Statistical Analysis: Looking for the Next Reggie

Okay, after seeing the Pacers performance lately, it seems they miss Reggie so much that they are making—actually, well, at least they’re trying—three-pointers in the honor of him. Okay, just kidding, but the way they’ve been playing in the last few games, the Pacers are literally just chucking basketballs in the air from behind-the-arc. This is probably stupider than a guy asking for tickets to a Subway station so he can get on a train but the other guys asks, “Do you want a footlong or a flatbread?”

But anyways, you’re probably asking what’s so bad about the team taking three’s? Well, first of all, if you miss like the first seven of them, why the freaking hell would you keep chucking them away when it sometimes barely hits the rim at times, or worst yet, airball it. It’s not smart, and this is another thing that is effecting the Pacers, and causing them to have this well-below-.500 record.

I mean, look at this:

The Pacers are ranked fifth in the league with three-pointers attempted and though they are in the top of the league in the shots from downtown made (well, duh, what do you expect? They take over 22 freaking three’s per game!), they are 25th in the league with the percentage. Well, what could this mean?

The Impact

1) Well, this certainly is the reason why the Pacers have a 101.3 offensive rating, which is ranked 28th in the league. The offensive rating is point score per 100 possessions. Well, if the Pacers shoot three’s during those possessions, and miss, then this whole story is a mess.

2) As well as ruining their offensive rating, they don’t produce much point either. Seriously, look: the Pacers average only 98 points per game—eighteenth in the league. With shooting 22 three-pointer per game, which remember is fifth in the league, then they won’t be scoring a lot either, which causes them to have deficits from their opponents often times.

3) If you ever watched a Pacers game, you notice when a player shoots a three and misses, three-to-four guys on the opponents’ team are crowded under the rim looking for a rebound and the Pacers don’t even try to get it. Well, that helps the opponents more as they have more chances the score. The Pacers are the number one team in the league to allow their opponents to get defensive rebounds, with 34.7.

4) Plus, with Indiana not even trying to get the rebound, like a stated earlier, it pushes them further back in the rankings. They rank 24th in the league with offensive rebounds with 10.1 per game.

5) With that said, the Pacers are out-defensive-rebounded by their opponents 2.3 times. Though that number looks small, the Pacers are ranked 26th in the league with that. And plus, that small number makes a big difference if you think about it.

6) Well, you know the Pacers suck so much on the three’s? The opponents don’t. They beat the Pacers in percentage with an advantage of 3.6%. Big difference actually, plus, which ranks them at 26th in the league. And guess what? They shoot six more three-pointer than their opponents per game. That just makes things really sad for this team.

With That Said

Indiana, if you were to ever read this post—and most probably, you wouldn’t—you would realize why you guys stand at this record. It’s time to improve…big! With statistical analysis, it does not look  good. So stop taking three’s.

There will never be another Reggie.