The Cryptbeam Podcast: Recent Episodes
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NBA videos and statistics — a pursuit of passion for research and thought-provoking analysis. The home of basketball concept, math, and applied study of the game!
With the official NBA award ballots wrapping up, it's time to discuss the history of the award (in which players voted!) and how the past informs the present. Do we tend to violate even the most ambiguous of criteria and establish communication barriers between ourselves and the "opposition"? This and more.
There's a long-running idea that a player's statistical profile can be better, or "superior," to another. But what if this violates the premise of statistical value, in which we need hierarchies of value to impose onto statistics (objects)? This and more.
Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are arguably the two best players on the Cavaliers! How do they play off of each other in a way that doesn’t majorly take away from their scoring and passing strengths? Do they hold up enough defensively that they won’t collapse against pull-up shooters in the Playoffs? All this and more.
The MVP conversation has been controversial and exhausting for the NBA community -- but there's yet another layer of the conversation that hasn't been properly addressed. Here, I discuss the philosophical undertones of our abstractions, measurements, and targets, and how it's suppressing the Knowledge Revolution that should be making these debates more informative.
Using my Box Plus/Minus model, which is currently going through an update, who had the top-10 regular season peaks since 1978? I use the list, which I call the "BPM GOAT list," to discuss the flaws in the original model and how it can be improved with an updated version.
Russell Westbrook's change of teams is something Gilbert Arenas alluded to as single-handedly changing the championship landscape of the NBA. Westbrook is a complicated player, and this move has lots to unpack from an on-court, stylistic perspective, so I give my thoughts as to whether this enhances or degrades the Clippers' chances of winning the title.
The conclusion to a series of articles, posts, and videos on my NBA All-Star ballot throughout the season. This is a full-on "torture chamber" edition of an All-Star ballot, determining the best players in the league with restrictions on conference, injuries, and position, and otherwise making the process as difficult for myself as humanly possible!
Fifty minutes ago, I sat down in front of my microphone and decided I wanted to talk about analytics and one-number metrics. Enjoy this long-form, rant-style hour on the minutiae and pitfalls of analytics and impact metrics, what exactly we do with them and why, and the specific rationale behind criticizing them.
How far can the DeMar DeRozan-Zach LaVine duo take the Chicago Bulls' offense? How do their struggles mirror the principles on which the Phoenix Suns built their legendary offenses 15 years ago? And how can we create vocabulary to discuss the subtleties of pick-and-roll decision-making? All this and more!
What happens when basketball discourse becomes a platform for personal gain and wish fulfillment rather than the progression of collective knowledge? How do we verify the value of fan vs. insider content from our individual perspectives? All this and more!
Do we misconceptualize the economic value of scoring among different player archetypes? Jarrett Allen and his relationship with Darius Garland is used as an example, along with an original "Shot Quality" metric, to shed light on where our minds might dissonantly fill in blanks about teammate synergies. Additionally, talk about whether or not Kevin Durant is the best player in the NBA, Donovan Mitchell's contrasting playmaking role with the Cavaliers, and whether or not Evan Mobley will ascend to All-Star status in 2023. All this and more!
Last night's games warrant soft consideration for the team's normative indicators. Will the Philadelphia 76ers' defensive construction create an overreliance on Joel Embiid's post presence? Will Jayson Tatum finally 'break out' to legitimate MVP consideration? Anthony Davis's health remains a large question mark, though, does his cerebral and physical defensive mastery indicate strong Defensive Player of the Year potential? All this and more!
How do we intuitively approach the fundamental questions of basketball? Do ESPN and major media outlets contribute to misinforming the public with an incomplete idea of expertise? How is the inherent mysticism of basketball demonstrated on high levels? All this and more!