Six keys to sports analytics
The ninth annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (SSAC) was the biggest meeting yet of sports-data experts: More than 3,100 people attended the event last Friday and Saturday, including a notable number of 6-foot-8-inch former NBA forwards roaming around inside the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Founded by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey SM ’00 and sports executive Jessica Gelman, SSAC illuminates the state of its high-profile industry. Here are some key takeaways from the 2015 event. 1. Sports analytics has made a big impact — sometimes In 2006, Morey traded for Shane Battier, a forward averaging only 10 points per game. But advanced metrics showed Battier was an outstanding player due to his fine defense and shot selection. The Rockets soon started giving Battier an unprecedented level of statistical information about the opponents he had to guard. “It was the first time someone was speaking my language in basketball,” Battier said...