    No strategy is 100%. People need to stop being so result oriented.

    I just did a quick prayer and flipped a coin while saying, "Heads!" twice in a row it was heads. Clearly, if I were to repeat this 98 more times it would always be heads.
     
  7. Voice of Aus

    Voice of Aus Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2013
    Messages:
    5,157
    Likes Received:
    410
    Even if we got Rubio, you just know he would of been flipped before he had to sign an extension that's the pg morey way
     
  8. kevC

    kevC Member

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2007
    Messages:
    7,394
    Likes Received:
    5,117
    I actually read through the paper, and I wouldn't put too much stock into the actual results. It was only compiled in 14 different arenas and for a lot of the players that is away games and only have have a very small sample size. For example Lebron's numbers (ranked 23rd) come from 17 away games where he shot 50% instead of his season average of 57%, which is why the fact that every arena has it this season makes it super exciting.

     
    #8 kevC, Feb 6, 2014
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2014
  9. mtbrays

    mtbrays Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2007
    Messages:
    8,631
    Likes Received:
    8,054
    Rubio could be an interesting case of "wrong team, wrong situation." Remember how promising he looked during his rookie season? Well, the ACL tear and subsequent loss of Kevin Love probably required him to chuck the ball while returning from an injury. That kind of negative player development could have hampered his original promise.
     
  10. Mirri3000

    Mirri3000 Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2011
    Messages:
    1,434
    Likes Received:
    522
    Rubio has a terrible shot, worse than Rondo. He has bad form, his game would flourish in Europe, where they just run wide open. He isn't made for the NBA even if he's good on defense.
     
  11. Sydeffect

    Sydeffect Member

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2010
    Messages:
    5,923
    Likes Received:
    448
    I mean Rubio was a high potential prospect. He could probably have developed completely different here in Houston. You gotta look at that kind of aspect also.
     
  12. WinkFan

    WinkFan Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2002
    Messages:
    3,987
    Likes Received:
    96
    +3.5 points is approximately the difference between 41-41 and 51-31.
     
  13. qiantom1999

    qiantom1999 Rookie

    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2014
    Messages:
    223
    Likes Received:
    1
    So it seems this stat evaluates offense only, right?
     
  14. mtbrays

    mtbrays Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2007
    Messages:
    8,631
    Likes Received:
    8,054
    That's what I meant, I should've phrased my point better. Rubio's developmental situation in Minnesota adversely impacted his growth and drastically reduced the ceiling on his game. In the right system, he could've learned how to be a more efficient offensive player, but the dysfunctional rotations and injuries in Minnesota forced him to shoulder too large a burden during his early years.
     
  15. WinkFan

    WinkFan Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2002
    Messages:
    3,987
    Likes Received:
    96
    That appears to be the case.
     
  16. Bandwagoner

    Bandwagoner Member

    Joined:
    Jan 26, 2006
    Messages:
    27,105
    Likes Received:
    3,757
  17. intergalactic

    intergalactic Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2002
    Messages:
    1,304
    Likes Received:
    448
    That's part of it. Rubio is just weird in that his shooting, esp. his 3pters, has not improved at all, even though it's very common for players to learn to shoot the 3 competently as their career progresses. Might be Minnesota or it might be Rubio. If Rubio's 3pt shooting had developed like a normal player, he'd be very valuable.

    So I think Morey's assessment on draft day as valuable was right. I doubt Morey would still rate Rubio highly.
     
  18. Pest_Ctrl

    Pest_Ctrl Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2006
    Messages:
    1,064
    Likes Received:
    55
    I would guess it also values defense, as the EPV for the Leonard 3pt shot decreased slightly as Waiters closed out on him.

    I think it would actually be a lot more interesting if this analysis can come with a way to quantify defense, like Roy Hibbert in the paint means 3 less points for opponents per game.
     
  19. durvasa

    durvasa Member

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2006
    Messages:
    38,893
    Likes Received:
    16,449
    I don't really understand how this works, but I didn't read the article all that carefully. I understand the notion that you can predict the probability of a score based on the positions of all the players, shot clock, who has the ball, etc. But how do they assign credit/blame to the players on the floor for this? I would think there's a lot of different ways one could go about doing this, and they'd each give very different results.
     
  20. qiantom1999

    qiantom1999 Rookie

    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2014
    Messages:
    223
    Likes Received:
    1
    My understanding is that it is based on the decision that the player with the ball made, whether he drove, shot it, or passed it.

     

Share This Page

  • About ClutchFans

    Since 1996, ClutchFans has been loud and proud covering the Houston Rockets, helping set an industry standard for team fan sites. The forums have been a home for Houston sports fans as well as basketball fanatics around the globe.

  • Support ClutchFans!

    If you find that ClutchFans is a valuable resource for you, please consider becoming a Supporting Member. Supporting Members can upload photos and attachments directly to their posts, customize their user title and more. Gold Supporters see zero ads!


    Upgrade Now