Introducing: The Shabazz Assist
Two years ago, Grantland's Kirk Goldsberry introduced the Kobe Assist, a new statistic that "proves that missing shots is sometimes just as valuable as making them." Goldsberry's analysis was interesting, but it left out a key component: the dunkpass. You see, Goldsberry examined what percentage of a player's missed shots were rebounded by his own team, but he inconceivably failed to measure missed dunks that ricochet perfectly to an open teammate in the corner.
Tonight, noted analytics website Deadspin rights that wrong, and unveils the next frontier in NBA analytics: The Shabazz Assist. In the traditional box score, Shabazz Muhammad is only "credited" with a missed field goal for the play above. But with his dunkpass, Muhammad has turned what would be two points into three, a 50% increase in points that the traditional box score completely fails to capture.
But not anymore. All season long, Deadspin will be tracking Shabazz Assists. If you see one in a game, please let us know at tips@deadspin.com
[ESPN]
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