“How Stats Helped Evolve The Game of Basketball”

The game of basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1892 as a recreational sport for the YMCA. Over time basketball became very popular. In fact, since so many people loved the game so much, Dr. Naismith had to create rules and regulations so the game could be played on a more fundamentally sound level.  The first formal rules were devised in 1892. Initially, players dribbled a soccer ball up and down a court of unspecified dimensions. Then a player would earn points by landing the ball in a peach basket. In 1893, iron hoops and a hammock-style basket were the second type of hoops that were used to play the game.

As time went on many different players would play the game at a very high level. Such a high level that statistics would have to be recorded to keep track of the team and player’s performance for every game that was played.  Many of fans of the game of basketball loved to compare their favorite professional player’s statistics to show how well a player works within that team’s context of performance.

During online fantasy basketball, statistics are used in formulas to show the measurement of a player’s game performance. The system and formula that is used is called the Player Efficiency Rating or the (PER). The Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is a per-minute rating developed by ESPN analysis John Hollinger. The PER sums up all a player’s positive accomplishments, subtracts the negative accomplishments, and returns a per-minute rating of a player’s performance. The PER rating dates back to the time since minutes played were first recorded (1951-52). The main categories that are recorded are points, blocks, steals, assist and rebounds. When a player makes double digits in two or three different categories it is considered as a double-double or a triple-double.

The game of basketball is a very fun but extremely interactive sport. Different players have different ways of showcasing and displaying their talents and skills so that they can contribute to helping a team win the game. The many statistics that go along with the game can be a great way of keeping up with how good and consistent a player really is.

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