On a superficial level, Dion Waiters was traded from one team with ball-dominant superstars that don't pass a lot to a different team with ball-dominant superstars that don't pass a lot. And yet, the new Oklahoma City Thunder guard is thriving after struggling to find his role with LeBron James' Cavaliers.
Dion Waiters loves the Thunder because they actually pass to him
Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
The difference, according to Waiters? His new team actually believes he exists. From Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman:
“Listen,” he said, “they give me the ball. Like, I touch the ball. Like, I actually, like, you know, touch the ball.”
Back in the dark ages, we had to accept Waiters’ quote at face value. Now, we have amazing tools at our disposal to make sure we aren’t being fed a lie.
THE VISUAL EVIDENCE
Pretty compelling.
THE STATISTICAL EVIDENCE
Waiters was traded on Jan. 5. Thanks to NBA.com, we can actually track touches per game thanks to the recent unveiling of SportVU data. Here’s what we’ve learned.
BEFORE JAN. 5
- TOUCHES PER GAME: 35.6
- MINUTES PER GAME: 23.7
- TIME OF POSSESSION: 1.8 minutes/game
AFTER JAN. 5
- TOUCHES PER GAME: 34
- MINUTES PER GAME: 27.6
- TIME OF POSSESSION: 1.7 minutes/game
Soooooooo, Waiters is playing more minutes in Oklahoma City, yet he’s touching the ball less often. THAT’S interesting. Clearly, this shows that ...
Whatever, the eye test wins. A good quote should never be ruined by numbers.
★★★
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