𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲

Abhay Pancharathi

Amidst the analytics revolution of all sports this century, a lot of new terms have been coined to attach numerical values to certain previously unquantifiable metrics. All sports have these, and they are often valuable insights into player performance. However, new fancy stats and language mean that the average sports fan must learn more. Here, you will find a collection of the stats and phrases that truly matter in Basketball. Feel free to Command-F for your term.

The broadest family of advanced stats in Basketball is the "plus-minus" family. There are many variations: PM, BPM, and EPM.

PM (Plus-Minus) - Plus-Minus is a rudimentary stat on most basic box scores under "+/-". It measures how well a team performs while a certain player is on the field. For example, if LeBron James is on the court for 30 minutes, and the Lakers outscore the opponent by 10 points, LeBron is credited with a plus-minus of +10. The problem with this metric is it says nothing about a player's actual performance, just about how the team performed. For example, if Taurean Prince were on the court for those 30 minutes with LeBron, he too would have a +10 Plus-Minus, although the odds of him having the same impact as LeBron during that stretch are slim to none. It also massively favors winning teams, since they often outscore teams by a lot. This completely excludes good players on bad teams. For example, this year's rankings claim that there are 8 Celtics players better than Luka Doncic, an objectively false statement.

BPM (Box Plus-Minus) - Box Plus-Minus takes box score stats, as the name suggests, and compares them to an average NBA player. This cuts down on the effect of team success on the stat and makes for a better, more reliable statistic. However, it has limitations, mainly that players who contribute past the box score, mostly defenders, are severely overlooked. This is a limitation with most advanced stats, as it's hard to quantify defenses and hustle with numbers.

EPM (Estimated Plus-Minus) - Estimated Plus-Minus attempts to get around the flaws of PM and BPM by factoring in which players are on the court and who these players are playing against. This eliminates Plus-Minus' main problem of bias toward winning teams by factoring in the fact that winning teams have multiple good players, not just the subject player. This is the first statistic on this list reliable enough to accurately judge players based on, but keep in mind that without context most stats are meaningless.

WS (Win Shares) - A season-long estimate of how many wins a player contributes to their team. It is accomplished by seeing how many points a player contributes to their team, and how many points a "win" is worth.

Efficiency Stats - To judge how efficient a player is, people have made a variety of new statistics in complement with the normal FG%, 3P%, and FT% by giving certain shots more weightage.

EFG% - This statistic adjusts for the fact that a 3-point field goal is worth one more point than a 2-point field goal by giving each a "multiplier," While in normal FG% big men who take shots closer to the basket are high ranking, EFG factors this and makes it so that guards have a chance to rank high.

TS% - True shooting percentage also gives different shot weights, but unlike EFG% it also factors in free throws. This means players who can get to the free-throw line are given an advantage since free-throws are the most efficient shot in basketball.