Grantland Separates the Wheat from the Chaff...Assists and Advanced Shot Charting

Grantland explores why the NBA is focused on the "hard 2".

Okay, there are exceptions...


Chris Paul (CP3) has an array of crossovers and step backs that set him apart. 

First, the most important paragraph from the article:

One takeaway from the data gathered from this tracking is that shots that immediately follow passes are much more likely to go through the hoop than their unassisted counterparts. The best kinds of shots result from teamwork, and the worst kinds are a result of selfishness. Last season, NBA players attempted just over 200,000 shots. Fifty-three percent of these shots qualify as assisted, while 47 percent qualify as unassisted.¹Overall, the league’s shooters converted 45 percent of their shots — the assisted tries went in 51 percent of the time, while the unassisted shots scored only 38 percent of the time.

Next, the results of effective process:

...four of the NBA’s top five teams in assists per game also rank in the top five in shooting.

In today's analytics world, it's points per shot and points per 100 possessions that define you. Bad teams in the NBA have a higher percentage of unassisted shots...and that translates to little winning. 

Four of the five assist leading teams are among the NBA elite...part of the problem for the Celtics is their low three-point field goal percentage...the Celtics are 26th in three-point FG percentage (.314) while Golden State clocks in at .429. 

Evan Turner has an effective mid-range/pull-up jumpshot game, but he, Amir Johnson, Marcus Smart, Jonas Jerebko, and even R.J. Hunter are below the Mendoza Line equivalent of thirty percent. 

In today's NBA, the Celtics can't even dream of becoming an elite team until they start draining the long ball.