Mapping Mentalities

Over the last few years, lots of new ways have been developed to analyze and express statistics in a lot of different ways.  What's can be lost in all of this is how all of this newfound information translates to the game being played on the court.  Sadly, I haven't been able to find a way to bridge that information gap, but I have managed to find a new, highly scientifical way to chart the mentality of players when they have the ball in the half court.  As you'll see, the courts are color-coded for each mentality shift, so I'll provide a little legend to explain each mentality after the jump.

Of course, this is still a work in progress so I've only been able to test this with our Summer League players.  You may be shocked at what you discover...

Nick Young

Red - If I fade away as I shoot, people will think I'm Kobe Bryant and they'll forget all about this.

Yellow - Monumental Air!

Dominic McGuire

Blue - Don't shoot unless you're wide open.  Don't shoot unless you're wide open.  Don't shoot unless you're wide open...

Red - Taser Time.

Vladimir Veremeenko

Orange - If I flub this on the first try, people will pay more attention when I bank it in the second time!

JaVale McGee

Pink - I'm going to try an acrobatic layup to show off my athleticism.

Gold - I'm going to shoot an awkward hook shot because it looks more athletic that way!

Black - If I shoot from here, people will think I have a diverse skill set.  Fire away!

Andray Blatche

Dark red - Rabbits...

Oleksiy Pecherov

Green - Get buckets, son.