Move over IBM Watson, you got some help coming

[rarefind]

This is so cool!

[LiSTWithLani]

Lol...none of it means anything?
You mean being a grad in compsci and math from the top technical university in the world, which only accepts the literal best of the best means nothing to you?
Being the director of basketball AI for the top analytics company in sports means nothing? They're the official data tracking and analytics provider for the EPL, NBA and MLS.
LOL. It may not mean everything, but it certainly means something. Show some respect...

show some respect.. are you kidding me? lol Ujiri dropped out of college and he more important than some MiT geek. he aint making us any better with his stats. I had Mobley and Barnes being tops in draft just watching em play it aint rocket science where you gotta waste money and time going to school.

I was ready to call you out as a liar, but you were high on Barnes after going thru your posts. I couldn't see a tier list by you but when everyone was writing him off, you were there defending him.

Kudo's on being right over the majority.

I do think you should consider this signing a win though. Nothing wrong with adding talent, even if its in the front office.

Thanks for doing the research.

Meanwhile, school is not a waste of time, it's an opportunity to hone a craft and learn new skills/ knowledge.

If you were building an organization whose job was to build the best team, within the confines of a salary cap and with a draft lottery system, I would search near and far to find someone like this.

This year, I have heard multiple teams talk about deflections, that was never a stat before.
People seem to understand that reach is more important than height, also new.
Efficiency reigns king over points per game and emphasis is placed on possessions.

These are all very clearly as a result of stats. If this mathematician can help us find the next stat and get ahead of it, I'm all for it!

[GM89]

Pretty solid resume.

-MIT grad in mathematics and computer science
-Varsity basketball player for MIT
-Software engineer at Google
-Director of Basketball AI Products for second spectrum

Now he's the new senior director of analytics here.

As someone who work in the data & analytics field that's not what I would consider a "solid" resume... this guy is basically a genius.

[ruckus]

Sounds like a great hire.

[Meursault]

Looks like MLSE is still hiring for this one: https://g.co/kgs/1nFy2V

Director, Business Analytics

Overview

As Director of Business Analytics, you will provide thought leadership and lead MLSE’s business analytics practice as part of the MLSE Digital Labs Strategy & Analytics team. You will continue to refine our data strategy and lead a team to implement our roadmap to build new capabilities, sharpen our knowledge of our fans and business, and drive insights that lead to better fan experience, commercial growth, innovation and operational excellence.

You will identify and lead execution of very cool projects and activities that make us smarter, more connected to our fans and drive outstanding experiences and business results.

Our Business Analytics team acts as internal consultants with several internal business units, and partners with these teams to help them achieve their business objectives. Whether predicting the future, measuring historical performance, analyzing customer behaviours, mining data, or optimizing marketing spend, each day will be new and exciting.

The successful candidate must be a strategic, goal-oriented individual who thrives in a high-paced business environment and lives our values of accountability, leading in what we do, dreaming big, and being a fan of our teams. You will tell compelling stories, create compelling reason for action and build the capabilities of an impactful team.
-----------------------------

Doesn't seem nearly as interesting as applying these skills directly to a sports franchise though (i.e. Raptors, Leafs, Jays)

I feel like one way of getting into this industry could be: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mit-sloan-sports-analytics-conference-2022-registration-165890981391?aff=SSACWebsite

[Courtside]

Second Spectrum consolidates the data and does some value added work for teams under contract, but to swoop in and acquire the guy who runs it and understands it inside out is a major, major coup, I think. We're already using a customized Watson to parse the data and turn it into usable info and/or modeling, but I have to think that Matt has his own ideas and/or already has these added products ready to go - and my hope is that the Raptors FO bought some exclusivity with respect to some or all of Matt's IP during the course of his employment, beyond whatever deliverables SS already has with other teams.

https://www.ibm.com/watson/stories/ca-en/basketball-with-watson.html

https://www.ibm.com/blogs/think/2019/06/toronto-raptors-use-data-driven-command-center-on-path-to-nba-finals/

https://www.vice.com/en/article/yp3bjw/toronto-raptors-nba-draft-day-ibm-watson

https://tbri.com/blog/ibm-toronto-raptors-ai/

https://brainstation.io/blog/how-data-played-a-role-in-the-toronto-raptors-nba-championship


This was from way back in 2013, when we had some limited access to Alex Rucker and some tidbits about how they programmed "ghost players" that would be shown on screen to teach the team/player where they should have been while superimposed over where they actually were. LOTS of ways to use this data and that's up to each team. I have to think that since that open door was given to Zach Lowe, we have kept much - or all - of what we do much more confidential. It sure seems that we have advanced to a certain player archetype that was likely informed by the 8+ years that Watson has been working, and helping us to select prospects and players from around the league.
https://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/2013/03/20/raptors_fascination_with_cuttingedge_analytics_undercuts_goal_of_winning_kelly.html


This is the Raptors "control room" where Masai is planning his global takeover. Rumor has it he already has a white cat and Stavro Blofeld uniforms at the ready. (right click and open in new browser if needed, it's a big image with very interesting detail)




It seems like Boyarsky was originally a California guy as well, who worked with the Raptors as at the leading edge of analytics and AI learning with Watson, who was later brought into the fold as a FT director of analytics. I would assume that Matt will answer to Keith.

[MixxSRC]

Imagine going through a bunch of interviews with company and finally getting hired just for some dude on realgm to hate on you lmao

[aligator]

Wonder if he will be concentrating on current NBA players for trade purposes or college guys for draft purposes? Both?

An added level of expertise can only be positive.

[Courtside]

Wonder if he will be concentrating on current NBA players for trade purposes or college guys for draft purposes? Both?

An added level of expertise can only be positive.

Everything. They can track any player anywhere in the world and look for certain patterns, skills, speed, stats, measurements... you name it, they are probably sorting it.

[Badonkadonk]

None of that means anything to me. You can never go to school and pick out top talent pretty easy.

Lol...none of it means anything?
You mean being a grad in compsci and math from the top technical university in the world, which only accepts the literal best of the best means nothing to you?
Being the director of basketball AI for the top analytics company in sports means nothing? They're the official data tracking and analytics provider for the EPL, NBA and MLS.
LOL. It may not mean everything, but it certainly means something. Show some respect...

show some respect.. are you kidding me? lol Ujiri dropped out of college and he more important than some MiT geek. he aint making us any better with his stats. I had Mobley and Barnes being tops in draft just watching em play it aint rocket science where you gotta waste money and time going to school.

Only a fool would underestimate any of the tools available to their betterment. Fortunately, Masai and Bobby are not fools.

Those who don't lurk "draft twitter" or dive deep into NBA prospect scouting these days may not know that "geekdom" and "scouting" have essentially merged.

This was an excellent grab by the Raps.

[mrdressup]

Pass before dribble. 3 pointers are worth more than twos. Giving up the corner 3 is not a good strategy. Shimmy shake and hand-off doesn't work. That is all.

[billy_hoyle]

Great resume. Certainly a really bright guy. Glad to have him on board. Need to find efficiencies in the margins. Hopefully he can expose some advantages with his number crunching.

[El Mas Chingon]

Imagine going through a bunch of interviews with company and finally getting hired just for some dude on realgm to hate on you lmao

Lol!

"None of that means anything to me"
-some dude on realgm