The document discusses the lack of analytics use by the Los Angeles Lakers basketball franchise. It notes that in 2015, the Lakers were ranked 113 out of 122 teams across major sports leagues in terms of their analytics capabilities. This low ranking was due to the franchise historically not prioritizing analytics and only recently establishing an analytics department. The Lakers' poor record in recent years is attributed, in part, to this lack of long-term strategic planning and player development that analytics can provide, as the new CBA favors such an approach over simply spending to solve problems.

1. Reinventing the Los Angeles Lakers Through Analytics
Roderick Head
Indiana University – Data Science Graduate Program
August 3, 2016
Abstract
On February 23, 2015, ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com released "The Great Analytics
Rankings," rating all 122 teams across the four major professional leagues (i.e. MLB, NBA, NFL,
NHL) on the strength of each franchise's analytics staff, its buy-in from execs and coaches, its
investment in biometric data, and how much its approach is predicated on analytics. Interviews
around the league and considerable evidence suggest that the Los Angeles Lakers' analytics
progress matches their record, almost dead last, categorizing them as a Non-Believer ranked
113 out of 122 overall. The current CBA now favors teams with a long-term vision,
development infrastructure, and strategic planning, and makes spending your way out of
problems much harder. The Lakers never had to worry about analytics due to having the best
talent. Now they are paying the price for not keeping up with the changing process.

2. 2
Introduction
For the first six years of the annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, the Lakers
reportedly did not send a basketball operations representative, and in 2013, the only NBA team
without representation. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak contended that they sent non-basketball
under the radar. The Lakers were also slow to embrace SportsVu player tracking data, unwilling
to pay for the cameras before the NBA stepped up and installed them in every arena. Although
former Lakers head coach Rudy Tomjanovich and son Trey had provided basic statistical
analysis to the front office for years, it's only recently that the Lakers invested in an analytics
department (Holmes, 2015).
On February 23, 2015, ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com released "The Great Analytics
Rankings," rating all 122 teams across the four major professional leagues (i.e. MLB, NBA, NFL,
NHL) on the strength of each franchise's analytics staff, its buy-in from execs and coaches, its
investment in biometric data, and how much its approach is predicated on analytics. After
reviewing the statistics, contacting every team and scores of informed sources and evaluating
each front office, rankings resulted in an overall top 10 and bottom 10, and placement of each
team in one of five tiers (i.e. All-In, Believers, One Foot In, Skeptics, Non-Believers) by sport.
Interviews around the league and considerable evidence suggest that the Los Angeles Lakers'
analytics progress matches their record, almost dead last, categorizing them as a Non-Believer
ranked 113 out of 122 overall. Only two NBA teams fared worse, the Brooklyn Nets (118 out of
122) and the New York Knicks (121 out of 122) (Pelton, 2015).
Problem
A number of variables led to the Lakers’ current state. The Lakers are six seasons, 2009-2010,
removed from their 16th
and last championship. In 68 seasons of existence, the Lakers have
only missed the playoffs eight times. Nonetheless, they have missed the past three seasons.
Including the most recent hire of Lakers alum and former Golden State Warriors assistant coach
Luke Walton, the Lakers have hired four head coaches since Phil Jackson resigned at 2010-2011
season’s end (Wikipedia, 2016).
Mike Brown coached the team during the lockout shortened 2011-2012 season to a 41-25
record and a #3 playoff seed in the Western Conference, before losing 4-1 in the conference
semi-finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder. After a 1-4 start to the 2012-2013 season, Jim Buss,
EVP Basketball Operations, abruptly fired Brown, surprisingly replacing him with former
Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni after talks with Phil Jackson broke
down (Shelburne, 2012) (Shelburne & Stein, Lakers Hire Mike D'Antoni, 2012).
D’Antoni coached the team the remainder of the 2012-2013 season to a 45-37 record and #7
playoff seed. On the heels of losing star Kobe Bryant to a ruptured Achilles tendon for the
season with three games left, the San Antonio Spurs beat the Lakers in four games in their first
round playoff matchup (Associated Press, 2013) (Wallace, 2013). Notwithstanding, the season’s
biggest loss was Dr. Jerry Buss, owner of the Lakers since 1979. After being hospitalized most
of 18 months undergoing cancer treatment, Buss ultimately succumbed to kidney failure on
2/18/13 (ESPN.com news service, 2013). D’Antoni coached the Lakers to a 2013-2014 record of
27-55 record, resigning after the Lakers declined to pick up his 2014-2015 contract option
(ESPN.com news services, 2014).
The Lakers then hired alum Byron Scott, a 14-year NBA veteran that spent 11 years with the
team, starting at shooting guard on three of the Showtime Lakers championship teams (i.e.
1984-1985, 1986-1987, 1987-1988). After stints with the Indiana Pacers and Vancouver (now
Memphis) Grizzlies, Scott signed with the Lakers for his final professional season, 1996-1997,
mentoring an 18-year-old rookie Kobe Bryant before retiring (Los Angeles Lakers, 2014). Under
Scott, the Lakers had their two worst seasons in franchise history, with a 2014-2015 record of

