The Midrange Theory

✍️ Seth Partnow

That was a very interesting read for me. I am a numbers junkie and always liked sports statistics. So, when I heard about this book, it immediately jumped to the front of my reading list.

The title already catches the eye of the reader as the basketball changed a lot during the last decade (the number of three point shots skyrocketed). But that midrange theory is just one chapter of the book. The book starts by defining what analytics is and, more important, what analytics is not. Then, we get to know the challenges that are tackled with analytics (draft, free agency, salary cap, team and player offensive/defensive evaluation), the dangers of relying too much on analytics (playing for the metric). The book is rich in footnotes and references to basketball analytics sites. There is also an appendix with the formulas for the metrics discussed throughout the book.

There is also one little gem in the book. It is a chapter where the author describe the routine of a stats//analytics professional on a team. We get to know what are the main roles and also the year-round routine. That chapter made the difference when comparing all the books of sports analytics that I read. For anyone interested in numbers and sports, it is a recommended read.