The Midrange Theory

Basketball’s Evolution in the Age of Analytics

De: Seth Partnow

Narrado por: Mike Lenz

At its core, the goal of any basketball team is relatively simple: take and make good shots while preventing the opponent from doing the same. But what is a "good" shot?

The concept of basketball "analytics" has been lauded, derided, and misunderstood. The incorporation of more data into NBA decision-making has been credited—or blamed—for everything from the death of the traditional center to the proliferation of three-point shooting to the alleged abandonment of the area of the court known as the midrange.

In The Midrange Theory, Seth Partnow, NBA analyst for The Athletic and former director of basketball research for the Milwaukee Bucks, explains how numbers have affected the modern NBA game, and how those numbers urge us toward thinking about it in new ways.

- Why some players succeed in the playoffs while others don't

- How NBA teams think about constructing their rosters through the draft and free agency

- The difficulty in measuring defensive achievement

From shot selection to evaluating prospects to considering aesthetics and ethics while analyzing the box scores, Partnow deftly explores where the NBA is now, how it got here, and where it might be going next.

©2021 Seth Partnow (P)2022 Tantor

the more you know going in the better.

I loved the book. it was cool, interesting and kept my focus. But if you do not spend much time looking or thinking about basketball it can become gibberish really quick. I'd recommend purchasing the physical book if you are unsure how comfortable you are with some of the technical aspects of basketball analytics. I'd say a passerbys interest should be enough.

If you are comfortable thinking about all in ones, and often wondered how they are generated. Or you watch college basketball and are confused about bpm vs measurables on draft night, then you will be fine and the audiobook will be quite enjoyable.

Amazing read!

I love the depth and insightful nature of the book! Great read for anyone that wants to understand deeper levels of the game.

Good ideas, tough to listen to audiobook

I enjoyed many of the topics that Partnow covered in the book! However, will the amount of charts and statistical date in the book it made it tough to listen to. I’d encourage anyone wanting to read this to get a physical copy.