Reggie Jackson got an assist for this (video)

That’s Caron Butler, not Reggie Jackson, throwing the alley-oop to Andre Drummond. But the official box score gave Jackson the assist.

Speaking at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference last year, Stan Van Gundy questioned the value of Synergy play-type stats because he didn’t know who actually categorized plays. It was a good point then. Do we trust someone we don’t know to discern between an off-screen shot and a spot-up on a close call? And if you’re not prepared to do that, why put value into those stats at all?

Van Gundy actually suggested hiring out-of-work coaches to handle the play breakdowns. Thankfully, he found a better job for himself.

But this play makes wonder just how much further Van Gundy’s concerns should extend. I came across this in research, so I don’t know how often the wrong player is credited for traditional box-score stats. But if it’s at all regular – and I don’t think it is, though I’m less certain now than I was yesterday – it could really affect how we analyze the game.