So, during the first exhibition game Glenn and I had some friendly banter back and forth about which one of our bigs was going to better by the end of the season?

With that in mind, I decided I'd do some JL-like work and chart N2 & WCS by the "Four Factors". For those of you who have been around the site and seen JL's work, you're already familiar with the Four Factor concept. But for those who haven't been, the FF are:

1) Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%)

2) Turnover Percentage (TO%)

3) Rebounding Percentage (Broken into Offensive & Defensive categories (ORB% & DRB%))

4) Free Throw Percentage (FT%)

There are mathematical formulas for these calculations, easily referenced via a quick Google search if you are that curious about the under-the-hood workings. In all cases, the higher the number the better, except in the TO department. The lower the better, in that case.

I originally charted all these factors in one graph, but it was awfully "busy". With that in mind, I've broken the FF down into two categories; "Shooting" (obvious enough) and "Floor", which includes your rebounding and TO%. In each case I've included the % of minutes played in the chart to give you an idea of how much each player is being utilized. First off, Shooting.

[Edit] I'm having real problems with my graphs showing up in a large format... They are really small when you click on them. If anyone can send some words of advice I'd certainly appreciate it! And oh yeah, the Publish and Preview buttons are too close together, this should still be in the draft stage but some nincompoop hit Publish as opposed to Preview! :-)

In the Norwood game, from the Shooting perspective, N2 was better but the roles reversed vs Transy; WCS didn't miss a shot, either from the field or the FT line! Can't argue with that one bit... I find it interesting that even though N2 is playing more, his eFG% is the same as Willie's. At first glance that would tend to make one believe that both players are scoring at the same clip. But, if you look at minutes played, WCS is actually doing better than N2. eFG% doesn't take into account the minutes played per individual... In my mind, that means WCS is actually shooting the ball better than N2. N2 does get up more shots than WCS, but something we talk about is why is this the case? Is it because that N2 is playing at the 5, his natural position, or is because WCS is playing out of position at the 4, I'd guess he always played the 5 in school. Or is because WCS is having to develop a face-up game? Everyone is welcome to debate below... Next up, Floor play

N2 has been pretty steady on the Offensive/Defensive glass. His numbers are about even through both games. Surprisingly, WCS to date, has been better on the defensive glass than N2! Unfortunately, he laid a big goose-egg for offensive rebounds in the Transy game. But, right on the other hand, Willie didn't turn the ball over in the Transy game at all; take the good with the bad, I guess?? Again, surprisingly, both of the big's DRB% is the same even though WCS is playing less.

Having said all this, having two capable bigs on on the floor is a heckuva problem to have! So, when I win my bet with Glenn about WCS, at the end of the year, being better than N2, he'll hopefully give me a year's free subscription to ASoB! :-)

I'll do this again at various times in the year, maybe calendar or schedule oriented, don't know just yet? I can't do it full time like Glenn and JL, but it will be interesting to watch the trends as the year goes by. Comment away as you see fit Gang!