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NBA Stats

NBA player statistics have evolved significantly with the introduction of advanced tracking systems and analytics. Here are some key stats and how they're captured, measured, and averaged over a season:

Traditional Box Score Statistics

These are the fundamental stats that have been tracked for decades:

Points per game (PPG)

Rebounds per game (RPG)

Assists per game (APG)

Steals per game (SPG)

Blocks per game (BPG)

Field goal percentage (FG%)

Three-point percentage (3P%)

Free throw percentage (FT%)

These stats are recorded manually during games and averaged over the season by dividing the total by games played.

Advanced Tracking Statistics

In 2013, the NBA introduced a sophisticated player tracking system that captures more detailed data

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Speed and Distance

Average speed (mph)

Distance traveled per game (miles)

Possession and Touches

Touches per game

Points per touch

Time of possession

Passing

Passes per game

Assists

Points created by assist per game

Defensive Impact

Opposition field goal percentage at the rim

Blocks

Steals

Defensive rebounds

Shooting Efficiency

Catch-and-shoot points per game

Pull-up shot points per game

Advanced Analytics

These metrics combine various stats to provide a more comprehensive view of a player's impact:

Regularized Adjusted Plus-Minus (RAPM)

RAPM estimates a player's contribution in points per 100 possessions, considering both offensive and defensive impact

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RAPTOR (Robust Algorithm using Player Tracking and On/Off Ratings)

Developed by FiveThirtyEight, RAPTOR uses a blend of box score stats, player tracking metrics, and plus-minus data to estimate a player's effect on team efficiency

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LEBRON (Luck-adjusted Estimated Box plus/minus Rating of On-court and Net scoring)

This metric combines box score data with on/off impact data to provide a nuanced view of player value

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Data Collection and Averaging

Optical Tracking: Cameras in NBA arenas capture player movements 25 times per second

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Software Processing: Proprietary software uses computer vision algorithms to extract positional data for all players and the ball

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Statistical Compilation: Data is compiled and processed after each game to generate per-game and cumulative statistics.

Season Averaging: Most stats are averaged over the season by dividing cumulative totals by games played or minutes played, depending on the metric.

Adjustments: Some advanced metrics may use weighted averages or other statistical techniques to account for factors like playing time, opponent strength, or recency of performance

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By combining these traditional, advanced, and analytically-derived statistics, NBA teams and analysts can gain a comprehensive understanding of player performance throughout the season.

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