Okay, so today I wanted to mess around with comparing Duncan Robinson and Jaylen Brown. I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter online about these two, especially after that Heat-Celtics series, so I figured, why not dive in myself?
First, I pulled up their stats from this past season. I mainly used that basketball stats website, you know the one, everyone uses it. It’s pretty easy to navigate.
Getting the Basic Stats
- Points per game: Easy enough, just go to the season averages and boom, there it is.
- Rebounds: Same thing, right there on the main stats page.
- Assists: Yup, you guessed it, also there.
- Shooting percentages: Field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free throw percentage – all readily available.
I jotted these down in my notebook, just kind of old school like that. I like to see it all laid out in front of me.
Diving Deeper (Advanced Stats, Kinda)
Then I wanted to get a little fancier. I’ve been hearing more about “advanced stats,” so I wanted to see what the fuss was about.
- Usage Rate: How much of a team’s plays a player is involved in while they’re on the floor.
- True Shooting Percentage: A measure of shooting efficiency that takes into account 2-point field goals, 3-point field goals, and free throws.
I found these on the same website, just had to click around a little bit. I’ll be honest, sometimes I get a little lost with all those numbers, but I’m getting there.
My Little Spreadsheet
I decided to create a simple spreadsheet – nothing too crazy. I put Robinson’s stats in one column and Brown’s in another. Then I started doing some simple comparisons. It’s pretty interesting when you see the numbers side-by-side.
I compared points, rebounds, assists, all that stuff. It’s obvious Brown is the higher scorer and overall better player in key metrics, but it was cool to see where Robinson’s shooting percentages stacked up, especially from three-point range. I use excel to do this kind of stuff.
Watching Some Highlights
Of course, stats don’t tell the whole story, right? So I spent some time watching game highlights on the highlight website. I wanted to see how they actually played, not just what the numbers said.
I watched some of Robinson’s hot shooting nights, how he moves without the ball, and how he gets open for those threes. Then I watched Brown’s drives to the basket, his defense, and his ability to create his own shot. It’s way different seeing it visually, you get so much more context.
The Eye Test, I guess!
For the final part of my task, I just use the eye test. I played both of their highlights side by side, and it was easy to see the stark differences in the way that they play. Robinson is definately the 3-point specialist, while Brown is more of a well-rounded player.
Final Thoughts
It was a fun little exercise! I wouldn’t say I’m an expert now or anything, but I definitely have a better understanding of these two players. It’s cool to combine the stats with the actual game footage. Maybe next time I’ll try comparing players from different eras, that would be a real challenge!
