![]() ![]() "We've got all of that," he says without any reaction as I list off the pick and roll breakdowns to him that I just checked off above. To McMillan, though, these statistics and breakdowns have been a part of his coaching arsenal long enough that they barely warrant mention. The depth is absurd, jaw-dropping the first time you see it. While the board is meant as a general overview and motivational tool, Synergy Sports' profiles (and other proprietary play-charting methods and software) drill down to the most specific of specifics, answering questions like: Does Brandon Roy do better on pick and rolls from the left side, right side or the top? How does he fare from each spot when he uses the pick, avoids the pick, gets doubled, or deals with a switching defense? If he uses the pick, does he do better taking a dribble jumper, a runner or going to the hoop? Each player's name is listed and, after each name, a list of numbers follows, charting their progress or lack thereof. ![]() ![]() It's numbers for the players to see where they are compared to the league standings." The board, filled with writing in various colors, recalls an elementary school teacher's "gold star" positive reinforcement teaching tool. McMillan then pointed to a large whiteboard, probably four feet tall by six feet wide, that you've likely seen in the background of pictures taken at the Practice Facility. We also rank our team overall and share that information." "Whether we compare them after 20 games last year where you were, and 20 games where you are now. "Oh, we show our players their numbers," he said, explaining that his primary focus in using advanced statistics is as a benchmarking tool for charting player development and consistency. McMillan, a noted videotape breakdown fiend, surprised me with his honesty about how his coaching staff uses player breakdowns. I took up that question with Nate McMillan after Wednesday's practice. It is well-documented that the Blazers management staff is interested in statistical analysis of players. It probably doesn't surprise you to learn that Andre Miller ranks in the 42nd percentile for a rating of "Average." Similarly, Synergy tells us that Blake ranks in the 67th percentile of NBA players for spot-up shooting, also earning a "Very Good" rating. ![]() This earns the Blazers a rank of "Very Good" (the scale runs from "Poor" to "Excellent") compared to the rest of the NBA. Overall, the Blazers rank in the 72nd percentile of NBA teams in terms of efficiency from spot up jumpers. Synergy then takes these raw numbers and efficiency numbers and compares them to the rest of the league. As you might guess, Synergy says Steve Blake takes the most spot up jumpers of any Blazer, followed by Martell Webster, Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez. Portland shoots 40.2% on these spot up jumpers and scores 1.03 points per possession on these shots. As an example, through 20 games this season, Synergy reports that 21% of Portland's offensive possessions end with spot-up jump shots. How does it work? Briefly, Synergy charts every play of every NBA game and uses that raw data to calculate advanced metrics and gauge efficiency on a points per possession basis in various situations. If you're not familiar with Synergy, it's a subscription service used by NBA teams that provides detailed statistical analysis and comparative ratings of every player and team in the NBA on both offense and defense. Some of you might remember back to this summer when an invisible ninja passed some Synergy Sports reports about the Blazers my way. Stick with it, there's a lot to learn and discuss. New Post Game Thread Nikola Jokic dominates the 2023 NBA Finals and earns Finals MVP, averaging 30.2/14/7.Fair warning: this post contains lengthy discussion of advanced statistical analysis and I know that might not "seem like fun" to certain people. ![]()
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