"PO/PPS" ("Productive Offense/Points Per Shot")

Abstract

By excluding shot attempts on which a player is fouled, current methods used to track shooting proficiency in basketball do not display the consequences of a player's poor free throw shooting as directly and simply as POPPS. Under POPPS, field goal shot attempts of all kinds are included in one statistical expression—points per shot—and a field goal attempt on which a player is fouled is included in his/her POPPS shot attempts. Then, any points scored on the ensuing free throws are included as points scored on that field goal attempt. This new method provides the simplest and most comprehensive composite of shooting proficiency.

Description

This document specifies a utility patent by inventor Christopher B. Wells. The invention is entitled “Productive Offense/Points Per Shot” (“POPPS”) (to be a registered trademark and copyright of the inventor or his designee). POPPS provides a novel method or process to assess a player's productivity in the game of basketball.

PRIOR ART

Shooting performance has been expressed as a percentage of shots made out of shots attempted. Offensive statistics have been kept separately for different types of shot attempts—two point field goals, three point field goals and free throws. For example, percentages of free throws made vs. attempted often range around 65%, two-point field goal percentages range around 45% and three point field goal percentages range around 35%. But these can be misleading CB to a player's true shooting proficiency, due to the current methodology of excluding from shot attempts all shots on which a player is fouled. Thus, current statistical methods do not tell as much about productivity as POPPS, nor do they reveal productivity as simply—combined into one statistic.

In recent years, statistics mavens have tracked “points per shot” by NBA and NCAA basketball players. Some have even added a factor for free throws awarded on shot attempts. (A Google or other web search reveals several statistical web sites and articles reflecting use of points per shot to examine offensive proficiency, but none use the method below.) None include field goal shot attempts on which a player is fouled.

NOVEL PROCESS

By excluding field goal shot attempts on which a player is fouled, current methods do not display the consequences of a player's poor free throw shooting as directly and simply as POPPS. Under POPPS, a shot attempt on which a player is fouled is included in his/her POPPS shot attempts. Then, any points scored on the ensuing free throws are included as points scored on that field goal shot attempt.

POPPS differs further from current methods by simply tracking the number of points scored per shot (field goal attempt of any kind), rather than tracking shooting percentages for the three types of shot attempts in the game of basketball. Below are two examples of POPPS results, each for a player who took 10 shots in a game.

A. Player 1: Player 1 makes a 3-point field goal (3 points/1 shot). Player 1 makes a two-point field goal (2 points/1 shot). Player 1 makes a 3-point field goal and is fouled, and makes the free throw (4 points/1 shot). Player 1 misses a two-point field goal, but is fouled and makes both free throws (2 points/1 shot). Player 1 misses a three point field goal, but is fouled and makes two of three free throws (2 points/1 shot). Player 1 misses three more two-point attempts and two more three-point attempts (0 points/5 shots). Player 1 finishes the game with 13 points on 10 shots (shot attempts while fouled are included), for a POPPS rating of 1.3, or a “1.3 POPPS.”

B. Player 2. Player 2 attempts five two-point field goals and five three point field goals. Player 2 makes four of the two-point field goal shots and none of the three point shots (8 points/10 shots), but is fouled on all six of the missed field goal attempts, which include a total of one two-point and five three point attempts. Player 2 is awarded a total of 17 free throws during the game, but makes only 1 of them, raising his/her total points to 9 for the 10 field goal attempts during the game. Player 2 produces a 0.9 POPPS rating.

Under existing methodology, which uses shooting percentages that exclude field goal attempts when fouled, Player 1 attempted eight shots, but only made three, for a shooting percentage of 37.5%. Under existing methodology, Player 2 was four for four, and shot 100%. Both players took the same number of shots, yet Player 1 produced 13 points to Player 2's 9 points, because of Player 2's poor free throw shooting percentage.

Free throw percentages, as well as percentages of two versus three point shots made, are examined separately under dominant public methods. Likewise, under current points per shot measures, free throws are analyzed separately and, at best, assigned a composite factor that is tacked on to the field goal and analysis and not individualized. (E.g., www.basketall-reference.com, www.alleyoop.com, and www.hoopsworld.com.)

If the results of the sample game above become typical, POPPS tells the coach (as well as players and fans) to alter the offense to create more shots for Player 1, at Player 2's expense. Under POPPS, a shot attempt on which a player is fouled and misses the field goal attempt can only yield the same or fewer points—through made free throws—compared to making the shot. POPPS reveals simply and comprehensively that missed free throws are more costly then the current methodology reflects, particularly when general observation and statistics show that in the NBA and men's NCAA games, defenders recover a much greater percentage of missed free throws than offensive players recover.

Free throw percentages typically follow two-point and three point field goal percentages, separately, in any statistical presentation of shooting proficiency. In effect, the problem is buried. In addition, tracking three point percentages separately complicates field goal shooting as assessment. POPPS addresses these shortcomings.

POPPS cannot allow for the player whose shooting proficiency is reduced by being the team's preferred shooter when the shot clock is about to expire with no viable shot attempt at hand. But otherwise, POPPS tells the whole story with one simple statistic POPPS combines all shot attempts of any kind to reveal with elegant simplicity the true “bottom line” of a player's offensive productivity.

Claims

1. Combining all types of shot attempts into one statistical expression, rather than three (or two).

2. Including in shot attempts those shots on which the shooter was fouled, then crediting that shot attempt with the number of free throws made.