Team Analysis - The rise of TNT and BWE and the struggles of Star

(c) PBA Media Bureau

It is time to go deeper into the numbers and find out what is wrong and what is right in each team!

This is the series of article where we try to unravel the reasons behind the numbers!

THE METHOD
- The method is very simple. We will be using these 11 statistics. We will determine if a team outperformed his opponent in each stat. If he won in that stat, he will get a score of 1 for that stat. If he loss, he will get score of 0 for that stat.

We also have ties which will be given a score of 0.5. Below, you can see the 11 statistics and the difference that will be considered as tie. (So a 50 against 45 rebounds will mean 0.5 for each team).
Rebounds: 5
Assists: 3
3PTs Made: 2
Opponent FG%: 4%
Steals and Blocks: 1
Opponent T.O.: 2
Fastbreak Pts: 4
Pts in the Paint: 6
1st Quarter: 2
4th Quarter: 2
Bench Pts: 5

If a team wins, he will get a positive value and a negative value if he loss.

Will this really work?
- I believe so. I do believe that those eleven stats are not equal in terms of importance but our main objective here is to find out the strengths and weaknesses of each team. As we go deeper into the season, the true colors of each team will come out and we will have a clearer view of what each team should do and what do they need to perform better.

Talk 'n Text Tropang Texters
Rebounds: 1.5 -0.5
Assists: 0.5 -0.5
3PTs Made: 1.5 -0.5
Opponent FG%: 1 0
Steals and Blocks: 2 0
Opponent T.O.: 0.5 -0.5
Fastbreak Pts: 1 -0.5
Pts in the Paint: 1.5 -1
1st Quarter: 1 0
4th Quarter: 1.5 0
Bench Pts: 2 0

The Tropang Texters were not themselves for their first seven quarters this season, until they made that comeback against Ginebra. So, what were the buttons that they clicked to start winning again?

One obvious thing that they did this conference is starting Rosser as their point guard. With his length and versatility, their defense is quickly mortified by his presence alone. His stats also showed his defensive ability, tallying 4 total steals and blocks, each. 

We can also see that the minutes are better distributed under the new coaching regime. Nobody is averaging more than 30 minutes and they have seven players who are playing more than 20 minutes per game. One player that has eaten up the bench units of their opponent in their first three games was Moala Tautuaa who is averaging 12.0 points in 21.8 minutes.

With a more aggressive Moala and under the new regime, TNT has utilized the paint more than the previous season. They have a deep frontline that really need opportunity inside, so that is a very good decision.

Blackwater Elite
Rebounds: 0 0
Assists: 1.5 -0.5
3PTs Made: 1.5 -0.5
Opponent FG%: 1.5 -0.5
Steals and Blocks: 1 0
Opponent T.O.: 2 -0.5
Fastbreak Pts: 1 -0.5
Pts in the Paint: 1 0
1st Quarter: 1 -1
4th Quarter: 1.5 -0.5
Bench Pts: 1 0

Blackwater was the story of the first week and as you can easily observed, they were a well-rounded team in their first three games. 

That 2.5 total beside opponent turnovers was not only a product of their defense but also of their care of the ball. They are forcing their opponent to commit 21 turnovers, 4th best in the league, and they are giving up the ball in the 4th lowest number of time, 16. 

On the offensive end, Blackwater is looking like a well-oiled machine. They are posting the 4th best assist per game with 21. They have also the fourth best FG% at 44% and they are hitting the fifth most three-pointers per game. This is a great sign for a young squad who is still looking to find their niche in the league. 

Purefoods Star Hotshots
Rebounds: 0 -1.5
Assists: 0 0
3PTs Made: 0 -1.5
Opponent FG%: 0 -0.5
Steals and Blocks: 0 -1
Opponent T.O.: 0 -1
Fastbreak Pts: 0 -0.5
Pts in the Paint: 0 -0.5
1st Quarter: 0 -0.5
4th Quarter: 0 -0.5
Bench Pts: 0 -1

One of the most amusing social post that I read this week was the one that says that it is time for the Purefoods franchise to have their own novela-years. So, what are the reasons behind their 0-2 start?

Their 29 turnovers output in their first game against the Beermen was comical. I never thought that a loaded squad like theirs can commit those many turnovers. Leading them in that category was their new acquisition, Paul Lee. He made 13 mistakes in their first two games.

Another obvious on the statistics above is the assist. Star is posting the 2nd lowest dimes per game. That is unacceptable for a team who has a backcourt of Lee-Jalalon-Barroca-Simon. The first three are capable of putting up consistent four assists per game and yet they online combined for 16 assist in their first two games. 

They still have nine games to turn things around. Don't give up on them yet. Jalalon looks legit and their defense looks better than last season.