3. 3
21-61 and a 2015-2016 record of 17-65, a season that celebrated Kobe Bryant, who retired at
season’s end after 20 years (ESPN.com news services, 2016). Scott was recently replaced by
another Laker alum Luke Walton, a forward on the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 championship
teams, and most recently, an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, 2014-2015 NBA
Champion and 2015-2016 runner up (Los Angeles Lakers, 2016).
Preparing for a complete torch passing, Dr. Buss had been giving increasing responsibility to
daughter Jeanie Buss, who had been running business operations for 15 years, and son Jim
Buss, who had been running basketball operations and working in conjunction with GM Mitch
Kupchak for several years, retaining major decisions. Controlling ownership of the team is now
owned by a family trust for the benefit of Dr. Buss' six children (i.e. Johnny, Jim, Jeanie, Janie,
Joey and Jesse), overseen by Jeanie, Johnny and Jim. Jeanie is the Lakers' President, and as
team governor, represents at NBA board of governors (owners) meetings. Joey Buss is
President of their development league affiliate, Los Angeles D-Fenders. Jesse Buss is Assistant
GM/Director of Scouting for the Lakers, and Janie (Buss) Drexel oversees the Lakers' community
relations and charitable arm (Ding, 2016).
On 7/1/11, the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expired, and the NBA shut its doors for a
149-day lockout after about a year and a half of fruitless negotiations with the NBPA (players’
union). The league claimed that 22 of its 30 teams were losing money, despite taking in $4
billion in annual revenue, and that overall losses for the 2010-2011 season were about $370
million. The owners wanted to reduce the players 57 percent share of basketball-related
income (BRI), which includes most of the revenue received by teams from ticket sales,
television, concessions, etc. (Staudohar, 2012)
Control by players of choice of team they would play for was another issue, magnified by
LeBron James (Cleveland) and Chris Bosh (Toronto) leaving smaller markets to form a “super
team” with Dwayne Wade in Miami during free agency prior to the 2010-2011 season. In 2011,
stars Carmelo Anthony (Denver) and Deron Williams (Utah) respectively forced trades to the
New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. Despite a soft salary cap, it did not do enough to dissuade
wealthier large market teams (i.e. Lakers) with bigger ticket sales and better local TV revenues
from signing another star player or two and paying luxury tax for exceeding the cap. In the
2010-2011 season, the top 10 spending teams averaged 50 wins, and the bottom 10 spenders
averaged 32 wins (Staudohar, 2012).
The NBPA indicated it might be willing to accept less than 53 percent of BRI, and the owners
dropped their hard salary cap insistence. Nevertheless, then-commissioner David Stern held
that a 50-50 BRI split was no longer negotiable, cancelling the season’s first two weeks
10/11/11. Stern continued slicing weeks off the season, threatening to drop the offer from 50
to 47 percent if a deal wasn’t reached by 11/9/11. The union responded willing to take 50
percent if owners lightened up on free-agency issues. Still, on 11/14/11, frustrated by the
owners’ bargaining table resistance, the NBPA disbanded, declaring it was done negotiating and
would seek redress from the courts. Players had authorized a “disclaimer of interest” the
previous season and could legally file an anti-trust lawsuit since the union was no longer the
players’ formal representative (Staudohar, 2012).
The NBA filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board in
response to NBPA decertification. Five NBA players filed an antitrust lawsuit on 11/15/11, in
U.S. District Court in Oakland, CA, alleging owners terminated the bargaining process when
Stern issued the ultimatum and that reducing players’ salaries was the lockout’s purpose. A
decision favoring the players, thanks to the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890, would provide for
treble (triple) damages. Had an agreement not been reached on 11/26/11, after a nearly 5-
month lockout and 50 negotiating sessions over two years, instead of starting the season on

