Ideas convey a different feeling than suggestions. For example, "I was thinking about" differs from "why don't you try this?"
Another way to broach a situation is "How can I help?" Good coaches always seek edges. Others may choose to answer, "I'm good."
The best coaches read, study, and weigh input from 'team members'. Steve Kerr reviewed input from video coordinator Nick U'Ren whose video evidence displayed the effectiveness of Andre Iguodala over Andrew Bogut. The Warriors lineup change helped defeat the Cavs.
Trailing 26-12 early in the second quarter, Coach asked for suggestions. "What do you guys want to do?" The point guard suggested "83," the UCLA 2-2-1 three-quarter court zone press. That launched a 23-0 run over 8:35, leading to an upset of the 22-0 top seed.
Dean Smith famously would tell teams under pressure in big games, "Isn't it great to play in such a great game?"
Another approach is crowdsourcing, getting more accuracy from crowd input. Here's artificial intelligence from Claude.ai
Crowdsourcing has found several valuable applications in basketball, leveraging collective intelligence to improve accuracy and insights:
**Statistical Analysis and Advanced Metrics**
Basketball analytics sites like Basketball Reference and FiveThirtyEight use crowdsourced data validation where fans and analysts contribute corrections to play-by-play data, shot charts, and player statistics. This collective verification helps catch errors that automated systems might miss.
**Player Evaluation and Scouting**
Draft analytics platforms aggregate evaluations from multiple scouts, analysts, and basketball experts to create more comprehensive player profiles. Sites like The Stepien and various draft databases combine professional and amateur scouting reports to provide fuller pictures of prospects than any single evaluator could offer.
**Game Strategy and Tactical Analysis**
Basketball communities on platforms like Reddit's r/NBA and specialized forums crowdsource film breakdowns, identifying tactical patterns and strategic insights that might escape individual analysis. Coaches and analysts sometimes reference these collective observations.
**Injury and Load Management Tracking**
Fan communities and dedicated tracking sites crowdsource player injury reports, minute restrictions, and load management decisions across the league, creating databases that help with fantasy basketball, betting analysis, and general team monitoring.
**Shot Chart and Efficiency Mapping**
Platforms like Cleaning the Glass combine official NBA data with community-verified information to create more accurate shot charts and efficiency metrics, with users contributing corrections and context.
The key advantage is that basketball generates enormous amounts of data, and distributed analysis can catch patterns, errors, and insights that centralized systems might miss, while also providing broader perspective than individual expert analysis.
Lagniappe. Horns sets.
12 Horns sets for your playbook
— Matt Hackenberg (@CoachHackGO) June 12, 2025
1\ Elbow Stagger Hand Off pic.twitter.com/Yrtd29XuBR