The NBA’s plus/minus statistic has become an important part of the game and is used to measure a player’s effect on a game. It’s a statistic that can quickly and easily show whether or not a player is helping or hurting their team. For those who are unfamiliar with the statistic, here is a breakdown of how it is calculated and why it is so important to the game.
What is NBA +/-?
Plus/minus, or “+/-”, is a statistic used in basketball to measure the difference between the number of points a team scores when a player is on the court and the number of points that team allows when the same player is on the court. It is calculated by subtracting the score of the opposing team from the score of the team the player is on when the player is on the court. A positive plus/minus signifies that the team outscored the opposing team when the player was on the court, and a negative plus/minus signifies the opposite.
What Does Plus/Minus Measure?
Plus/minus measures how a player affects the game by taking into account both offensive and defensive play. It doesn’t just measure a player’s individual points scored or rebounds grabbed, but instead measures the overall impact they have on the game. This means that a player who is a great scorer but a poor defender can have a negative plus/minus rating, while a player who is an average scorer but a great defender can have a positive plus/minus rating.
How is Plus/Minus Calculated?
Plus/minus is calculated by subtracting the score of the opposing team from the score of the team the player is on when the player is on the court. This calculation is done for every player on the court and is then divided by the number of players on the court. This means that a player who is on the court for the entire game will have a higher plus/minus than a player who only plays a few minutes.
It’s important to note that plus/minus does not take into account any points scored or allowed when the player is not on the court. This means that a player can have a high plus/minus rating even if they didn’t score any points or get any rebounds while they were on the court.
Why is Plus/Minus Important?
Plus/minus is an important statistic because it can quickly and easily show how effective a player is on the court. It doesn’t just measure a player’s individual stats, but instead measures how well the team performs when that player is on the court. This makes plus/minus a great tool for coaches and scouts to quickly identify which players are helping or hurting their team.
Plus/minus also has applications outside of basketball. It can be used to measure the performance of teams in other sports, as well as in business and other areas. It’s a great way to measure the effectiveness of a team or organization as a whole, and can help identify where improvements need to be made.
Conclusion
Plus/minus is an important statistic in the NBA that measures a player’s effect on the game by taking into account both offensive and defensive play. It’s calculated by subtracting the score of the opposing team from the score of the team the player is on when the player is on the court. Plus/minus is a great tool for coaches and scouts to quickly identify which players are helping or hurting their team, and can also be used to measure the performance of teams in other sports, as well as in business and other areas.