先日のWall Street Journalの記事、"Are Statheads the NBA's Secret Weapon? "。
By DAVID BIDERMAN
NBA teams are increasingly hiring employees whose sole responsibility is to analyze data. Obviously, we don't have any philosophical problem with that. But here's a question: Does it actually make a difference in how teams play?
According to interviews with every team, The Wall Street Journal found that half the league's teams this season have at least one of these statisticians who helps make in-game, draft-day and trade-deadline decisions. Many of these teams are among the NBA's best. The list accounts for all six division leaders, including the Orlando Magic and Dallas Mavericks, who have a data analyst traveling with the team. These 15 teams that have invested heavily in statistics have combined to win 59.3% of their games this season. The 15 teams without such analysts have won 40.7% of their games, and only three―the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks―are on pace to make the postseason. Houston Rockets' general manager Daryl Morey, one of the pioneers of statistical analysis in the NBA, says more teams will soon come over to the quant side.
Of course, there are plenty of veteran basketball decision-makers who don't believe that stats are the only key to success. They'll tell you the difference in winning percentages has less to do with statistical analysis than with statistical freaks. "If you took LeBron off the Cavaliers, you could give them 10,000 number crunchers, and it wouldn't make a difference," says David Kahn, the Minnesota Timberwolves' president of basketball operations.
内容としては、「現在NBAでは、半分の15チームがスタッツ分析担当をつけていて、ゲーム内の戦術立案、トレード、ドラフトに活用。マブスとマジックはアウェイにも帯同。しかも、それらのチームの勝率が今期59.3％に対して、スタッツ分析担当なしのチームが40.7％。」
小生が「深遠なるスタッツの世界（第1回）」（2008年5月号）でスタッツ分析についてご紹介させて頂いた頃は、まだNBAでもスタッツ分析を導入していたのはネッツ、マブス、ナゲッツ、ソニックス、キャブス、ロケッツ、セルティックスの7チームくらいだったように記憶している。まだまだ野球には及ばないものの、確かに浸透しつつある。
By DAVID BIDERMAN
NBA teams are increasingly hiring employees whose sole responsibility is to analyze data. Obviously, we don't have any philosophical problem with that. But here's a question: Does it actually make a difference in how teams play?
According to interviews with every team, The Wall Street Journal found that half the league's teams this season have at least one of these statisticians who helps make in-game, draft-day and trade-deadline decisions. Many of these teams are among the NBA's best. The list accounts for all six division leaders, including the Orlando Magic and Dallas Mavericks, who have a data analyst traveling with the team. These 15 teams that have invested heavily in statistics have combined to win 59.3% of their games this season. The 15 teams without such analysts have won 40.7% of their games, and only three―the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks―are on pace to make the postseason. Houston Rockets' general manager Daryl Morey, one of the pioneers of statistical analysis in the NBA, says more teams will soon come over to the quant side.
Of course, there are plenty of veteran basketball decision-makers who don't believe that stats are the only key to success. They'll tell you the difference in winning percentages has less to do with statistical analysis than with statistical freaks. "If you took LeBron off the Cavaliers, you could give them 10,000 number crunchers, and it wouldn't make a difference," says David Kahn, the Minnesota Timberwolves' president of basketball operations.
内容としては、「現在NBAでは、半分の15チームがスタッツ分析担当をつけていて、ゲーム内の戦術立案、トレード、ドラフトに活用。マブスとマジックはアウェイにも帯同。しかも、それらのチームの勝率が今期59.3％に対して、スタッツ分析担当なしのチームが40.7％。」
小生が「深遠なるスタッツの世界（第1回）」（2008年5月号）でスタッツ分析についてご紹介させて頂いた頃は、まだNBAでもスタッツ分析を導入していたのはネッツ、マブス、ナゲッツ、ソニックス、キャブス、ロケッツ、セルティックスの7チームくらいだったように記憶している。まだまだ野球には及ばないものの、確かに浸透しつつある。
