Ben Alamar Discusses Sports Analytics with Grantland
Zach Lowe from Grantland recently interviewed Benjamin Alamar, author of Sports Analytics: A Guide for Coaches, Managers, and Other Decision Makers .
They interview took place at the annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference or “Nerd Fest 2013”. Alamar, who used to work as an analytics consultant for the Oklahoma City Thunder, describes how analytics shaped the team’s decision to draft Russell Westbrook over Brook Lopez, and why they thought Westbrook could play point guard.
In the interview Alamar also talked about how decisions in general are made by sports teams and how he had to convince decision-makers on the Thunder that analytics is an effective tool for assessing players. (For more on the book, here is an excerpt from Sports Analytics)
