EP 111: How the BEST Basketball Coaches use Analytics

Hey Coach,

Here's a question we asked a coach on a recent call: "How did your season go?" He answered the same way almost every coach does. Wins, losses, whether they made the playoffs. And honestly? That answer tells you almost nothing about how to get better.

The record is just the result. The REAL story is in the data underneath it.

This episode is about learning to read that story and using it to build the best offseason of your career.

Watch The Episode Here 👇

Key Takeaways

• Your record is an outcome, not a report card. Wins and losses are the result of measurable inputs, specifically, the Four Factors (effective field goal percentage, turnover percentage, rebounding percentage, and free throw factor). Coaches who know these numbers can actually explain why they won or lost, and more importantly, how to change it.

• Offense matters more than defense, the data says so. "Defense wins championships" is a compelling slogan, but the evidence doesn't back it up. Teams ranked high in offensive efficiency consistently outperform teams that are strong defensively but weak offensively. Effective field goal percentage is the single most important metric to understand.

• Running new plays won't fix bad shot selection. One of the most common offseason moves is installing a new offensive system. But if shot quality was the problem, a different play getting to the same shot doesn't move the needle. Teaching players what a good shot looks like, and measuring it, is more effective than any new set.

• Knowing a stat and knowing what it means are two different things. Most coaches are aware of their scoring averages. Far fewer know their team's turnover percentage in wins vs. losses, or how shot quality correlated with their effective field goal percentage. This episode walks through a real team's data (with their permission) to show what that deeper analysis looks like.

• A 3-step framework for your offseason: Know your numbers → Identify the gaps → Fix them intentionally. Most coaches skip step one. The ones who don't dramatically separate themselves from the competition, even with average talent.

One Action Item

Pull up your season stats and find your team's effective field goal percentage. If you have to look it up, that's your starting point. This is a number you should know off the top of your head. Once you have it, ask yourself: when we won eFG%, what was our record? When we lost it, what was our record? That single comparison will tell you more about your team's offensive identity than your final record ever could.

If you want to go deeper, Mark built a spreadsheet that does this analysis for you! Grab it for free when you sign up for the SAVI Basketball free trial.

Stay SAVI,

-Tyler

P.S. This month inside the SAVI Basketball community, we are going all in on the Off Season Challenge! If you're not in the membership yet, now is a great time to jump in, the first 7 days are on us. Join SAVI Basketball Here!

P.P.S. If you enjoyed this episode, like and subscribe on YouTube!