A Basketball Player’s Height vs their Shooting Average

Introduction Topic: Basketball field goal scores (NBA (National Basketball Association) Game Scores) Field Goal Average (FGA%): These are the scores that a player achieves while playing in a game. This means that the player shoots while following through a play or action with his/her team. This does not include their free throws or other types of shooting. These scores are put into an average for their entire season. Question: Does the height of a basketball player effect the results of their field goal average?

Three Supporting Questions What are the player’s positions on the game floor (point guard, shooting guard, center, power forward or small forward)? How long has each player been playing? How often is each player practicing their shooting skills/techniques?

Hypothesis I predict that the taller the basketball player is, the higher that their field goal average will be The use of height in a basketball game is much more appreciated that expected. The way that a player can use long arms to steal the ball or win a jump off can give them the advantage. At the same time long legs are useful for getting up and down the court in the least possible steps. I believe that it will make a large difference for a player to have these extra advantages so that they can lead up to getting the opportunity of having the ball at the net to make the shot

Background information I chose the topic because I have played basketball my entire life, I am not the tallest and was curious how it may effect the outcome of a big league game. It is always assumed that basketball players are going to be much taller than other sports, when it is taken into consideration it is just known that they will be 6.0 ft or taller. Records: Tallest Basketball player: Gheorghe Muresan, height 2.31m, FGA 57.3% Highest FGA: Kareem Abdul Jabber, Height 2.19, FGA 93.8% Most Known: Michael Jordan

Background Information: Article Is Height Important in Basketball? Last Updated: Feb 07, 2014 | By Rachel Nall Basketball players tend to be tall, thin athletes because their height helps them to reach toward the basketball goal and defend the ball against opponents. Male professional basketball players tend to be about 9 inches taller than the average American male, according to NBA.com and Dr. Steven Halls on Halls.MD.com. Height tends to accompany other important features for a basketball player, including arm reach and hand span. Average Heights: NBA Professional basketball players must be tall to be competitive in the league. In a survey of the average heights of professional basketball players in 2007 to 2008, the average height of a basketball player was 6 feet, 6.98 inches tall, according to NBA.com. The tallest basketball player was Yao Ming, who is 7 feet, 6 inches tall while the shortest basketball player was Nate Robinson, who is 5 feet, 9 inches tall. Considering that the average height of an American 25-year-old male is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, height is important in playing basketball, according to Halls.MD.com. Basketball Goal Height and Shooting The closer a person is to the basketball goal in height, the more accurate the shot can be and the less force you must apply to propel the basketball into the basket. Regulation height for a professional basketball goal is 10 feet tall. This is one of the reasons why basketball players must be tall. When playing offensive positions, being taller helps your reach to the goal. If you are playing against taller defensive players, being taller can help you shoot the ball without risk of a player swatting the ball away from you. Defensive Positions In basketball positions, the center must play both defensive and offensive positions. The center also tends to be the tallest player because added height contributes to longer wingspan and reach. The two guard positions tend to be the next tallest while the two forwards are smaller because they must make fast breaks to shoot the ball. When playing defensive positions, added height and reach helps you to block shots and battle for rebounds. Taller basketball players with longer arms have to reach less further to grab the rebound. Trade-Offs What a basketball player gains in leverage thanks to his height, he may lose on other aspects including speed and agility. Shorter players are lightweight, which increases their speed when moving across the court. While taller players may have longer legs, they must put forth more effort to propel themselves forward. Also, those with longer legs can be clumsier and require more coordination than a shorter basketball player.

Teams Used Portland Trail Blazers Phoenix Suns Minnesota Timberwolves Oklahoma City Thunder Indiana Pacers Milwaukee Bucks Denver Nuggets Detroit Pistons Cleveland Cavaliers Chicago Bulls San Antonio Spurs New Orleans Pelicans Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets Memphis Grizzlies Phoenix Suns Sacramento Kings Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Lakers Golden State Warriors Orlando Magic Washington Wizards Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats Miami Heat Atlanta Hawks Utah Jazz

Studied Height (m) vs FGA(%): Found the current FGA for every player in the NBA this year and compared it to their height in a scatter plot for each team. Height (m) vs FGA (%): Top ten teams for the last ten years. I researched the top ten teams for the last ten years and averaged out their height and FGA to put into a pie graph Height (m) vs FGA (%): Top five teams for the last five years. I researched the top five teams top one or two shooting guards and averaged out their height and FGA so that I could put them into a bar graph and compare the amounts.

Boston Celtics Mean 42.4667 Variance 46.4181 Standard Deviation 6.81308 Interquartile Range 8.9 Correlation 0.497044 Minimum 26.7 Q1 39.7 Median 43.5 Q3 48.6 Maximum 50.4 Range 26.7-50.4 Mode

New York Knicks Mean 46.7571 Variance 42.6103 Standard Deviation 6.52766 Interquartile Range 9.6 Correlation 0.781993 Minimum 37.8 Q1 42.1 Median 44.7 Q3 51.7 Maximum 59.3 Range 37.8-59.3 Mode None

2013-2014 Mean 2.112 Variance 0.081573 Standard Deviation 0.28561 Interquartile Range 0.03 Correlation 0.247818 Minimum 1.94 Q1 1.99 Median 2.01 Q3 Maximum 2.89 Range 1.94-2.89 Mode 2.02

2004-2005 Mean 1.982 Variance 0.000417 Standard Deviation 0.02044 Interquartile Range 0.03 Correlation 0.464284 Minimum 1.95 Q1 1.97 Median 1.98 Q3 2.00 Maximum 2.01 Range 1.95-2.01 Mode 2.01,1.97,1.98

2013-2014 Mean 41.27 Variance 5.882 Standard Deviation 2.42528 Interquartile Range 3.65 Correlation 0.367927 Minimum 38.4 Q1 39.05 Median 42.2 Q3 42.7 Maximum 44.0 Range 38.4-44.0 Mode None

2009-2012 Mean 43.57 Variance 63.7233 Correlation 0.406871 Standard Deviation 7.98268 Interquartile Range 9.05 Minimum 31.55 Q1 40.95 Median 43.9 Q3 50.0 Maximum 51.45 Range 31.55-51.45 Mode None

Extraneous Variables Players in demand: Switching teams every year More practice: Some teams are more strict that others for practicing Shooting Types: Many other ways to looking at a shooting average Injuries: Players get injuries half way through the season which skews the data Wealth: Wealthier teams have bigger and better WNBA: Results can change for the female league

Outliers Few players that did not have a recording for their FGA value got a 0.0 Injuries made some of the FGA values a much smaller amount Outliers exist in study #1 and study#2

Conclusion Based on the data collected there was not a strong positive relationship however a slight cause and effect. Due to only one variable of shooting being tested and the outliers, the data was not conclusive For future improvements I would look into other forms of shooting. The Women's Basketball league would be studied and make sure the injured are taken into consideration for no outliers.

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