4. 4
Christmas Day, the entire season might have been lost versus just 16 games, costing owners
and players much more than the approximately $400 million each forfeited (Staudohar, 2012).
In the new 10-year CBA, players have a six-year opt-out provision, retained soft salary cap,
relinquished nearly $300 million in annual salary roughly equating owners claimed losses in
recent years, and BRI was now a 50-50 split. This gave small-market teams more spending
money for players, and they benefitted from a new revenue-sharing package among owners
expected to create 3 to 4 times more cash flow. Owners were required to spend at least 85
percent of the salary cap, and 90 percent by CBA year three. Luxury tax teams would have
escalating penalties the more they spent on payroll. In CBA year three, luxury tax would rise 50
percent. The aforementioned changes should mean improved competitive balance in the
league (Staudohar, 2012).
Larry Bird rules essentially remained intact. Albeit shorter contracts, if a Bird player re-signed
with their team, they could receive five year deals and 7.5 percent raises. If they signed
elsewhere, max four year deals and 4.5 percent raises, making it more attractive to stay put.
Teams also received a one-time (over 10 years) amnesty to waive an unproductive player
without his salary having cap ramifications. The team still has to pay the amnestied player what
is owed. However, if another team signs said player off waivers as the highest bidder, it only
pays the bid, with the team waiving the player paying the balance (Staudohar, 2012).
On 12/8/11, "basketball reasons" prompted then-NBA Commissioner David Stern, acting as
principal decision-maker of the league-owned New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans), to veto a
three-team trade that sent star point guard and NBPA VP Chris Paul to the Lakers, Pau Gasol to
the Houston Rockets, and Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic, Luis Scola and a first-round
draft pick (from Houston via New York Knicks) to the Hornets. Paul preferred to play in New
York or Los Angeles. The NBA had put Dell Demps in charge as Hornets GM, with trade
autonomy as a sign the NBA would stay out of the Hornets affairs, but that changed when
Demps agreed to a Lakers’ deal. The three teams tried to renegotiating, but the deal eventually
fell apart. Less than a week later, on 12/14/11, in a deal satisfying the NBA's internal mandate
to require a better pick and more young talent, Chris Paul was traded to the Los Angeles
Clippers for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, and Al-Farouq Aminu, and a first-round pick (from
Minnesota Timberwolves). This sparked controversy after a lockout with primary issues of
competitive balance and keeping stars in small markets (Staudohar, 2012).
On 12/12/11, the Lakers sent disgruntled Lamar Odom, upset about inclusion in the vetoed Paul
deal, and a 2012 second-round draft pick to the Dallas Mavericks for an $8.9 million trade
exception and a protected first-round pick. On 7/4/12, the Lakers agreed to a sign-and-trade
with the Phoenix Suns for All-Star PG Steve Nash, sending first round picks in 2013 and 2015
and second round picks in 2013 and 2014. Nash reportedly received a three-year deal
estimated at $27 million from the Lakers, who could absorb Nash's salary with the Lamar Odom
trade exception. On 8/10/12, the Lakers obtained All-Star center Dwight Howard, point guard
Chris Duhon and forward Earl Clark from the Orlando Magic, sending Andrew Bynum to the
Philadelphia 76ers, who sent Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets, who then sent guard
Aaron Affalo and forward Al Harrington to the Magic, with forward Moe Harkless going from
the 76ers to the Nuggets, forward Josh McRoberts and guard Christian Eyenga from the Lakers
to the Magic, and guard Jason Richardson from the Magic to the 76ers. The Magic also received
a 2013 second-round draft pick from the Nuggets, a first-round pick from the Nuggets or New
York Knicks in 2014, a conditional second-round pick from the Lakers in 2015, a conditional
first-round pick from the Lakers in 2017, and a $17.8 million trade exception to use over the
next year. On paper, the Lakers appeared to be in championship contention again, but the
Nash and Howard deals did not pan out (Buha, 2015).

