Taking stats is the unglorified part of the basketball world. People usually focus on what is happening on the court, but the true heroes that improved the game we love so much, are the men and women who work tirelessly to keep every stat. While keeping stats has been a boring job which forced people to mindlessly write down numbers, development of technology has made this much, much easier. Whether it is the shot charts or improved data analysis, technology has elevated performances of coaches and players around the world. Let’s look at some of the aspects in which it impacted the game of basketball.
The most important thing is the amount of data that has been made available. Traditional stat keeping on paper showed just some aspects of what is happening on the court, while technology allowed way for advanced analytics to come into sports. Tools that measure efficiency, such as effective field goal percentage or true shooting percentage, are all based on certain mathematical formulas which would take a long time to be calculated by paper. The formula can already be in place in a computer or tablet, as they will simultaneously record and analyze data. Not only is there an abundance of data available, but it is also very easily accessible. Keeping all those stats by paper would create a huge mess, while technological tools keep all the data organized and designed for user experience. All you need to do is just press a few buttons to get to the goods.
As far as coaches are concerned, advancement in technology could be the best thing that ever happened. It makes it easier for them to analyze games to create appropriate game plans. With a lot of video data as well as easily accessible statistics, they can read the game story easier and take away what the team could have done better. Coaches should use all the technological tools they have at their disposal as it doesn’t only save a lot of their precious time, but it improves their decision-making to have more evidence backing it up. As all the stats are kept in a digital database, coaches don’t have to keep all the numbers in their head or on paper. Therefore, coaches have this information at their fingertips at all times, and in combination with their intuition can lead their teams to success.
Digital databases allow for much better way of scouting as well. Coaches don’t have to travel to games to see certain players, but can just examine variety of their stats to analyze them. Advanced analytics show a lot about the player, and coaches can decide if they fit in with the team based on their on-court preferences. There has been a trend in professional basketball in which scouts use tracking technologies to analyze prospects. Ultimately, basketball as a sport has benefited greatly from this change from paper to computers and tablets. Teams work hard to gain competitive advantage, and using technological tools is definitely one of the most important factors in that struggle.
