Alright, buckle up folks! Today, I’m diving into a little experiment I did with some basketball data, specifically focusing on Dorian Finney-Smith’s wingspan. It wasn’t some earth-shattering project, but it was a fun little dive into data and some hands-on number crunching.
It all started pretty simple. I was watching a Mavericks game (huge DFS fan!) and started wondering just how much his wingspan contributes to his defensive prowess. I mean, the guy’s a defensive beast, right? So, I figured, why not try and see if I could quantify it a little bit?
- First things first: Gathering the Data.
I hopped online and started digging. Finding reliable wingspan data can be trickier than you think. I ended up piecing together information from a few different scouting reports and draft profiles. I cross-referenced everything I could find to make sure the numbers seemed legit. I landed on a wingspan measurement for DFS, and that was my starting point.
- Next Up: Context, Context, Context!
Knowing his wingspan alone isn’t super useful. I needed to put it in context. So, I started collecting data on other players – guys who play similar positions, guys who are similar heights, and guys who are known for their defense. I wanted to see how DFS stacked up.
I built a little spreadsheet (yeah, old-school, I know) with player names, heights, positions, and wingspans. It was a bit of a grind, but it gave me a decent dataset to work with.
- Time for the Fun Part: The Analysis
Okay, so here’s where it got interesting. I started by calculating the difference between each player’s height and wingspan. This gives you a sense of how much “extra reach” they have beyond their height. Dorian Finney-Smith, unsurprisingly, had a pretty significant difference. He’s listed at around 6’7”, and if the wingspan numbers I found are accurate, he’s got some serious extra reach there.
Then, I looked at players with similar heights. DFS definitely came out on top in terms of wingspan. That extra reach is HUGE when it comes to disrupting passing lanes, contesting shots, and just generally being a nuisance on defense.
I also compared him to other defensive specialists, regardless of height. This was a little trickier, but even then, DFS held his own. Some taller guys obviously had longer wingspans overall, but DFS’s wingspan-to-height ratio was still impressive.
The Takeaways
Look, I’m not saying I discovered some groundbreaking secret. But this little project did reinforce what I already suspected: Dorian Finney-Smith’s wingspan is a major asset. It gives him a distinct advantage on the defensive end, allowing him to play bigger than his listed height.
It was also a good reminder that data can be a powerful tool for understanding the game. Even a simple analysis like this can provide some valuable insights. Plus, it was just plain fun to dig into the numbers and see what I could uncover.
So yeah, that’s my little wingspan experiment. Nothing fancy, but a fun little project that scratched my data-nerd itch. Maybe I’ll tackle another player next time. Any suggestions?
