Further to my point of yesterday about blocked shots, there’s some debate about their value. Doug Turnbull assesses the value of a block at a full 2 points per block – thus, he values a man who scores 10 points per game and blocks 4 shots per game the same as an 18-a-game scorer. John Hollinger, in the Basketball Prospectus, values a block as about the same as the negative value of a missed field goal, which he values at around 0.72 points (the figure varies by certain measurements pegged to league averages).
Who’s right? Well, sophisticated analysis of basketball statistics is still in its adolescence, if not its infancy. Wait and see.