Talent Was Not the Reason the Golden State Warriors Won, Data Analytics Was.

Seventy-three wins, the most recorded for an NBA team in a single season. The 2015–2016 Golden State Warriors may have had a lot of talent, but data analytics made their magical season possible. Over the years, more and more NBA teams have started using data analytics to improve their players and amount of wins. Today, I am writing about how data analytics helped the Warriors become a dynasty and transformed the NBA. While researching, I read two articles about data analytics in the NBA and the Warriors.

Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors point guard and member of the 73-win team, practicing his stellar three-point shot before a game. Athlete: Stephen Curry Photographer: Cyrus Saatsaz Source: Date: November 4th, 2017).

For the past decade, the Warriors have dominated the NBA and have won four championships. The Warriors front office track every shot their players take in games and practice. They put the data into their Oracle database, the company that had the name of their old stadium, and use it to make data-driven decisions. Further, they implement artificial intelligence algorithms with Google Cloud to gather even more data. For example, the coaches simulate NBA games to make data-driven decisions. For instance, can Andrew Wiggins replace Kevin Durant? Could James Wiseman replace Kevon Looney? After running these scenarios, the coaching staff can make these data-driven decisions to optimize player performance and strategy.

Looking closely at what the Warriors are doing, it resembles “Moneyball”: the book about the 2002 Oakland Athletics and how they used metrics to win even on a small budget. However, the Warriors do not have a small budget and are still using data to succeed. Therefore, it highlights the importance of using data because it helps make smarter decisions and improves the rate of success. As a result, many other NBA teams have started using data for their players and coaches. Thus, the NBA has installed six cameras on every court to collect data about the player’s movements. These cameras have allowed coaches to improve their strategies by letting them recommend apt offensive moves for their players, deciding which matchup is best for each player, and designing a formidable defense. In addition to allowing coaches to improve their strategies, collecting data helps predict and prevent player injury. Through new technology like wearables, sleep monitors, and other devices, teams can assess a player’s fatigue and future performance. Consequently, coaches might have to decide to rest a player if they believe they could get injured and not take the risk.

The cover of the book Moneyball, by Michael Lewis, is about how the 2002 Oakland Athletics were able to win even with a small budget but using data. (Photographer: Mike Steele Source: Date: April 25, 2020).

Overall, data has been essential for sports teams to achieve greatness. They allow teams to optimize player performance, decrease the amount of injuries, and improve strategy. Also, the Warrior’s success and the essential role of data in their four championships reinforce the importance of data analytics. Hence, I expect in the future, all sports teams will track data and use it to make data-driven decisions and optimize player and team performance.

Thank you for reading!

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