Revisiting the 15 FGA stats, and some other Mobley tidbits

You should have said something like this to back it up earlier. By just throwing out those stats, you're implying that should Cat take more shots without any logic or explanation.

No, you're wrong by the way. Stevie should be the second option because he can create for himself and others more consistently (if he plays to his potential anyway). The third option doesn't necessarily mean they will shoot less than the second option.

 

I was hoping for a higher level of reading comprehension, but since I'm familiar with the horrendous state of education in this country, I will attempt to explain.

The "small sample" I referred to was the games in which Francis attempted 19 shots. That would be two (or 2 for the literacy-challenged).

Check for the context clues.

If 15 is such a magical number, then why are they 6-2 when he takes 15 attempts, or 4-2 when he takes 18?

But I'm sure you're right, if Francis would just limit himself to 14 attempts, and make sure Cat gets at least 15, then we'd have the best record in the league.

You're right, I'm sure it's as simple as that.

And of course, the lack of defense or the quality of the competition shouldn't be considered because if the Rockets would just manage the shot attempts of their starting guards a little closer, they would go undefeated.

I seriously don't understand why JVG keeps harping on defense, when quite obviously the numbers (and numbers don't lie) show it's all about the shot attempts of Francis and Mobley.

wait for it....

wait for it...

 

How many FGA do the Timberwolves take? Something like 80 per game, as a wild guess? Garnett take 25% of their shots, very roughly, so most of the time, somebody besides KG is actually taking the shot. If he's their best option, why doesn't he shoot it every time? Because there is a point at which the defense dictates that he is not the best option on a particular play, and someone else is better off taking it.

For Garnett, the T-Wolves have settled into roughly a quarter of the FGAs. For Yao, the Rockets have settled into something less than that. I'd point out that this has something to do with Garnett being a better player than Yao and also a guy that is easier to feed the ball to because of his mobility (and superior skill). But, it is dynamic; it also has a lot to do with what the defense can afford to do, how aggressively they can double-team, who they can leave open where. Just because giving Garnett 20 FGAs is good for the T-Wolves doesn't mean giving Yao 20 will be good for us. Do you really think we'd have the T-Wolves record if only Yao would attempt as many shots as Garnett? And, the offense is dynamic as well. Part of the reason why Yao has success is because defenses can't count on him shooting it every time. Other players must establish themselves as a threat to open things for Yao. Plus there is a variety of special circumstances like broken plays, buzzer-beaters and whatnot that tend to favor some positions over others. In general, I think the statistic is far too simplistic to capture any meaningful image of what is going on in a very complex game.