“Kevin Durant’s ability not to conform to analytics is what has made him great throughout his life”: Pistons legend Isiah Thomas explains why analytics in sports makes everybody conform

During a recent appearance on the Boardroom with Kevin Durant, NBA legend Isiah Thomas explained his tweet about how analytics were limiting players to perform to their fullest.

Analytics is one of the most controversial and polarizing topics of debate in sports. Everyone, who has an internet connection, thinks they have the expertise to be an analyst or trade pundit. The plethora of statistical information available via websites has limited the ceiling of thinking out of the box.

The GOAT debates between Michael Jordan and LeBron James have everyone search their statistics and achievements. However, there are some situations, which cannot be assigned numerical values. For example, the eras in which they played, teammates, injuries, rules, and regulations.

Nonetheless, various teams and players model their games around analytics. One of the most common examples of this in recent times has been the Golden State Warriors, a team that revolutionized the game of basketball with their 3-point shooting. What followed was every team trying to emulate their way of playing, with most failing to do so.

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Recently, two-time champion Isiah Thomas explained his tweet about how analytics were diminishing the talent in the league.

The marketing of Analytics in the @nba has convinced coaches and players to “think” and “play” the game the same exact way to achieve accurate measurements. Some players and teams would be better off playing a different style.

— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) December 26, 2021

Isiah Thomas addresses his tweet on the marketing of analytics in the NBA.

One of the top 5 point guards of all-time, Isiah’s recent tweet expressed his disapproval towards the obsession with analytics that today’s generation has. Zeke’s message was clear he was not a big fan of numerical data.

During a recent segment on the Boardroom with Kevin Durant, Isiah spoke more in detail about what he meant by his tweet.

“It’s maddening to watch it because I see how so many players could be so much better than what they are allowed to be under this confined system of play that analytics has convinced everybody to play the same way. All the GMs think the same, they all read from the same script. They all, you know, read the same material, they all run the same plays. They all eat at the same time, they all shoot at the same time, they all fly at the same time. And hell, now they all the same size. Right?”

The Hall of Famer cited KD’s example to further his point who was on the panel, as well.

“If Kevin Durant was just a three-point shooter and a guy who made layups, he’d be aight. But the fact that he uses all five scoring areas makes him, probably one of the most efficient scorers we’ve ever seen in the history of our game. His ability to not to confirm is what has made him great throughout his life.”

On the latest episode of #TheETCs w/ @KDTrey5 + @bansky, Hall of Famer @IsiahThomas discusses how the decision by NBA GMs to lean on analytics at every turn is forcing NBA players to conform.

🎙 full episode: https://t.co/9AEkTkjTbN pic.twitter.com/YhwK0dZCDZ

— Boardroom (@boardroom) January 14, 2022

Zeke’s sentiments were echoed by Durant who felt the same. In the past, we’ve seen Hall of Famers like Charles Barkley voice his disregard for analytics. Though Isiah makes some valid points, the analytics debate is not about to end anytime soon.

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