Lately, you may have seen HoopsHype’s articles and social media posts where we reference Global Rating.
Well, let’s explain what that is.
Global Rating is a statistical tool created by HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa that measures players’ and teams’ performance taking into account not only individual stats but also team and competition strength.
As opposed to some other advanced stats, the main idea is that individual stats can’t be measured in a vacuum. No matter the competition, having a 20-10-5 season for the championship team will always have more value than doing it for the worst team. And when comparing competitions, having a great season against the best squads in the world will always have more value than accomplishing that against minnows. The goal for Global Rating is to understand and measure this nuance.
The process has several automated steps. First one is to assign an individual number factoring simple stats from each player. Points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, turnovers, fouls and shooting efficiency are the basis for that stat.
The next step takes into account the performance of the team and the impact a player had in it. If a player is on the court for 35 minutes in a 20-point win, the impact has nothing to do with the one of a player who only logged five minutes.
The amount of games a player has missed in a certain season or competition is also factored in. That helps differentiate players that have been productive for their teams on a regular basis from others standing out due to small samples. That’s especially useful when discussing awards, where voters and fans prioritize players who have been on the court for most of the year.
While we’re going to use it mostly for NBA purposes, Global Rating can be used in any competition – from NCAA to National Team tournaments to overseas domestic leagues. This tool can help detect which potential prospects are starting to stand out outside the States, or find out how former NBAers are doing on their way back to the league.
As with all other measuring tools, basic or advanced, the goal is not to provide an absolute answer on how good or bad a player is but to provide a quick and informed look at every analyzed competition