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NBA Tracking ‘Hustle Stats’ In Las Vegas Summer League

By Mark Vandeusen

Jul 11, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; New York Knicks guard Jerian Grant (13) shoots through the defense of San Antonio Spurs guard Kyle Anderson (1) during an NBA Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 11, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; New York Knicks guard Jerian Grant (13) shoots through the defense of San Antonio Spurs guard Kyle Anderson (1) during an NBA Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NBA is trying something new this week during its Las Vegas Summer League.  For the first time, the Association is keeping track of a number of things never before available in a box score.  Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press writes:

"All 67 games in the NBA Summer League at Las Vegas will have so-called “hustle stats” officially tracked, a nod to the league’s evolving reliance on analytics and all the things besides scoring that help decide the outcome of games. A trained crew will chart 2-pointers contested, 3-pointers contested, deflections, loose balls recovered and charges taken.Those numbers will all go into a formula to determine which players hustled most in any given game, and will be available through advanced box scores that will be distributed in-game to team personnel, media and broadcasters. Fans will have postgame access to the information by opening box scores posted to the NBA’s website."

Through four days of play in Las Vegas, here are some of the things the league has revealed so far regarding its new statistics (via NBA.com):

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  • The Dallas Mavericks lead all clubs with an average of 13.8 “Hustle Points” per game.  They’re contesting 16.5 three-pointers per contest.
  • As a team, the Golden State Warriors have drawn six charges, the most of any ballclub.
  • To this point, “deflections” is the “hustle stat” that most closely translates to victory–winning clubs are averaging 1.5 more per game than their opponents.

As Reynolds notes, these stats are still a long way from being implemented on a regular basis, with the 2016-17 season likely the earliest possible start date.  But with a growing emphasis on analytics in the NBA, “hustle stats” are clearly an inevitable part of the future.

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