Basketball on Paper: Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis

by Dean Oliver

Journey inside the numbers for an exceptional set of statistical tools and rules that can help explain the winning, or losing, ways of a basketball team. Basketball on Paper doesnat diagram plays or explain how players get in shape, but instead demonstrates how to interpret player and team performance. Dean Oliver highlights general strategies for teams when theyare winning or losing and what aspects should be the focus in either situation. He describes and quantifies the jobs of team leaders and role players, then discusses the interactions between players and how to achieve the best fit. Oliver conceptualizes the meaning of teamwork and how to quantify the value of different types of players working together. He examines historically successful NBA teams and identifies what made them so successful: individual talent, a system of putting players together, or good coaching. Oliver then uses these statistical tools and case studies to evaluate the best players in history, such as Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Charles Barkley and how they contributed to their teamsa success. He does the same for some of the NBAas oddball players-Manute Bol, Muggsy Bogues, and Dennis Rodman and for the WNBAas top players. Basketball on Paper is unique in its incorporation of business and analytical concepts within the context of basketball to measure the value of players in a cooperative setting. Whether youare looking for strategies or new ideas to throw out while watching the ballgame at a sports bar, Dean Oliveras Basketball on Paper will give you amazing new insights into teamwork, coaching, and success."

393 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 2003