Gerald Henderson and the +/- stat

[ziggy]

I brought this up in the game chat the other night against the Bucks, but I thought that it warranted a little more discussion.

In the first 3 games of this preseason Gerald Henderson has had the best +/- numbers in 2 of the 3 games. In the other game he was 3rd best behind Derrick Brown and Shawn Livingston.

Now I'm clearly not saying that this is proof to start Hendo, play him 42 minutes a game and ship Jax out of town... But I think that just looking at this stat, the Cats seem to play better with him on the floor.

I'm also not a stat junkie, so those that are feel free to rip me a new one on the meaninglessness of these numbers.

But to me it seems to mean something
I'm just not sure what.

The numbers

-vs- Mavericks

D.J. Augustin -21
S. Jackson -20
N. Mohammed -26
G. Wallace -16
B. Diaw -19
T. Thomas +10
G. Henderson +14
S. Livingston +3
D. Brown +2
D. Diop -2

-vs- Pacers

D.J. Augustin -9
S. Jackson -7
N. Mohammed -1
G. Wallace -6
B. Diaw -8
D. Diop -9
T. Thomas +2
D. Brown +11
G. Henderson +5
S. Livingston +7


-vs- Bucks.

S. Jackson -16
D.J. Augustin -1
N. Mohammed -13
G. Wallace -11
B. Diaw -3
T. Thomas -10
S. Livingston -2
G. Henderson +10
D. Brown -2
D. Diop -2

[ammofan]

How is this stat calculated? What's it based on?

[ziggy]

Via Yahoo Answers

The +/- statistics also known as the Lenovo stats on NBA TV, are a way to show the power of teamwork and the best engineered/combination of players on the court for any team. The Lenovo Stat is basically a plus/minus statistic that looks at the point differential when players are both in and out of the game, to see how the team performs with various combinations. Essentially this is calculated by the total amount of points that your team scores while you are on the court, minus the number of points your team gives up during that time. Usually players who play effeciently at both ends and contribute a lot to team defence have good +/- stats because with them on the court the team scores fairly and gets stops at the defensive end.

[Pepperz]

I say give him more mins on the floor. If he keeps it up, give him even more mins. If he digresses, take him off. Sounds pretty simple to me.

[Toocool]

I have a feeling its not only to do with his strong defense, but also when he's playing Nazzy isn't on the court, and more TT is seen. When TT is on the court people are scared of him because he's a defensive beast. So helps Hendo (My theory anyway)

[Mustachio]

I have a feeling its not only to do with his strong defense, but also when he's playing Nazzy isn't on the court, and more TT is seen. When TT is on the court people are scared of him because he's a defensive beast. So helps Hendo (My theory anyway)

its this. The plus minus is so big because you dont have that sack of nothing named Nazr playing. TT comes in they go small and they play suffocating defense. Larry will continue to start Diaw and Nazr because he has a hard on for veterans, but when they arent on the floor the team plays much much better. In my opinion, Jack, Crash, Diaw and Nazr all can be used as trade bait to get better at the 5. and with the exception of Crash, I dont think losing one of those guys hurts us in the least.

[kickazzz2000]

I have a feeling its not only to do with his strong defense, but also when he's playing Nazzy isn't on the court, and more TT is seen. When TT is on the court people are scared of him because he's a defensive beast. So helps Hendo (My theory anyway)

Somebody look at 82games and see what the stats are for combinations including TT and Hendo.

[WAM9]

Somebody look at 82games and see what the stats are for combinations including TT and Hendo.

I bet they are pretty good as those 2 defensively really bring it and are great athletes even by NBA standards.

[Proudiddy]

I never wanted to say it b/c I love Crash, but I've often wondered what if we dealt him for a go-to scorer guy, like a 2 gaurd, if we would really even take a drop by putting UPS in at the 3 and letting him develop. Honestly, I think UPS can end up being the type of player Crash is, and possibly better, because he came in with a better game offensively.

Just a thought.

[WAM9]

I like this stat in general and being +29 through 3 games does give a general positive outlook on the way the team plays with Henderson on the floor.

I don't like where Henderson is offensively right now though. He passed on a couple of open jumpers that he really needs to take. With that being said, I think we are definitely good defensively and athleticly with him in and that is where the number is coming from. At worst, he is showing that he is a good rotation player that can help the team when Jack is out. At best, it shows that he is certainly developing and may end up being starter material.