3. Learn a new statistic
If players use the off-season to improve, then fans should do the same.
I don’t mean going out and practicing a mid-range jumper. If you read PistonPowered regularly, there’s a good chance that your basketball career ended a long time ago.
Rather, summer should be a time for fans and writers alike to expand their basketball knowledge. The rise of analytics has completely changed the game, from the way it’s to played, to how talent is evaluated.
So much so, that the Pistons hired analytics-specialist Sammy Gelfand away from the Golden State Warriors earlier this month. Like it or not, advanced stats are here to stay.
Popular sites like Basketball Reference and NBA.com/Stats offer countless calculations that go beyond the box score. Both of those outlets are free to the public, whereas others (such as Synergy) cost money to access.
Understanding stats like points per possession (PPP), offensive or defensive rating, and player impact estimate (PIE) helps to judge efficiency on more than just shooting – as most of you already know.
(Bonus: For those interested in learning more about the salary cap, Larry Coon’s FAQ guide is second-to-none)