5. 5
The bench was thin, consequence of paying almost up to the luxury tax on Andrew Bynum
(later Dwight Howard), Kobe Bryant, and Pau Gasol. Over the years, cost-cutting concerns and
personal issues cost the Lakers a lot of their younger and more athletic players, notably Jordan
Farmar, Shannon Brown, and Lamar Odom. Dwight Howard was not completely healthy from
back surgery at previous season’s end. Steve Nash fractured his fibula in the 2012-2013
season's second game, only playing in 50 games, and Dwight Howard departed for the Houston
Rockets in free agency prior to the 2013-2014 season. The Lakers lost an NBA-leading 319 man-
games to injuries during the 2013-2014 season, with Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash respectively
limited to six and 15 games. A bad back prevented Nash from playing during the 2014-2015
season, leading to his retirement, and a torn rotator cuff shortened Kobe Bryant’s season to 35
games. In his 20th
and final NBA season, 2015-2016, Kobe played in 66 games (Lowe, 2012).
The current CBA now favors teams with a long-term vision, development infrastructure, and
strategic planning, and makes spending your way out of problems much harder. The Lakers
were winners, which made for a much easier free agent sell, and were never on the player
development forefront. They traded draft picks for proven veterans, and the guys they drafted
were meant to be role players rather than future cornerstones. The Lakers never had to worry
about analytics due to having the best talent. Now they are paying the price for not keeping up
with the changing process. The San Antonio Spurs, now considered the NBA’s model franchise,
are All-In on analytics per “The Great Analytics Rankings,” and at the 2016 MIT Sloan Sports
Analytics Conference, the Golden State Warriors, categorized as Believers by ESPN, won the
Best Analytics Organization award (Kyler, 2015) (Pelton, The Great Analytics Rankings, 2015)
(Golden State Warriors, 2016).
In a Buss family business meeting near the first anniversary of their father’s death, Jeanie Buss
posed an elementary question to her siblings: What was going on with the Lakers? Older
brother Jim spoke up in the boardroom of the team’s El Segundo, CA training facility, pledging
to resign in three years if the Lakers haven’t returned to championship contention. During the
2013-2014 season, in addition to injury and record woes, TV ratings dropped 54 percent, and
the Lakers failed to sellout nine home games, breaking a seven-year sellout streak. Jeanie has
reiterated that Jim’s timeline is still in place, and that she’s ready for change if the Lakers don’t
reach their goals by then. The 2016-2017 season is year three of that timeline (Breshnan,
Elliott, & Shaikin, 2014).
Metrics from stats.nba.com show that the Lakers were the worst team in the NBA during the
2015-2016 season based on the following rankings out of 30 teams:
• 97.3 points per game (30th
)
• 18 assists per game (30th
)
• 106.9 opposing points per game (27th
)
• 47.8 opposing points in the paint per game (29th
)
• 43 rebounds per game (23rd
)
• 38.1 points in the paint per game (26th
)
• 31.7 three-point field goal percentage (30th
)
• 47.3 opponent field goal percentage (29th
)
• -10.7 Net Rating (30th
)
Now in the post-Kobe Bryant era, while the Lakers accumulated some nice, young assets over
the past three years through the NBA Draft, including point guard D’Angelo Russell (2015 #2
pick overall), combo guard Jordan Clarkson (2015 #46 pick overall acquired from Washington
Wizards), guard/forward Anthony Brown (2016 #34 pick overall), forwards Julius Randle (2014
#7 pick overall), Larry Nance, Jr. (son of NBA legend Larry Nance and 2015 #27 pick overall),
Brandon Ingram (2016 #2 pick overall) and center Ivica Zubak (2016 #32 pick overall), returning

6. 6
to championship contention will be a laborious task (Pelton, How the Lakers Rebuild After Kobe
Bryant, 2015).
High-level Solution
According to Tableau, there are seven ways sports teams win with analytics (Tableau, 2015):
1. Scouting
2. Player Fitness
3. Player Development
4. Game-Day Strategy
5. Player Evaluation
6. Ticketing
7. Merchandising
According to BasketballZoop, most NBA teams have used some basic analytics such as
(Frederick, 2015):
• Use of external data sources
• Descriptive analytics on players
• Optimal lineup analytics
• Player scoring for draft analysis
• Player salary optimization
• Simulation of games
• Analysis of game tactics
Explosive data growth in the following five categories are driving teams’ necessity to beef up
their analytics operations even further (Frederick, 2015):
1. Analytics on video data
2. Analytics on locational/biometric data
3. Open data analysis by fans
4. Engaging players in analytics
5. Gathering and using proprietary data
The NBA’s official motion tracking partner is STATS, whose Stats SportVu®
tracking technology is
deployed in the catwalks of all 30 NBA arenas as of the 2013-2014 season, delivering engaging
insights via real-time X, Y and Z coordinates for the players and ball. Metrics that were
previously impossible to quantify, Stats SportsVu now captures, providing unprecedented
insight to players, coaches and front office staff (Douglass, 2013).

