Xatticus wrote:Knightro wrote:You’re being a little disingenuous with the numbers.
1. You said Vucevic’s metrics have steadily declined. This isn’t accurate.
Of course they have been declining. This is irrefutable. I think you are just trying to argue, but I will explain just the same.
The value in statistics lies in their ability to predict what will happen. We never actually know the true mean unless our sample contains all possible data points, but we make do with what we have. To that end, the larger sample is almost invariably a better predictor. When a sample isn't representative of the true mean, you expect regression (up or down).
Vucevic's mean scoring efficiency metrics (eFG% and TS%) have both been in decline since early in the season. In fact, both declined over the duration of his "very good January." This is almost certainly due to regression back towards the true mean and it is highly probable that both will continue to decline over the remainder of the season.
The fact that Vucevic's efficiency metrics were better in January than they were in December doesn't invalidate this. It's highly unlikely that any subset is going to accurately reflect the true mean. Variance (above or below) is expected. You could've cited any particular performance over the course of the season to attempt to refute my statement, but I'd imagine that data from a single game was too obviously cherry picking?
Knightro wrote:2. You said Vucevic’s metrics have declined because he’s taking more midrange jumpers. This isn’t accurate
I didn't say that. I said I suspect it. I have a solid grasp of the English language and I generally choose my words carefully. Without the data on hand, I could only hypothesize as to why his shot selection had deteriorated. And... yes. His shot selection has deteriorated. I know this because this is precisely what those metrics measure. They don't measure how good someone is at shooting, though that is obviously a factor, but rather they measure the quality of the field goal attempts a player is taking respective to their ability to hit those shots. Distance is only one factor.
Knightro wrote:3. You said Vucevic hasn’t been particularly efficient since the first two months. This isn’t accurate.
It's an adverb. Look it up. This specific adverb has caused a fair bit of misunderstanding over the last few weeks and I am unsure as to why.
I don't know how you can argue that Vucevic has been
particularly efficient over the last two months when his TS% over that span has been below the league average. He was
particularly efficient from the beginning of the season through November.
I am all for debating any number of Magic-related topics, but I find it tiresome having to continually clarify statements that are not ambiguous. I think there is an assumption of prejudice around here any time anything unflattering is said about individual players.