The modern NBA has been heavily impacted by analytics. Relying heavily on mathematics, statistics, percentages, and the general numbers game, teams have begun implementing them into their play, deciding how they take shots and run their offensive set-plays during their game.
But one NBA legend doesn’t think this approach works for every NBA team. Isiah Thomas took to Twitter to talk about how analytics and their marketing has led to a lot of NBA teams incorporating them into their team, thus leading to many NBA teams playing the same way, something Thomas feels is detrimental to some of them, as they would benefit from playing a different way.
https://twitter.com/IsiahThomas/status/1475116254692323332
The marketing of Analytics in the NBA has convinced coaches and players to “think” and “play” the game the same exact way to achieve accurate measurements. Some players and teams would be better off playing a different style.
Thomas and his incredible Pistons teams are a perfect example of why there is no set blueprint on how to be successful in the NBA. The Pistons relied on stellar defense and rough and physical play to make their way to the NBA championship. Whereas many teams today believe that numerically incredible offense will outweigh solid defense and bring success.
This new wave of reliance on analytics can be seen through each team’s shooting numbers. Most, if not all NBA teams, are overly reliant on three-point shooting. And while three-point shooting as the primary offensive tool works for teams like Golden State, which has incredible shooters, it is not a reasonable approach for all teams.
Some teams need to rely on their staggering defense, or solid interior play in order to find success in the NBA. But their over-reliance on numbers has made a lot of teams very one-dimensional and has also handicapped their ability on the court.
