Some players in the NBA make an impact on the game in obvious ways, through actions like scoring and assisting. But for other players, their impact comes from “intangibles,” like hustling hard.
“Intangibles” are plays and actions that we use our eyes, rather than statistics, to assess and judge. But now, some of these intangibles have become tangible, thanks to NBA’s expanding statistical analysis. One type of intangible not previously documented is a player’s hustle, which the NBA is now tracking using SportVU data in the 2016 postseason.
“Hustle stats evaluate player performances that affect outcomes but cannot be found in traditional box scores.