NBA Wingspan & Performance (Combined Dataset)
Motivation
Basketball fans, analysts and scouts often consider a player’s physical attributes, especially wingspan as a key factor in evaluating ability and performance. Wingspan, the distance from fingertip to fingertip with arms outstretched, can offer players advantages on both ends of the court, affecting shot-blocking, rebounding and finishing at the rim. However, wingspans are relative to the players height, that’s where the concept of wingspan advantage comes in.
Wingspans advantage refers to the difference between a player’s wingspan and their height (wingspan - height). A larger wingspan advantage suggests a player has a longer reach relative to their size, which can translate to greater on-court impact. For example, a 6’6” player with a 7’1” wingspan has a +7 inch wingspan advantage, an edge that might help them disrupt opponents defensively or finish more effectively near the basket. However, wingspan can also influence a player’s shooting ability. While a longer reach can make it easier to shoot over defenders, it may also affect shooting mechanics and consistency. This dual impact makes wingspan advantage a valuable trait to explore across both defensive and offensive performance metrics.
This concept is increasingly used in scouting reports and draft analysis to highlight players with unique physical tools. By analyzing wingspan relative to height, alongside in-game performance data, we can begin to explore how these physical traits are related to on-court impact.
Data
The nba_wingspan_performance_2025.csv data set contains 419 rows and 26 columns. Each row represents a NBA player from the 2024-25 season. Note this dataset is merged from multiple online sources.
Download Data: nba_wingspan_performance_2025.csv
Variable Descriptions
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| name | Full name of the NBA player |
| team | Three-letter abbreviation of the team the player is on |
| position | Player’s primary on-court position in abbreviated form |
| height_inches | Player’s height in inches |
| wingspan_inches | Player’s wingspan in inches |
| wingspan_advantage | Difference between wingspan and height in inches (wingspan - height) |
| g | Games played during the 2024-25 season |
| mp | Minutes played during the 2024-25 season |
| pts | Points scored per 100 possessions |
| orb | Offensive rebounds per 100 possessions |
| drb | Defensive rebounds per 100 possessions |
| trb | Total rebounds per 100 possessions |
| ast | Assists per 100 possessions |
| stl | Steals per 100 possessions |
| blk | Blocks per 100 possessions |
| o_rtg | Offensive Rating: An estimate of points produced per 100 possessions |
| d_rtg | Defensive Rating: An estimate of points allowed per 100 possessions |
| e_fg_percent | Effective field goal percentage: Adjusts percentage for the fact that a 3pt field goal is worth more than a 2pt field goal |
| ft_percent | Free throw percentage |
| fg_percent | Field goal percentage |
| avg_dist_of_fg | Average distance (in feet) of field goal attempts |
| 2pt_rate | Percentage of field goal attempts that are 2 point attempts |
| 3pt_rate | Percentage of field goal attempts that are 3 point attempts |
| 2pt_percent | Make percentage on 2 point attempts |
| 3pt_percent | Make percentage on 3 point attempts |
| dunk_rate | Percentage of field goal attempts that are dunks |
Questions
What is the average wingspan advantage across all players in the dataset?
Compare the average steals per 100 possessions with plauers with above average wingspan advantage and those with below average. Does it appear that wingspan advantage impacts steals?
Is there a relationship between wingspan advantage and 3-point shooting percentage? Does the relationship differ by position?
Do players with higher a wingspan advantage tend to take more shots closer to the basket than players with lower a wingspan advantage?
References
Height & Wingspan—NBA Stats & Analytics | CraftedNBA. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://craftednba.com/player-traits/length
2024-25 NBA Player Stats: Per 100 Possessions | Basketball-Reference.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2025_per_poss.html
2024-25 NBA Player Stats: Shooting | Basketball-Reference.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2025_shooting.html