After a preseason game earlier this year, Quin Snyder praised one his players and, in doing so, offered a glimpse into how the new Utah Jazz coach thinks about the game.
Forward Trevor Booker had earned plaudits for charging at an open shooter, running him off the 3-point line.
"There's a 7-percent differential when you contest shots versus open shots," Snyder said afterward.
The numbers game may not be as sexy as other aspects of basketball, but it is increasingly important for teams to stay competitive.
"It's a part of the game that I've begun to understand more and more," Snyder said when he was first hired for the job. "There's an advantage to be gained — and any way you can gain a competitive advantage, you want to try to do it."
More than ever before, the Jazz franchise is trying to create that edge.
This summer, the Jazz hired their own analytics coordinator and now have multiple in-house number-crunchers. Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey said the team has also boosted the hours worked by some of its outside consultants. Additionally, the Jazz have started up a relationship with some analysts at BYU to help with some projects.
"We'll continue to invest in personnel, software, hardware to allow us to make better decisions and be more informed," Lindsey said. "Clearly, it's an angle of the league and it's something that I believe in. As much as anything, it just helps with the decision-making process."
That holds true from the front office to the floor.
"It's a partnership between us and management, trying to figure out and dig down beneath the numbers that are kind of more traditionally available now," Snyder said. "Beneath all that stuff, to me, it's a question of figuring out why. What can the numbers tell us? What can we change? You shoot poorly. OK. We shot poorly. Well, how can you shoot better?"
A couple years back, Jazz assistant coach Brad Jones came to Gordon Hayward with some numbers and some accompanying game film. Since then, the Jazz forward has become one of the team's most analytically inclined players, using the numbers to improve his game.
"I think a lot of it has to do with looking at where I can be the most efficient," he said. "Everyone knows it's at the free-throw line, the 3-point line and shots at the rim. I'm trying not to take long 2's. … So I've looked at what can I do to avoid shooting those. I've watched film on how I can attack pick-and-rolls."
Last year, Hayward took 29 percent of his shots between 16 feet and the 3-point line and 27 percent from beyond the arc, according to BasketballReference.com. This year, he's dropped long 2's down to 20 percent of his attempts while boosting 3-point attempts to about 34 percent.
Point guard Trey Burke won't let a box score dictate his game. But a deeper look at the numbers can be more purposeful, he said.
"That's a little different," he said. "You can look at things like [the analytics service] Synergy and see where you're more successful on the court. … It kind of brings a different perspective of the game as a player."
And that's what the Jazz want out of their players.
"If you can't measure where you're at, there's no way to know whether you're progressing or not," Lindsey said. "You're ignorant. As much as we can, we want to have informed players, informed coaches, informed scouts, informed management."
Just as importantly, Jazz's number-crunching is about the big picture — tracking trends on the court that will help make decisions on obtaining players, as well as salary cap and asset allocation.
"These are things we're planning for 24, 36 months out," Lindsey said. "Certainly, the math around the game is helping us shape those decisions."
afalk@sltrib.com
Twitter: @tribjazz
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Toronto Raptors guard Greivis Vasquez (21) shots over Utah Jazz guard Trey Burke (3) during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Wednesday, December 3, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard Ian Clark (21) tries to block the shot of Toronto Raptors guard Greivis Vasquez (21) during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Wednesday, December 3, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) spins past Utah Jazz guard Trey Burke (3) during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Wednesday, December 3, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) slides under during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Wednesday, December 3, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) blocks the shot of Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Wednesday, December 3, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Wednesday, December 3, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) passes out from the lane during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Thursday, December 4, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) looks to slam the ball over seven-foot Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Thursday, December 4, 2014. Hayward missed the slam but was fouled Valanciunas.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood (5) passes the ball during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Thursday, December 4, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Trevor Booker (33) bumps into Toronto Raptors forward Terrence Ross (31) during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Thursday, December 4, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) looks to slam the ball over seven-foot Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Thursday, December 4, 2014. Hayward missed the slam but was fouled Valanciunas.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard Trey Burke (3) dries past Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Thursday, December 4, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) spins around Toronto Raptors forward Patrick Patterson (54) as he scores and gets fouled during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Thursday, December 4, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz center Enes Kanter (0) holds the ball high as he looks to pass during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Thursday, December 4, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) looks to slam the ball over seven-foot Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Thursday, December 4, 2014. Hayward missed the slam but was fouled Valanciunas.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) gets past Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) as he scores during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Thursday, December 4, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder watches from the baseline during first half action in the Jazz versus Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Thursday, December 4, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) gets double teamed in the paint during second half action in the Utah Jazz versus the Toronto Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Thursday, December 4, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) guards Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles (2) during second half action in the Utah Jazz versus the Toronto Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Thursday, December 4, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles (2) stretches as he passes over Toronto Raptors forward Terrence Ross (31)during second half action in the Utah Jazz versus the Toronto Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Thursday, December 4, 2014.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) drives past Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) during second half action in the Utah Jazz versus the Toronto Raptors NBA game at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Thursday, December 4, 2014.