7. 7
Figure 1 http://www.stats.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/SportVU_BB_LP_Diagram.jpg
STATS SportVU tracking and STATS’ rich historical database collectively provide a sophisticated
basketball data stream used for strategy to support a more holistic game preparation approach.
Figure 2 http://static.mavs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/SVmain_slider1-826x395.jpg
For NBA and college teams, STATS offers the ICE™ Pro Analytics Platform, an advanced and
engaging analytics platform that provides basketball teams with a premier player evaluation,
personnel management and game preparation system that delivers enhanced levels of
efficiency and strategic insight. Teams can use ICE to access, manage and analyze critical data.
Figure 3 http://www.stats.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ICE_LaptopiPad.png

8. 8
STATS also works with professional teams to offer pro sports solutions.
Figure 4 http://www.stats.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/ICE_Report-1030x453.png
Solution details
Baseball scouts look for five different tools when evaluating players (Tjarks, 2014):
1. Ability to hit for average
2. Hit for power
3. Run the bases
4. Throw the ball
5. Field a position
If a player is lacking in one tool, he needs to balance it out by excelling in another. In
basketball, a similar framework can be applied based on the five things a player can do in a
game (Tjarks, 2014):
1. Create his own shot
2. Create a shot for someone else
3. Shoot the ball off the pass
4. Rebound a miss
5. Defend a position
Everyone will not be a five tool player, and specialists play a role on every team. The Lakers’
metrics from 2015-2016 season suggest needs for scoring (three-point and interior) and interior
defense. Team is out of balance, and guards are shouldering too much of the workload based
on team shortcomings.
Research supports that the best basketball philosophy for the Lakers is Moreyball (Houston
Rockets GM Daryl Morey), which emphasizes three pointers and points in the paint over mid-
range shots on offense, while forcing mid-range shots on defense. Shooters only make 39
percent of shots outside of seven feet, and over 70 percent of shots near the rim result in
points, shooting foul or an offensive rebound. The league shoots over 1/3 of shots from the
paint. From a risk/reward standpoint, a three-point shot is more worthwhile than a mid-range
shot. Other research has suggested that the most important factors in characterizing an NBA

9. 9
team’s playoff eligibility are opponent field goal percentage and opponent points per game,
and when looking at 2015-2016 season, in both cases, 13 of 16 playoff teams were represented
(Rust, 2014).
With the NBA’s STATS partnership, the tools are in place for the Lakers to become a more data-
driven organization from a basketball operations perspective and can use STATS’ ICE™ Pro
Analytics Platform and STATS SportVU player tracking as the foundation. The team would have
access to three seasons worth of data, and the outcome from the past three are the perfect
starting point. ICE provides access to the following, which the Lakers should take advantage of
all offerings:
• Access to pre- and post-game statistical reports
• Access to in-progress reports (Extra fees may apply)
Access to the following standard reports:
• Event Reports
• Passing Reports
• Rebounding Reports
• Shooting Reports
• Summary Reports
• Touch Location Reports
Access to the following premium reports (Extra fees may apply):
• Ball Screen Reports
• Defense Reports
• Performance and Fitness
STATS SportVU track real-time ball and player positions 25 times per second, enabling
innovative statistics based on speed, distance, player separation and ball possession.
STATS can create custom native mobile and tablet applications for the Lakers that leverages in-
depth databases of real-time and historical data for iOS, Android or Windows Phone (Reach
Unlimited, 2015).
STATS predictive data feeds provide advanced insights on probabilities for game outcomes. To
stay ahead of the competition, STATS formulates pre-game projections which are updated in
real-time as games progress, incorporating a range of components including win probability,
player projections and expected points against the spread (Reach Unlimited, 2015).
The Lakers have lost lots of games to injury in recent years. A Rotowire study suggests that
teams hemorrhage $10 million annually in salary from games missed to injury. The team can
use sensors to gain biometric data including heart rate, body temperature, analysis of blood
samples, player endurance and exhaustion limitations, etc. The training staff can use this data
to develop prescriptive solutions for player and establish pre-emptive treatment profiles (Reach
Unlimited, 2015).
Business benefits and risks
The NBA has undergone a major transformation in recent years, relying on data to measure a
team’s likelihood of winning. For decades, the “eye-test,” the organic, gut-instinct impression
that came from simply watching a game unfold, was the dominant way of judging how well a
player or team would perform. While there is still a place for the “eye-test” with NBA teams,
analytics has gone from a fad to a business norm in the league (Ross, 2015).

