Propaedeutic to Future Posts on a Certain Subject

I've decided to post some statistic-laden "stuff" on here concerning the LA Lakers. Why? Because I love Lakers basketball.

Every eight games I'll give some updates about where the team stands. I'll give observations and statistical evalutations. Here's an intro to three stats I'll be using:

Scoring Efficiency (SCOFF): Who cares if you score 50 points per game? I do. Because if you're scoring 50 points per game, you're damn good. Given the rules of basketball, and the competitive nature of the game, no one who is bad could score 50 points per game. That said, this stat measures PPS (points per shot) and PPM (points per minute). The idea is to strike a balance between the two and answer the question: who can create the most effective scoring opportunities for himself in a given range of minutes?

The current leader on the Lakers, through six games, is Kobe Bryant at 6.55. That's good. Kobe is widely considered one of the "best" scorers in the league. Laugh test passed? Perhaps.

Passing Efficiency (PAFF): This is a measure of the skill of passing. How many assists can you set up in a given period of time, while avoiding turning the ball over? This is, then, a mix of AST/TO ratio (assists:turnovers) and APM (assists per minute).

Current leader on the Lakers: Shammond Williams at 11.8. Now, his minutes are low enough to cause anomolies (he has logged only 30 of 288 minutes). Next is Kobe Bryant at 11.1. While not considered a great playmaker, he is definitely doing more this season to involve others. Additionally, there is no true Point Guard on the Lakers. I'd expect a true PG to lead most teams in this category.

Hustle Efficiency (HUFF): How good are you at doing the little stuff, while avoiding the pitfalls of hustling (fouls)? That's what this stat measures. Offensive Rebounds, blocked shots, and steals are all fair game.

Current Lakers leader: Luke Walton! Luke is not a great athlete, but he plays with passion, rebounds well, gets his hand on passes, and blocks some shots. Additionally, he is not fouling much at all this season. Ronny Turiaf might be expected to be heading up the list, but he commits too many fouls at this point. He is, for the record, 2nd on the team in the "good stuff" on this list. Just too many fouls drag down his rating.

I follow your posts with interest. I neve really got much deep into basketball, all the stats and ways or reading a game are amazing! Compared to football (soccer for you) there are a lot of sources to read a game and a performance! What are your thoughts on the fact that Shaq had to leave the team? Do you think that the Lakers were really better off without him?

Posted by Lox at 2006/11/23 19:30:03.

You should be up and running with the new blog engine now Travis - and if you're reading this message it means comment posting is working as well...

Posted by John at 2006/11/25 06:46:43.

Lox: I have a new "column" that I'm posting. I'll put up my first one, but the second will be out in a few days, probably. As for Shaq: it was either Shaq or Kobe. Lakers really couldn't keep both. I like banking on the younger of the two superstars, but obviously Shaq took the Heat to a championship while the Lakers had one bad year, and were right back in the playoffs. Now they're young, very talented, and leading their division.

Posted by Travis at 2006/11/26 00:49:07.

I agree with the youngster approach. When I was living in Varese the people there are massive basketball fans, so I got to watch the finals of NBA with the other guys. That's where I started to get interested but on our normal TV they don't show much so now I don't get the chance to see anything...

Posted by Lox at 2006/11/26 21:00:58.

Post a comment