The National Basketball Association is a league that has utilized technology and statistics to change the way the game is understood and enjoyed.
In fact, the NBA was actually the first major American sports league to invest heavily in player-tracking technology. The catwalks of every NBA arena contain six SportVU cameras to track the moves of every player during games. The distance, player separation, speed, and ball possession are recorded with this SportVU software. From those baseline statistics, a plethora of advanced statistics can be created and analyzed by fans and front office staff.
Currently, the SportVU system in the NBA shows the number of players on the court and differentiates each team by color. Similarly, the Sportvision active-tracking system used by the NHL allows more details to be overlaid on live footage or replays.
While the NBA already can overlay footage with imagery showing the distance between two players–similar to the NHL’s Sportvision system–it lacks showing live details about the players. For example, with the tracking chips being embedded into the jersey of a player, his player tag could include the speed in which he is moving, how long he has possessed the ball, or how long he has been on the court in total or just for one particular run (we actually saw this capability with Zebra Technologies during the Super Bowl).
By only installing SportVU cameras in the rafters of their arenas, the NBA has only been able to experience a passive tracking format up to this point. The NHL recently experimented with the same software for their All-Star Game, but directly embedded tracking chips into pucks and jerseys.
So why the different tracking formats between the leagues?
The NHL went with active-tracking because, according to Sportvision’s Chief Executive Officer, Hank Adams,: “The problem with hockey is players are colliding too much and moving too fast, and the algorithms can’t keep up with the collisions. It certainly wouldn’t work for media. You could go back after the fact and parse out this data. You have to have active-tracking, which means electronics in the puck.”
The NBA could take a page out of the NHL’s All-Star Game by experimenting with active-tracking to enhance the festivities of their own All-Star Weekend in New York.
With this idea in mind, the first aspect of the NBA All-Star Weekend to be examined and revamped are the skills events on Saturday. These are the events which most closely mirror the NHL’s Skills Competition. Many of these challenges can create specific player-tracking statistics that can be used to supplement the broadcast. The current system of tracking can show the player’s path as they put their skills to the test, but do not provide enough details.
Rather than using the passive-tracking, the NBA should experiment with the chips in the jerseys and in the basketball. This way, the hovering, tracking marks can be shown on the live broadcast to track the players and the ball. With chips implemented into the jerseys, the NBA can show live statistics–such as the speed of Steph Curry.
Having the statistics broadcasted live gives fans the opportunity to compare current players to competitors of years past or other players participating. The distance between players when passing the ball can be measured as well as how long each player actually possesses the ball prior to passing. Basically, a much richer, data-driven experience can be presented to fans to help add layers to the typical basketball narrative.
Another skills event—the Sprite Slam Dunk—could also flourish with the help of active-tracking. SportVU data could demonstrate the speed in which a player ran up to the net to dunk, how long a player actually possessed the ball prior to dunking, and the dunk a player made could be broken down through replays and player-tracking.
Imagine a tracking-line could show the path the player took to dunk, as well as simultaneously showing the path of the basketball. Fans could examine what the player did with his body, and with the ball, in order to dunk in a particular fashion. And the height in which the player jumped to make the dunk could be displayed on the broadcast as well. Just picture this type of tracking tech for Michael Jordan’s dunk from the free-throw line!
During the game, itself, the player-tracking system could help give more detailed replay analysis. Perhaps a replay could show just how fast a player accelerates. When looking at an athletic drive by Russell Westbrook, for example, the coverage would be enhanced by actually being able to discuss the speed in which he accelerated. It could also help identify players throughout the game, since everyone’s favorite players will be in different jerseys than usual, so it may not be as easy to recognize them.
Also, the casual fan is likely to watch an All-Star event, even if they do not often follow NBA games. So, for those novice fans wondering who Jeff Teague is, frequent hover marks used to exemplify which player is which at the time of their performance could come in handy.
There are a variety of options for the NBA to explore in active-tracking; and the All-Star game is an ideal time to experiment. Because this game does not have playoff implications, the distraction of new technology would not necessarily be dismissed by fans. Instead, it would only add to the spectacle that is the NBA All-Star Game. The NHL implemented with player-tracking, and provided many graphics in order to exemplify the skills of the All-Stars. By following the NHL in utilizing active tracking in their All-Star Game, the NBA would be adding a unique dimension to their star-studded event.