10. 10
MLB’s Boston Red Sox had not won a World Series since Babe Ruth was sold to the New York
Yankees, referred to as the “Curse of the Bambino.” When John Henry, a financial analytics
wizard, purchased MLB’s Boston Red Sox along with other partners, he took the team to three
World Series, breaking the curse in 2004 using sports analytics as the dominant force for
running the team and building fan enthusiasm. Sports became the model for predictive
business decision making, inspiring businesses to reorganize among teams. The sports analytics
market driving forces relate to the ability to simultaneously improve winning percentages and
decrease the cost of paying players. By implementing metrics and functions describing how to
accomplish the aforesaid, sports analytics provide a winning edge to team management, and
also used to determine how to improve fan appeal (M2 Presswire, 2015).
Sports analytics are also used in fantasy sports leagues, giving players access to statistics that
enhance their play. It is also used to improve scouting, evaluating players’ competitive
capability and uncovering unusual talent. Even sports agents use analytics to present analysis
about the players they represent to gain competitive advantage with teams. Sports analytics
are about detecting patterns and attaching value to them by being able to better predict what
players will succeed and do well in a certain system (M2 Presswire, 2015).
In a study released over the past year, Sports Analytics: Market Shares, Strategies, and
Forecasts, Worldwide, 2015 to 2021, the sports analytics market is projected to grow from $125
million in 2014 to $4.7 billion in 2021. Significant growth is being driven by smartphones, social
media, and cloud computing market penetration, the result of sports league and team
department efforts. According to Susan Eustis, the study’s principal author, “Sports teams have
discovered that with intelligent use of sports analytics they can dominate a league. As the early
adopters prove that analytics makes the difference between winning and losing, all teams,
mangers, and fantasy sports players need to adopt use of the solutions creating market growth
opportunities. Many feel that the Los Angeles Lakers, one of basketball’s most iconic teams,
along with the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks, have yet to be convinced about the value of
analytics, which potentially inhibits them from effectively analyzing team performance (M2
Presswire, 2015).
INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences) shares “Five Signs You
Can Benefit from Analytics,” stating if one or more of the following signs applies to a situation,
an analytics professional may offer the insight an organization needs (INFORMS, 2016):
1. You face complex decisions. Are you faced with more decision factors than you can get
your arms around? Do your key operational computer systems lack intelligence?
Analytics professionals can analyze complex situations and build intelligence into key
systems, revealing the best options. But before you act, talk with an analytics
professional to confirm that taking an analytics approach will pay dividends.
2. You're having problems with processes. One or more of your processes is broken or
needs to work a lot better. Many small, day-to-day decisions are not being made well,
and it's having an impact on your bottom line. Analytics can help improve these
processes and their outcomes dramatically.
3. You're troubled by risk. Do you want to limit or reduce risk? Assessing the risk of a new
project or contract can be tricky. Analytics can help you quantify risk, which is key to
controlling it. Analytics can also assist you in planning how best to balance risk against
the gains you expect.
4. Your organization is not making the most of its data. Do you track information about
your organization or customers and have data that is begging to be used for decision
making? Analytics professionals specialize in working with data – extracting the most
valuable information from what's currently collected, and showing what additional data
you could collect to increase the value even further.

