Need help interpreting stats

 
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The Logo
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PostPosted: Sat May 21, 2016 7:10 pm    Post subject: Need help interpreting stats

So, I'm going through NBA.com's advanced stats and accumulating data, and I notice defense vs isolation, you have players like Middleton, Dudley, and Bazemore giving up .94, .91, and 1.05 PPP respectively, while you have notorious defenders like Harden, Melo, and Pau giving up .73, .71, and .65 PPP respectively. I recognize that this is only one aspect to defense, but why are there discrepancies, like this, when it's obvious that the Middletons and Bazemores of the NBA are a lot better defensively, according to the eye test than the Hardens, Melos, and Paus? Is it because those guys are guarding some of the elite players of the league, while other teams will too frequently attempt to exploit whenever a player has Harden/Melo/Pau on them?
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SuperboyReformed
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PostPosted: Sat May 21, 2016 10:39 pm    Post subject:

because you don't even know exactly the question you're asking. are you asking who is the better defender? [part 1] and why are the worse defenders showing higher PPP numbers? [part 2]

they are two separate questions. sounds like you are mixing the two.
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Omar Little
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PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2016 1:10 am    Post subject: Re: Need help interpreting stats

The Logo wrote:
So, I'm going through NBA.com's advanced stats and accumulating data, and I notice defense vs isolation, you have players like Middleton, Dudley, and Bazemore giving up .94, .91, and 1.05 PPP respectively, while you have notorious defenders like Harden, Melo, and Pau giving up .73, .71, and .65 PPP respectively. I recognize that this is only one aspect to defense, but why are there discrepancies, like this, when it's obvious that the Middletons and Bazemores of the NBA are a lot better defensively, according to the eye test than the Hardens, Melos, and Paus? Is it because those guys are guarding some of the elite players of the league, while other teams will too frequently attempt to exploit whenever a player has Harden/Melo/Pau on them?


Often it has to do with how teams defend iso.
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KeepItRealOrElse
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PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2016 2:15 am    Post subject:

Great question,Logo.
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activeverb
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PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2016 10:11 am    Post subject: Re: Need help interpreting stats

The Logo wrote:
So, I'm going through NBA.com's advanced stats and accumulating data, and I notice defense vs isolation, you have players like Middleton, Dudley, and Bazemore giving up .94, .91, and 1.05 PPP respectively, while you have notorious defenders like Harden, Melo, and Pau giving up .73, .71, and .65 PPP respectively. I recognize that this is only one aspect to defense, but why are there discrepancies, like this, when it's obvious that the Middletons and Bazemores of the NBA are a lot better defensively, according to the eye test than the Hardens, Melos, and Paus? Is it because those guys are guarding some of the elite players of the league, while other teams will too frequently attempt to exploit whenever a player has Harden/Melo/Pau on them?


I don't know much about these particular data, but off the top of my head the reasons could be:

1. Different team styles
2. Different positions
3. More difficult assignments, as you note
4. One season provides insufficient data
5. Guys who are weak/strong in isolation have different strengths/weaknesses in other elements of defense
6. The level of data available to fans on nba.com isn't sophisticated enough to really capture the true situation
7. The "eye test" is wrong.

That's complete off-the-top-of-my-head thinking and you'd need to get input from someone who really understands this particular data

Interesting question, though
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unleasHell
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PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2016 9:04 pm    Post subject:

If they are hard to understand..

You probably don't need them...
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