In today’s modern sports world analytics have completely reshaped the way fans look at their favorite teams. Ken Pomeroy was a pioneer with his rankings of every D1 teams in the country, but dozens of others have created analytical models of their own. KenPom and BartTorvik (one of my personal favs) see the Gophers as a fairly well rounded team just inside of the top-70 in the country.

Gophers Predictive Team Metrics:

• KenPom.com
  • 68th OVR
  • 75th: Adjusted Offensive Efficiency
  • 70th: Adjusted Defensive Efficiency
• BartTorvik
  • 67th OVR
  • 76th: Adjusted Offensive Efficiency
  • 82nd: Adjusted Offensive Efficiency

Professional basketball has been overtaking by player analytics, such as true shooting percentage, PER or win shares. While it hasn’t hit the college game as hard, I thought it would be very interesting the go through the Gophers rotation and see where each players stands out analytically.

KEY:

• PER: The player efficiency rating (PER) is John Hollinger’s all-in-one basketball rating, which attempts to collect or boil down all of a player’s contributions into one number. Using a detailed formula, Hollinger developed a system that rates every player’s statistical performance.
• Usage Percentage: It is defined as the percentage of team plays used by a player when they are on the floor. It’s important because it indicates how large of a role a player has within his team’s offense, which means how many opportunities he’ll have to score.
• Win Shares: Win Share is a measure that is assigned to players based on their offense, defense, and playing time. A win share is worth one-third of a team win. If a team wins 60 games, there are 180 ‘Win Shares’ to distribute among the players.
• True Shooting Percentage: It is intended to more accurately calculate a player’s shooting than field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three-point field goal percentage taken individually. Two- and three-point field goals and free throws are all considered in its calculation. It is abbreviated TS%
• Defensive Box +/- Box plus-minus is based on box score for evaluating basketball players’ quality and contribution to the team from play-by-play regression.

Player-by-Player Efficiency:

• Elijah Hawkins (31.9 MPG)
  • 15.5 Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
  • 17.5% Usage Percentage
  • 2.5: Win Shares
  • 55.5% True Shooting Percentage
  • 2.5: Defensive Box +/-

Comparative to other Gophers players, Hawkins has relatively solid numbers across the board, but his defensive +/- stands out, as the second highest number on Minnesota’s roster. Averaging 1.8 SPG it makes sense, but his chaotic play-style is shown with his lower PER.

• Dawson Garcia (31.7 MPG)
  • 22.4 Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
  • 27.6% Usage Percentage
  • 3.2: Win Shares
  • 57.4% True Shooting Percentage
  • 1.8: Defensive Box +/-

Garcia is the most efficient player and valuable player on the Gophers roster, while having the highest usage percentage by a pretty wide margin. His dominant season is shown on the analytical metrics.

• Mike Mitchell Jr. (29.1 MPG)
  • 13.7 Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
  • 19.5% Usage Percentage
  • 2.0: Win Shares
  • 56.2% True Shooting Percentage
  • 2.0: Defensive Box +/-

As the most streaky player on the roster, Mitchell Jr. has the lowed PER out of the starting lineup. But his 56.2% true shooting percentage shows that he takes difficult shots, but hits them at a respectable clip and his 2.0 DBPM, shows that he’s an under-valued defender.

• Cam Christie (28.5 MPG)
  • 15.5 Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
  • 18.9% Usage Percentage
  • 2.3: Win Shares
  • 59.0% True Shooting Percentage
  • 1.3: Defensive Box +/-

Out of the guards on the roster, Christie has the highest true shooting percentage. His 2.3 win shares is the third highest mark on the roster, proving his remarkable value as only a true freshman.

• Pharrel Payne (22.3 MPG)
  • 21.6 Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
  • 22.7% Usage Percentage
  • 1.9: Win Shares
  • 56.8% True Shooting Percentage
  • 2.4: Defensive Box +/-

Pharrel Payne is an incredibly efficient player, holding the second highest PER mark on the roster, while having the second highest usage percentage. His 2.4 DBPM is the third highest mark on the team.

• Parker Fox (11.9 MPG)
  • 20.1 Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
  • 15.6% Usage Percentage
  • 1.3: Win Shares
  • 62.4% True Shooting Percentage
  • 4.4: Defensive Box +/-

Given his expanded role in the last month plus, Fox has some of the most interesting metrics on the roster. His 4.4 DBPM might be the most fascinating number in this article. He shows incredible efficiency and value on both ends of the floor, with a relatively small role.

• Braeden Carrington (21.3 MPG)
  • 9.7 Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
  • 15.7% Usage Percentage
  • 1.0: Win Shares
  • 47.5% True Shooting Percentage
  • 2.1: Defensive Box +/-

Carrington has struggled to find his shooting stroke all season and it shows on the metrics. While his offensive numbers might be low, his 2.1 DBPM is incredibly value and it shows up when he’s on the floor.

• Josh Ola-Joseph (17.4 MPG)
  • 18.9 Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
  • 20.9% Usage Percentage
  • 1.7: Win Shares
  • 67.9% True Shooting Percentage
  • 0.1: Defensive Box +/-

JOJ also has very interesting numbers, as his role has shrunk in the second half of the season. He has still been very efficient whenever he hits the floor, but his value on the defensive end has been bare.

• Isaiah Ihnen (13.0 MPG)
  • 12.6 Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
  • 15.9% Usage Percentage
  • 0.8: Win Shares
  • 55.7% True Shooting Percentage
  • 1.6: Defensive Box +/-

Ihnen has struggled to find his role on this team as he recovers from a pair of serious knee injuries. His metrics show that he still holds value to this team when he is able to find his way onto the floor.

• Jack Wilson (4.3 MPG)
  • 9.0 Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
  • 21.9% Usage Percentage
  • 0.0: Win Shares
  • 69.6% True Shooting Percentage
  • 1.8: Defensive Box +/-

Big Jack Wilson’s role is small, but I thought it would be interesting to see how his numbers stack up compared to everyone else on the team.