11. 11
5. You need to beat stiff competition. Many leading companies are already using analytics
to gain competitive advantage. Can you afford not to? An analytics professional can help
you stay on top with the latest methods – and open up important new sources of
advantage.
At this juncture, the Los Angeles Lakers would be hard pressed not go “All-In” on analytics.
Summary
A winning team is the catalyst to the desired endgame for the Lakers. Unlike a number of their
ownership peers in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers is the family business for the Buss family,
versus one of the family businesses. Building a better team starts with analytics, which can
ultimately guide better decision-making for teams during drafts, scouting, combines and trade
considerations. While the hottest talent in sports has traditionally been the coveted draft pick
or free agent, the statistical wiz that can manipulate numbers, create models, and provide
guidance to players and coaches is now the hot talent (Brousell, 2015).
While the number of NBA teams embracing analytics is continually growing, here are four
mistakes NBA GMs will make annually (Benjamin, 2015):
1. Discarding the Numbers – According to David Berri, co-author of Wages of Wins: Taking
Measure of the Many Myths in Modern Sport, scoring still dominates the free agent
decision, and NBA team managers are vaguely aware of the importance of shooting
efficiency. It explains why Stephen Curry lost out on 2010 Rookie of the Year to Tyreke
Evans, and why the Lakers paid Kobe Bryant $23.5 million to score 23 points a game,
while missing two out of every three shots.
2. Measuring the Wrong Things - Basketball generates massive data from 80-90
possessions per game per team. While SportVu tracks all the movements and generates
a vast array of statistics, it’s important that the data collected helps explain outcomes.
Management can get overwhelmed with data and fall back on the “eye-test.”
3. Analyzing the Wrong Things - With so many variables, teams simplify by jamming
multiple stats into a single super stat like John Hollinger's Player Efficiency Rating, or
PER, but the various stats in PER haven't been correlated with actual wins. What is the
impact of each of the statistics on outcomes (i.e. rebound, steal, assist)?
4. Paying for Reputation - NBA teams pay premiums for players who were drafted high,
despite a terrible professional track record. For example, the New York Knicks have
given huge contracts to guys who went high in the NBA Draft, who score a lot of points
on a lot of shots, but are immune to coaching. On the flipside, teams like the San
Antonio Spurs, and more recently the Atlanta Hawks sign unwanted castaways from
other teams who take the shots their coaches want, or rebound or pass well.
An improved Los Angeles Lakers’ team improves morale internally and externally with fans,
media, and stakeholders. A winning team has a positive impact on merchandising, ticket,
sponsorship, concession and broadcast revenues, attractiveness to free agents, and in the big
picture sense, the respective Los Angeles and NBA economies.
The disconnect between IT and the business is one similarity between sports organizations and
other enterprises. In order for the organization to benefit from technology and analytics, per
speakers at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, statistical experts need to be able to
communicate relevant information to players, coaches, and staff. “Analytics are only useful [if]
they can be communicated. People [who] can communicate what they find will be most helpful
to the process,” says Scott Pioli, assistant general manager of the Atlanta Falcons. Old school
thinking clearly means getting left behind, and the NBA’s direction support embracing the new

12. 12
technology and systems that are increasingly becoming a larger part of the game (Brousell,
2015).

13. 13
Works Cited
Associated Press. (2013, April 13). Kobe Bryant injuy Could be Lakers' Achilles Heel in Push for
Playoffs. Retrieved from The Guardian:
http://theguardian.com/sport/2013/apr/13/kobe-bryant-achilles-injury-la-lakers
Benjamin, C. (2015, June 3). The 4 Fallacies of NBA Analytics. Retrieved from Men's Journal:
http://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/races-sports/the-4-fallacies-of-nba-analytics-
20150603
Breshnan, M., Elliott, H., & Shaikin, B. (2014, April 20). Buss Family Faces Crucial Moment With
the Lakers. Retrieved from L.A. Times: http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/la-sp-
lakers-buss-family-20140420-story.html
Brousell, L. (2015, March 26). 8 Ways Analytics are Changing Sports. Retrieved from CIO:
http://www.cio.com/article/2902297/data-analytics/8-ways-analytics-are-changing-pro-
sports.html
Buha, J. (2015, December 9). How One Vetoed Trade Derailed Lakers, Changed NBA Forever.
Retrieved from NY Post: http://nypost.com/2015/12/09/how-one-vetoed-trade-
derailed-lakers-changed-nba-forever/
Ding, K. (2016, June 28). A Family Divided: Unrest Growing in Buss Family as Lakers Struggle to
Rebuild. Retrieved from Bleacher Report: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2648618-
a-family-divided-unrest-growing-in-buss-family-as-lakers-struggle-to-rebuild
Douglass, B. (2013, October 31). How SportVU Came to be the NBA Analytics Game Changer.
Retrieved from SportTechie: http://www.sporttechie.com/2013/10/31/sportvu-pulls-
nba-analytics-forward/
ESPN.com news service. (2013, February 19). Lakers Owner Jerry Buss Dies. Retrieved from
ESPN: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8959182/jerry-buss-los-angeles-lakers-
owner-dies-80
ESPN.com news services. (2014, May 1). Lakers' Mike D'Antoni steps down. Retrieved from
ESPN: http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/10864513/mike-dantoni-resigns-
coach-los-angeles-lakers
ESPN.com news services. (2016, April 25). Byron Scott out After Lakers-Worst 17-65 Season.
Retrieved from ESPN: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/15317976/los-angeles-lakers-
byron-scott-another-franchise-worst-season
Frederick, T. (2015, September 26). 5 Booming Basketball Analytics Categories. Retrieved from
Basketball Zoop: http://basketballzoop.blogspot.com/2015/09/5-booming-basketball-
analytics.html
Golden State Warriors. (2016, March 12). Warriors Earn "Best Analytics Organization" Award at
2016 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Retrieved from NBA:
http://www.nba.com/warriors/news/warriors-earn-best-analytics-organization-award-
2016-mit-sloan-sports-analytics-conference/
Holmes, B. (2015, February 25). Are the Lakers Stuck in the Stone Age? Retrieved from ESPN:
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12375351/nba-los-angeles-lakers-stuck-stone-age
INFORMS. (2016, January 1). 5 Signs You Could Benefit From Analytics. Retrieved from
INFORMS: https://www.informs.org/Sites/Getting-Started-With-Analytics/What-
Analytics-Can-Do-For-You/Five-Signs-You-Could-Benefit-from-Analytics

