Summary Of Thinking Basketball By Ben Taylor

I chose to read the book Thinking Basketball by Ben Taylor for my supplemental book analysis. I thoroughly enjoyed this book due to the use of analytics and helpful anecdotes to help break down the complex concepts within the book, making them much easier to understand. Ben Taylor effectively shows the importance of a “global offense”, the “limitations of power” that an individual has, and he explains the biases we hold in regards to game winning or losing plays. As a fan of basketball, I find it very settling to know that there are people in the world like Ben Taylor, who are studying the game as it evolves daily and breaking down its misconceptions and flawed strategies. Ben Taylor begins the book by explaining, and analyzing, what and how

He focuses on a metric called “scoring attempts,” which are defined as any free-throw or field goal attempt during a competition. He explains that Wilt Chamberlain averaged 25 shots a game and was noted the most efficient shooter on the team in 1966 with an average of 1.09 points per shot attempt. When Wilt was not the one shooting the ball, the 76ers only averaged 0.97 points per attempt. This would theoretically mean that Wilt should be taking the majority of the team shots if they want to win. This is not necessarily the case though, as there are times in the game where he needs to be resting, and the idea of not all shots are created equal. Some shots mean more than others in that particular moment in the match and it is the idea of his “global impact” (the effect of a player's actions on his teammates and himself). A second example of how a global offense is essential for a successful team is Amare Stoudemire’s impact on the 2005 Phoenix Suns. This is where the idea of redistributing and not replacing individuals comes into play when having a global

The metric used was to observe how many points were scored per 48 minutes that an individual was on and off the court. Taylor found that when Kevin Garnett was off the court for Minnesota. They were outscored by 19 points in 48 minutes when Garnett was on the court, the Timberwolves were six points better than their opponents. Now this seems like Garnett has a massive influence on the outcome of when he is on the court, but it is also explained that the point differential can be accredited to Garnett being subbed alongside another top caliber player for the team, which leaves those on the court in a tougher position to score. In summary, Taylor demonstrates that there is a limited amount of impact that a player can have on a game or team, and it is only about a 10 point differential that they can boost their team with. Lastly, the final key point the book exploits and busts is a “winning bias” or a “losing bias”. A “winning bias” is a tendency to overrate how well an individual performed because his team won and underrate how well an individual performed because his team lost and a “losing bias” is simply a winning bias