NBA drafts between the years 1990-2021
Motivation
The NBA Draft
Each year, the National Basketball Association (NBA) holds a draft, where prospective basketball players are able to be chosen to join one of the 30 professional teams across the United States and Canada.
In order to be eligible for the draft, a player must be at least 19 years old and out of high school for at least one year. Prior to 2006, this rule was not in effect, and players could be drafted during/right out of high school.
Each year, the draft is comprised of 60 players and takes place over two rounds of 30 selections. Teams pick players in an order based on performance from the previous season, with teams that performed poorly getting earlier picks in order to create a seemingly more level playing field. It’s important to note that there weren’t always 30 players selected in each round, the number made its way up to 30 as more teams were added into the NBA.
Playing Basketball
The goal in basketball is to score as many points as possible by throwing the ball through the other team’s hoop.
In the middle of the court there is a half-court line that divides the two sides. On both sides, surrounding the hoops, there is an arch called the three-point line. Within the three-point line stands the free-throw line, where a player would shoot from should there be a foul called.
Scoring
Players can shoot towards the hoop from any point on the court. A different number of points is awarded based on where the player is standing when they release the ball. The three shots are explained below.
- Field Goal: Worth 2 points, scored by shooting within the three point line
- Three Pointer: Worth 3 points, scored by shooting outside the three point line.
- Free Throw: Worth one point, taken from the free throw line after a foul.
A rebound is when a player from the team that is on defense obtains the ball after the other team takes a shot attempt at the hoop. At the end of the game, which is played in four twelve-minute quarters, the team with the most points wins.
Data
The nba_draft data set includes data from players that were selected in the NBA drafts between the years 1990-2021. Each row represents a different player and statistics from their respective careers in the NBA, some of which are still ongoing.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| draft_pick | The pick number a player was selected in the NBA draft |
| team | The NBA team that drafted the player |
| player_name | The name of the player selected |
| college | The college the player attended (NA for those drafted out of high school, G-League team for international prospects) |
| years_played | Number of years spent in the NBA |
| games_played | Games played in the NBA |
| total_mins_played | Total minutes played in the NBA |
| total_pts | Total points scored in the NBA |
| total_rebounds | Total rebounds grabbed in the NBA |
| total_assists | Total assists recorded in the NBA |
| fg_percent | The percent of field goal shots made by the player in the NBA |
| three_pt_percent | The percent of three-point shots made by the player in the NBA |
| ft_percent | The percent of free throws made by the player in the NBA |
| draft_year | Year the player was drafted |
| mins_per_game | Average number of minutes played per game for career in the NBA |
| pts_per_game | Average number of points scored per game for career in the NBA |
| rebounds_per_game | Average number of rebounds per game for career in the NBA |
| assists_per_game | Average number of assists per game for career in the NBA |
| round_picked | Indicates the round the player was selected (either round 1 or round 2) |
| pick_in_round | Indicates the order in which players were selected in that round |
Questions
Do players that were selected in the first round of the NBA draft play more minutes on average per game compared to players selected in the second round?
Produce a plot to compare the mean minutes played between these two groups
Pick another statistics and investigate whether the mean is different between first and second round players.