14. 14
Kyler, S. (2015, July 2). NBA AM: Is the Luster Coming Off the Lakers? Retrieved from Basketball
Insiders: http://www.basketballinsiders.com/nba-am-is-the-luster-coming-off-the-
lakers/
Los Angeles Lakers. (2014, July 28). Lakers Announce Hiring of Byron Scott as Head Coach.
Retrieved from NBA:
http://www.nba.com/lakers/releases/140728byronscott_headcoach/
Los Angeles Lakers. (2016, April 29). Lakers Announce Agreement With Luke Walton to Become
New Head Coach. Retrieved from NBA:
http://www.nba.com/lakers/releases/160429_lukewalton/
Lowe, Z. (2012, November 9). Mike Brown's Firing is Lunacy, But Here's Why it Happened.
Retrieved from Grantland: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/mike-browns-firing-is-
lunacy-but-heres-why-it-happened/
M2 Presswire. (2015, May 28). Global Sports Analytics Market Shares, Strategies, Forecasts,
2015 to 2021. Retrieved from LexisNexis Academic:
http://www.lexisnexis.com.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/lnacui2api/results/shared/controller/pe
rmalink.do
Pelton, K. (2015, December 1). How the Lakers Rebuild After Kobe Bryant. Retrieved from ESPN:
http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/14260165/nba-how-los-angeles-lakers-
rebuild-kobe-bryant
Pelton, K. (2015, February 23). The Great Analytics Rankings. Retrieved from ESPN:
http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/12331388/the-great-analytics-rankings#
Reach Unlimited. (2015, July 25). Sports Biometrics Makes Waves in the NBA. Retrieved from
Reach Unlimited: http://www.reach-unlimited.com/p/682133686/sports-biometrics-
makes-waves-in-the-nba
Ross, T. F. (2015, June 25). Welcome to Smarter Basketball. Retrieved from The Atlantic:
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/06/nba-data-
analytics/396776/
Rust, D. (2014, May). An Analysis of New Performance Metrics in the NBA and Their Effects on
Win Production and Salary. University of Mississippi. Oxford: University of Mississippi.
Retrieved from Senior Thesis - Sally McDonnell Honors College:
thesis.honors.olemiss.edu
Shelburne, R. (2012, November 12). Lakers fire Mike Brown. Retrieved from ESPN:
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/8610888/los-angeles-lakers-fire-coach-
mike-brown
Shelburne, R., & Stein, M. (2012, November 12). Lakers Hire Mike D'Antoni. Retrieved from
ESPN: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8622773/mike-dantoni-hired-next-coach-los-
angeles-lakers
Simmons, R. (2014, September 14). SFGate. Retrieved from Golden State Warriors at the
Forefront of NBA data analysis: http://www.sfgate.com/warriors/article/Golden-State-
Warriors-at-the-forefront-of-NBA-5753776.php
Staudohar, P. (2012, December). The Basketball Lockout of 2011. Monthly Labor Review, 28-33.
Tableau. (2015). 7 Ways Sports Teams Win With Analytics. Seattle: Tableau.

15. 15
Tjarks, J. (2014, June 3). RealGM Analysis. Retrieved from The Tools: Five Basic Areas To
Identify: http://basketball.realgm.com/blog/233669/The-Tools-Five-Basic-Areas-To-
Identify
Wallace, P. (2013, April 28). The Fall of the LA Lakers. Retrieved from LA Observed:
http://www.laobserved.com/intell/2013/04/the_fall_of_the_la_lakers.php
Wikipedia. (2016, July 30). Los Angeles Lakers. Retrieved from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Lakers