In the world of basketball, every moment of leaping for a shot is a data point, and every flick of the net is aggregated into part of the statistics. When we bring together NBA regular season shooting data from 2004 to 2023, we start a journey of exploration about precision, strategy, change and legend. Let us walk into the universe of basketball through the magic of data visualization and discover the fun and mysteries within it.
The data used in this article comes from the NBA's official public data set. In the screenshot of the data table in JMP, as shown in Figure 1 below, there are 4,012,561 rows of data, each row representing information about a shot. The data table has 35 columns in total. We use this huge data table containing more than 4 million shooting records, and use JMP's powerful visualization function to quickly reveal the secrets behind the shooting data over the years.
(Picture 1)
Note: The column names of the data table are explained as follows:
SEASON_YEAR and SEASON: season
TEAM_ID: The unique ID variable for this specific team in the NBA API
PLAYER_ID: The unique ID variable for this specific player in the NBA API
GAME_DATE: Game date (MDY // month-day-year)
GAME_ID: The unique ID variable for this specific game in the NBA API
EVENT_TYPE: Character variable representing the shooting result (hit shot // missed shot)
SHOT_MADE: True/false variable representing the shooting result (true//false)
ACTION_TYPE: Description of shot type (layup, dunk, jump shot, etc.)
SHOT_TYPE: Shot type (2 or 3 points)
BASIC_ZONE: The name of the court zone where the shot occurred
ZONE_NAME: Name of the side of the court where the shot occurred
ZONE_ABB: Abbreviation for pitch side
ZONE_RANGE: Shooting distance range by zone (less than 8 feet, 8-16 feet, 16-24 feet, more than 24 feet)
LOC_X: The x coordinate of the shot on the court x, y plane (0, 50)
LOC_Y: Shooting y coordinate on the court x, y plane (0, 50)
SHOT_DISTANCE: Shot distance relative to the center of the basket, in feet
QUARTER: QUARTER: QUARTER
MINS_LEFT: Number of minutes remaining in the section
SECS_LEFT: seconds remaining in section
GAME_TIME: The number of minutes the game lasted
Shooting: The difference between a hit and a miss
Using JMP's graph generator, you can quickly visualize huge amounts of data through mouse clicks.
Select [Graph Generator] in [Graph] on the JMP menu bar. All column names of the data table are displayed on the left. Use the mouse to drag the EVENT_TYPE column (containing the categorical variables Made shot and Missed shot) into the Y and field goal percentage information. With SEASON as a local filter, you can view individual shooting percentage information for different seasons.
Tellingly, in all years, less than 50% of the field goals were made. Imagine that every time a player jumps up, whether or not he scores a goal attracts the attention of the entire audience. The shooting percentage shown below using JMP's own animation changes with the season, making us feel the tension and intensity of the game.
Basketball court star map: shooting point distribution
Use JMP's graph generator to put the LOC_X and LOC_Y columns into X and Y respectively, and use PLAYER_NAME as the local data filter to create the dense scatter plot below. It is like a star map in the night sky, recording every bit Every field goal attempt in a player's career. This image (2) becomes a map of their scoring prowess. When we use the local filter to view a super shooter like Stephen Curry, the green dots correspond to each of his points in the NBA. A moment to shine.
(Figure II)
Every era has its iconic players, whose decisive shots at critical moments can often change the course of a game. The Hot Zone, commonly used in NBA player statistics, can discover their feel preferences on the basketball court by analyzing the area of the field where players score. The players' Hot Zone is like the commanding heights on the battlefield. It is the key for them to conquer the city and demonstrate their strength and style. Using the custom map of JMP software, you can visually display the shooting hot spots.
Imagine that when Stephen Curry crosses half court, it's his 3-point hot zone. With the accumulation of experience during the season, his style gradually matured. Opponents understood from losing games again and again that when Curry has his incredible three-point shooting touch, he is a very formidable opponent.
Looking at LeBron James, his hot zone is mainly at the basket. When attacking from here, he can easily display powerful power and precise skills. When James has the ball in his hot zone, stopping him will be a difficult task.
Team's shooting position preference
Beyond individual players, does each team’s preferred shot placement differ?
The bar chart of JMP's graph generator can help us discover this information very well. We filtered the shooting data of 30 NBA teams in the 2022-2023 season. We can see that almost all teams have the highest scoring efficiency in the "Restricted Area" (restricted area, dark blue bar in Figure (3)). , although the penalty area is usually the most heavily defended area, there are also more opportunities at the basket.
Different teams show different scoring efficiencies in the "Mid Range" (orange bar in the picture) area. For example, the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks both have outstanding mid-range scoring performances. . The team's shooting preference is not only a display of the player's skills, but also a reflection of the coach's tactical layout. In the interweaving of colors in the stacked bars, we seem to be able to feel the offensive and defensive philosophy of each team.
(Picture 3)
Shooting distance in the passage of time
Looking at this heat map of game time and shooting distance, at a glance, most shots are concentrated within 24 feet (feet). At the same time, we also found that players seemed more willing to distance themselves toward the end of each quarter and attempt long-range shots. This is especially noticeable in missed shots. Is it a tactical adjustment? Physical distribution? Or take a chance on good luck? With TEAM NAME as the Local data filter, this picture seems to tell us the story behind each team's strategy.
When we focus on the area after 48 minutes of the game, we will find that players' shot attempts from long distances will drop significantly, which also reflects the tension of overtime and the caution of shots. (Note: NBA games have 4 quarters, each quarter is 12 minutes. If the two sides are tied, there will be a 5-minute overtime. If the two sides are still tied after overtime, the overtime will continue for 5 minutes. This cycle continues until both sides until the winner is decided).
Actions and Reactions: Shot Type Competition
The bar chart below shows us the 5 most common shooting movements. When drawing a bar chart in JMP's graph generator, select [Stack Fill] and set the main category of [Stack Fill] to [5], so that we can easily visualize the information we want. As can be seen from Figure (4), jump shot tops the list, followed by layup, reflecting that the basket is still the center of scoring.
The third-ranked driving layup shot emphasizes the scoring method in the dynamic process. It usually involves players dribbling the ball from the outside to break through the defense and completing the layup action on the move. In NBA games, "driving layup" is a very important scoring method, because it can not only score effectively, but also attract defenses, create shooting space for teammates, and is often a highlight of the game.
( Picture 4 )
Basketball Season Variations
From 2004 to 2023, are there any general tactical rules in NBA games? Our eyes fell on the following picture (5), using the heat map of JMP's graph generator, using SHOT_TYPE as Y and SEASON as X. As time goes by, we can clearly see There is a clear increase in three-point shot attempts, reflecting the shift in modern basketball tactics.
The popularity of three-pointers is not only the improvement of players' personal skills, but also the result of the combination of tactical evolution and rule adjustments. For example, changes in the defensive rules of the penalty area have made the space under the basket more crowded, and teams have begun to seek more efficient ways to score, so three-pointers have become the first choice.
(Picture 5)
Summarize:NBAShot Data Dashboard
Using JMP's dashboard, we can create an NBA shooting data reveal board that combines all the charts we are interested in. The charts are interactive dynamic pictures, and the interaction between the data can be easily viewed through mouse clicks. This dashboard is not just a collection of cold numbers, it is a visual integration of passion and wisdom on the basketball court.
This JMP's interesting data visualization tells us that basketball is not only a competition of athletes' speed and strength, but also the art of strategy and decision-making. From these bits and pieces, we can see the diversity of NBA styles and the innovation of tactics. Behind this is the crystallization of the wisdom of countless coaches and players, and it is also proof of the continuous development and progress of basketball.
