Basketball data collection is launching to a new level, creating the potential for change in every aspect of the game. Technology originally developed to track missiles has been deployed in 10 NBA arenas, capturing every move of every person on the court using six tiny cameras recording at a rate of 25 times per second, using complex algorithms and software to ensure precision and accuracy.
Recognizing the need to keep up with evolving technology, Stats, already the largest provider of professional sports data, acquired the Israel-based company SportVU, which had repurposed the technology for use in soccer. Basically, the technology takes the traditional statistics collected during games and tracks the data behind the data - shooting average after one versus two dribbles or from five feet away, assists leading to successful as well as unsuccessful shots, which player passed the ball prior to an assist - every variable that could possibly affect an individual's performance. All of that information is broken down by software to produce an easy-to-follow report.
Such data will offer new insights into every aspect of a game - identifying an exceptional player whose basic stats don't reflect his true ability because he plays for a mediocre team; pinpointing specific weaknesses on opposing teams; quantifying the differences between two players of seemingly identical skill. The technology has so much potential that teams that had once been paid for their stats are now paying to have it.
The biggest downside to the technology is that it is currently in place in only a third of NBA arenas, meaning the vast amount of data SportVU does collect still leaves an incomplete picture. According to Stats' president, while the benefits of such in-depth data are apparent, teams currently employing it are keeping their lips sealed as to how they're using it, leaving teams without the technology unaware of its full potential and less inclined to commit to the purchase.
