RPM released

[mavsluvr]

What are people relying on them for? 

I would be very surprised if any front office/coaching staff in the NBA pays any attention at all to any of these stats. I don't know that for sure, of course. 

I would say that the stats are pretty reliable entertainers however, which is why ESPN keeps putting them out there. A number of fans seem to enjoy parsing them, and a few may even take them seriously. But I don't know if the stats are being relied on for anything of consequence. Fantasy basketball, maybe?

I have no objection to people discussing them or anything, if they find it amusing. Just think that as far as using them to reach some meaningful analytical result, it's pretty much a case of GIGO.

Are you talking about just what ESPN puts out? Are you talking about anything that makes it into the public that's not directly from a team's analytics department?

I was referring to ESPN's collection of "proprietary statistics."

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What are people relying on them for? 

I would be very surprised if any front office/coaching staff in the NBA pays any attention at all to any of these stats. I don't know that for sure, of course. 

To be honest, why are so many teams relying so heavily on them? Since stats have become so prevalent, has that changed the amount of bad contracts that go out? The amount of bad deals that get done? Has it improved how many good teams there are in the league (I get that there has to be winners and losers in a game, but if every game was close, that would say something to me)? I'm sure it helps some, I do wonder how much a guy like Jerry West relies on them though?

I am not saying that NBA teams don't rely on statistics. Of course, they do. I'm saying that I don't think any team rushes to check the ESPN proprietary stats every time they come out and adjust their roster construction and coaching decisions on them. In fact, I am saying I doubt that the analytics departments and coaching staffs even follow ESPN ratings at all. 

Now, as far as whether the various teams are using the right stats in the right way is a much more complex question, and is an area of continual study and adjustment.