If there’s one sport where science (even if it’s never precise) makes a difference, it’s basketball. Celebrating today’s World Cup final against Serbia and Germany, the game of basketball has become a spectacle of tactics, technique and physical labour… backed by abundant applications of mathematics, statistics and AI. David Sass, CEO of the Sports Data Campus Training Center, highlighted: “With the NBA at the center of this evolution, data analytics is changing the way we understand and play basketball. We have a wealth of data to analyze past trends and identify patterns, through statistical models and algorithms. Allows identification and placement in the service of technical and physical development of players and teams.
In this context, the American basketball (Developments like NBA.com/stats, accessible to fans and events like the NBA All-Star Tech Summit) Taking the baton from baseball, a pioneering sport in data collection and analysis, most Spanish clubs have innovation and numerical analysis experts as part of the bench.
Sáez highlights the case of Daryl Morey’s Houston Rockets “when they took a data-driven approach, scoring more points per possession and getting more possessions. This approach included faster play, more three-point shooting, dunks and shots around the rim, as well as rebounding. In the case of the three-point shot, it highlights how players such as Stephen Curry lead this upward trend: “It is enough to analyze the average evolution of three-point baskets made in recent decades, 4.8 three-pointers per game and team. In the 2000-2001 NBA season, it was 12.7 in 2020-2021 and 6.4 in 2011-2012. “A simple example, but one that has had a huge impact on the evolution of many aspects of the game over the past 20 years.”
Before and after
As for free throws, last March, Madrid hosted the S Ciencia Exhibition, Professor Olga C. Santos and researcher Miguel Angel Portas are members of the PhyUM (PHYsical User Modeling) research line of ETSI’s AI department. Information at UNED. A prototype of the intelligent psychomotor system iBAID (Intelligent Basketball Aid) was demonstrated in AI is used to help practice free kicks Personally in basketball. Each participant had a small vibrating device that suggested the shot should be executed at that moment, a process completed with video recording and an app that, using machine learning techniques, collected data on the angle created. Trunk and arm while executing the shot.
Data collection and analysis with tools such as Google Data Studio, Tableau, NBA Global Scout and PowerBI, software such as CourtVision or Synergy or sensors such as the Nike Hyperdunk+ play an important role in an athlete’s performance, such as underlining. Borja Ricart, President of L’Alqueria LAB, Valencia Basket’s Coinnovation Department: “Thanks to a thorough analysis of the past and the future, we identify and anticipate uncertain or unknown future scenarios. In the last five years, we have conducted quarterly physical data collection, more than 600 with 6,000 physical records. Allows for the creation of a comprehensive database of players.Everything adds up to configure the best EPA (Athlete Profile Size) which is very important not only for better performance in every competition but also for injury prevention.
Technology also plays an important role in enhancing the visitor experience
Sáez summarizes the keys to using this technology to prepare players and teams, breaking down detailed statistics in areas such as shots, assists, rebounds, positioning on the court, complete analysis of individual player performance. , etc. The optimization of tactical features allows coaches to evaluate their competitors’ SWOT (weaknesses and strengths) (and their own work in their team and management), including “Management of training loads (with biometric monitoring), real-time decision-making, talent scouting and recruitment, etc. .A scenario where the use of advanced filters allows for more practical ‘robot portraits’ of the present and future.
People and equipment
ACB has been a pioneer in Spain in the use of AI in the generation of video highlights, with the automated or semi-automated generation of thousands of videos since it started using the WSC tool in 2019. «WSC (they point out) interprets images and statistics and, thanks to AI, creates automatic clips, detects the beginning and end of the play and assigns a value based on quality. ‘Highlights’ are not only created in the horizontal formats of television broadcasts, as the computer follows the most relevant part of the play to create vertical cuts suitable for networks such as Instagram or TikTok. Thus, a series of videos can be automated to be analyzed by clubs, players, media etc.
Olocip’s CTO, Gaizka San Vicente, highlights that all this technical efficiency is used outside the field of ‘audience experience’: “Data analysis and AI are not a closed environment for applications, but can be used for all types of environments, both sports and business. For example, Baskonia -With the Alavés Group, we are working on a project in which we follow the behavior of fans and subscribers in aspects such as visits, consumption in the restaurant, business, etc. The aim is for the knowledge of the fan to be more deep and detailed, so that better business decisions are made, and the marketing strategy is more oriented and ‘ There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.”
