Teams that use Analytics
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are big believers in analytics. The team’s general manager, Daryl Morey, is the main reason for this. He was the first NBA General Manager to specialize in analytics, and has led the Rockets to a winning record every season since he was hired.
When Morey came to the Rockets, they had two highly paid superstars, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. They could not afford to add another expensive player. "We went looking for non-superstars that we thought were undervalued.¨ says Morey. As a result they brought in Shane Battier. Morey found that Battier was much more valuable than his modest statistics because he made everyone on his team better. Later Morey also traded for James Harden, another player that was highly valued by analytics. This has allowed the Rockets to be in a good position for now and many years to come.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs have been using analytics as part of their play for a very long time. Gregg Popovich and GM R.C. Buford were behind this idea before it became part of the NBA as well. San Antonio has had SportVU cameras installed in their arena, and use these to get a lot of data. Popovich has used the data to change the way his team plays. For example, in his offense he has learned to shoot more corner 3s. These cameras have also showed that forcing opponents to shoot long 2s decreases their efficiency greatly. The Spurs have not missed the playoffs since 1997, and have the players and strategies to be in a good position over the next few seasons.
The Houston Rockets are big believers in analytics. The team’s general manager, Daryl Morey, is the main reason for this. He was the first NBA General Manager to specialize in analytics, and has led the Rockets to a winning record every season since he was hired.
When Morey came to the Rockets, they had two highly paid superstars, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. They could not afford to add another expensive player. "We went looking for non-superstars that we thought were undervalued.¨ says Morey. As a result they brought in Shane Battier. Morey found that Battier was much more valuable than his modest statistics because he made everyone on his team better. Later Morey also traded for James Harden, another player that was highly valued by analytics. This has allowed the Rockets to be in a good position for now and many years to come.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs have been using analytics as part of their play for a very long time. Gregg Popovich and GM R.C. Buford were behind this idea before it became part of the NBA as well. San Antonio has had SportVU cameras installed in their arena, and use these to get a lot of data. Popovich has used the data to change the way his team plays. For example, in his offense he has learned to shoot more corner 3s. These cameras have also showed that forcing opponents to shoot long 2s decreases their efficiency greatly. The Spurs have not missed the playoffs since 1997, and have the players and strategies to be in a good position over the next few seasons.