Basketball Statistics Blog

Friday Press Clippings:
Ken Pomeroy Describes the Limitations of Plus/Minus

From 20 Second Timeout
By David Friedman
Download source here: ' Ken Pomeroy Describes the Limitations of Plus/Minus ' by David Friedman

"... all of the hustle plays that are not captured by conventional box score numbers or even by "advanced stats" are presumably detected by plus/minus. Furthermore, adjusted plus/minus--which takes into account who else is on the court--seemingly refines the data even more. ..."

"... some players who even the "stat gurus" know are not that good inexplicably have impressive plus/minus numbers, while some players who are clearly above average do not have outstanding plus/minus numbers. ..."

"... 'It's true plus-minus captures everything that's happening, but that includes a whole lot of random things that lead to a hoop or a stop. Things that have nothing to do with the ability of the player you want to analyze. In basketball analysis, we should be filtering out randomness, not embracing it.' ... "

"... in other words, most of the stat-based articles (about "clutch performance," player ratings, MVP rankings, etc.) that are popping up like dandelions in an untended yard are using data sets that are far too small to form the basis for sweeping, definitive conclusions ..."

"... if more of them (the "stat gurus") would do that--instead of writing articles with catchy headlines so that certain high profile entertainment providers will link to them--then they could make a real contribution to better understanding basketball. ..."

Read more articles in 20 Second Timeout.

To read today's 'Press Clippings' in Spanish, click this week above on the 'Español' tab or afterwards click here: ' Análisis de los momentos críticos en Baloncesto ' by Rafael M. Navarro, Alberto Lorenzo and Miguel A. Gómez.

Friday Video Clippings:
My Baseball Coach Sucks ...!

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