Recently, our content partner Section Six posted a link to an article on Shane Battier and how the Houston Rockets use his unique abilities to win games. One thing that the Rockets do is go over Battier's defensive assignment and the zones on the floor where he shoots well and shoots poorly. This idea inspired me to show similar data for the ACC.
Over the weekend I acquired shot charts for a good percentage of the games thus far this season. Going forward I should be able to keep this information updated as well. I have made three changes on SCACCHoops.com.
- For games where the data is available you will now see the shot charts on the Shot Data tab of the Enhanced Box Score. Here's an example for the Georgia Tech/UNC game on Saturday.
- On all player pages a new Scouting Report tab has been added. Jack McClinton's player page.
- On all team pages, a new Scouting Report tab has been added. Wake Forest's team page.
Let's look real quick at how to read the chart...
Above you'll see James Johnson's shot chart up to this point in the season with his favorite zones (places he shoots from most), hot zones (places where he shoots the best), and cold zones (places he shoots the worst). The hot zones and cold zones are also displayed on the shot chart.
Here are a few things I notice from the chart above...
- James Johnson is a much better shooter from the right side of the floor. Further, if he gets posted on the right block, and he has two hot zones within reach.
- The three from the top of the arc is less effective for Johnson.
- Compared to most players, Johnson is a very good 2 point shooter.
That's just one example, and just the beginning of what we can do with this data. Curious where Gerald Henderson takes shot from in the final two minutes of the game? We can do that and much more. Look for more analysis coming soon!
Let us know what you think in the comments!
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