Plus minus is an important statistic in the NBA, but what does it mean? Plus minus is a statistic that measures how a player affects their team’s scoring when they are on the court. It is used to evaluate how much a player contributes to their team’s success on the court. In this article, we will discuss what plus minus means in the NBA and how it is used to evaluate players.
What is Plus Minus in Basketball?
Plus minus is a statistic that is used to measure a player’s individual contribution to their team’s success on the court. It is calculated by subtracting the points scored by the opposing team while the player is on the court from the points scored by the player’s team while the player is on the court. A positive plus minus indicates that the player’s team is scoring more points than the opposition when the player is on the court. A negative plus minus indicates the opposite.
How is Plus Minus Used to Evaluate Players?
Plus minus is used to evaluate players in the NBA. It is not a perfect measure, but it can provide a good indication of how a player contributes to their team’s success. It is especially useful for evaluating players who do not score a lot of points, such as defensive specialists or role players.
Plus minus can be used to compare players on the same team and see which players are helping the team succeed. It can also be used to compare players on opposing teams to see who is having a greater impact on the game.
The Limitations of Plus Minus
While plus minus can be a useful statistic for evaluating players, it is not a perfect measure. It does not measure a player’s individual defensive ability or offensive creativity. Plus minus is also affected by the players around a given player, so it is not a perfect measure of individual performance.
Another limitation of plus minus is that it does not take into account the context of a game. For example, a player may have a high plus minus in a blowout game, but that does not necessarily mean they are a great player.
Conclusion
Plus minus is an important statistic in the NBA. It is used to measure how much a player contributes to their team’s success when they are on the court. While it is not a perfect measure, it can be a useful tool for evaluating players. It is especially useful for evaluating role players and defensive specialists who do not score a lot of points.