04-08-2021, 09:34 AM
(04-08-2021, 07:09 AM)Kammrath Wrote: The reason is that all individual stats have to be interpreted within the greater team context of simple winning and losing.
So we agree some stats are individual?
+- is not an individual stat, however you want to show it. It is a result of a group of players on the floor. It is a team (or group of players) achievement assigned to specific player.
We can take analogy with rebounding. Melli collected 3 rebounds. That is individual achievement. Context of this stat within team is to take total rebounds of the team and compare it against opponent. Did team still win rebounding battle despite Melli bad individual stat? And even that doesn't bring enough information if Melli individual rebounding was actually bad or good. Team might still win the rebounding battle because other players were hustling a lot and covered for individual mistakes or lack of effort.
Group of players was responsible for that +2. Like group of players was responsible for that 46 total rebounds (or whatever rebounds were collected when Melli was on court). It says nothing about which player in this group played good or bad or if perhaps opponent had a bad stretch in this timeframe simply by missing some open shots or making some stupid mistakes. Other stats and eye test need to be taken into context to understand it.
What you did was take one team stat at face value and claim it is a proof of a player playing well (Melli was not even CLOSE to being an issue were exact words), while you disregarded all other context that might put that team stat assigned to Melli in a different light.
If plus minus is the stat that explains individual performance, than explain JRich. Despite his non existent offense and missed 9 shots, he still had way better plus minus than KP and DFS and almost same +- as Doncic and THJ. So he must have been absolutely amazing on defense to make up for his bad offense and still contribute more to team than some others, who had far better offensive performances.