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Analytics: Sports Stats and More
Who cannot fight through a pick on defense? What players don’t
move without the ball on offense? Who doesn’t block out on a
rebound? Anyone working in basketball analytics needs to know
how to interpret that data.
Back in the late 1980s, Claire was at the forefront of wanting
more information than most teams. “I believe in analytics,” he
says, “and there is a fellow by the name of Craig Wright, who
reached out to me when I became the general manager. Even
before Craig, I was attracted to Bill James. I was a person
NBA teams use
stats to analyze
opponents so that
stars such as John
Wall (2) can find
new ways to attack
the basket.