"Every yeare we come here and we have the same discussion about how the geeks communicate with the jocks," Zack Lowe during the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics conference during the Basketball Analytics talk.
There is sometimes a divide between understanding the usage of tech or data among coach, player, trainer, or the organization's front office. On a basketball analytics panel, former NBA GM and President Bryan Colangelo said, " It can be very productive for you, but it can be equally disruptive for you if not communicated or messaged in the right way. The process of this information flowing from the analytics team, then the management team to the coaching staff to the players, there is a great distance there." WNBA All-Star Sue Bird said that when she was in Russia, a team had her do exercises to determine how fast can draw circles, dots, and lines during her physical exam. Bird still does not know what that was for and what they did with the information. Sometimes no one explains to players why they are doing or learning certain things or why certain things are useful. Sometimes players can be intimidated to ask questions. Physical and mental preparation is continually accessed, so they always want to seem confident in their abilities. There are also times when people are younger and do not see the value in analytics. Luis Scola spoke about this on a panel at MIT Sloan Sports Analytics conference, "I think I learned a lot from numbers. The problem is that early in my career, I was kind of like disregarding all that... You learn you learn different things, and you evolve as a player. Usually, it happens when your body doesn't react that well. You start to look at different things that can help you continue to play at a high level and start looking at other stuff, and at some point along that process, I got into numbers." How can an organization know what makes the individual player and team are getting better through the data and analytics that they have?
Insert Rashad West, who can help teams determine what technology and data to use. West is a former professional basketball player but has spent the past six years developing technology and analyzing performance. Ok, I am done talking about myself in 3rd person. I am an individual who loves the nuances of basketball and player performance. The player and team technology have evolved over the past six years. Technology makes the league better. Teams have started to measure exertion, reaction speed, hand/eye coordination, etc. Which teams are competent in using these metrics to their advantage? To understand where we are going, let's go back to how it all started.
Let's talk about the evolution of basketball. The game started with a round ball that had stitching on it like a football, and players would shoot the ball into a peach basket. The game was mostly five players standing around passing each other the ball while standing in a stationary position and only moving without the ball. The exception to this was if they were dribbling. Everything was old school. Dunking the ball was illegal, and every league segregated by race were just some of the limitations.
Let us fast forward to the modern-day where we factor in human evolution, technology, and data. Now we have an integrated game, and in some leagues, the players are making millions of dollars a year. They are moving fluently on the court and can dribble, pass, and shoot so well that it often looks effortless. They can dribble the ball and jump pass or stop on the dime and shoot. They can dunk the ball while doing pirouettes in the air. Some players are so good they can now shoot floaters, runners, fadeaways, and hook shots depending on the defenders positioning.
Each player has a unique set of skill sets. We are starting to look at advanced metrics and find out the vitals that make players unique. If you become skilled at a specific element, you can become successful in the league. The analytics show how players are productive without being a "scorer."
A great example of this is Dennis Rodman. Before the analytics revolution, you did not know how he affected the game besides defensive rebounding. With defensive analytics, there are ways to measure his effect. The Worm (a nickname given to him for how different he is) is a Hall of Famer in basketball. You would think that since the game is about scoring more points than your opponent, he was a great scorer in his prime. Well, you would be wrong! The Worm was a tenacious defender and a relentless rebounder. He would have games where he did not score a point but still impacted the game in so many ways. We are now seeing how intangible attributes can be measured. Advanced metrics have taken the sports world by storm.
Player performance is a vital indicator of a team's performance. The issue is that some organizations are using it to their competitive advantage more than others. One of the reasons for this is that some teams do not know what is best for their circumstance. With more data and technology coming out all the time, how does an organization determine the best solution? The overall goal for an organization is to win a championship. How do they use technology and metrics to accomplish that goal?
I want to help teams figure out what technology and data to use depending on their unique circumstances. I have a unique understanding of being a player and trainer at a high level and also the ability to decipher new technology. I am also in the process of learning how to decode data sets and algorithms.
It will be fun to talk to more teams and organizations at the college and professional level about what I can bring to the table. I want to find more players who can be consultants. I think this niche should be explored and evaluated.
Basketball analytics are taking over the game. Players should take advantage of their knowledge of the game and develop some technology or quant skills to get involved with the revolution.