Hey guys, figured I would add a weekly profile to the blog. This week's profile, and the subject of a presentation for my New Venture Capitalism class, is Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey. Morey is the first General Manager in the NBA committed to analytics, some of which are described in a previous blog of mine in the preceeding link. Morey became the GM of the Houston Rockets in May 2007 after serving three years as the Senior Vice President of Operations and Information for the Boston Celtics. He previously attended Northwestern as an undergraduate, and received a degree in Computer Science, and then attended the Sloan School of Management at MIT for his MBA.
Morey uses statistics to analyze qualitative actions in basketball. His first project for the Boston Celtics was one in which he performed a regression analysis of 25 years of NBA drafts to determine which college statistics best equate with NBA success at each of the five positions. Once hired as the Assistant GM in Houston in 2006, Morey scouted players that offseason that could make the team better in terms of these categories:
decreasing opponents FG %
- usage rate
- increasing FG %
Morey figured out that Shane Battier was the best fit for the Rockets, as his team scored more, rebounded, better, fouled less, allowed, fewer points, shot better, and decreased their opponents shooting percentage when he was on the court. Morey figured he would be the perfect complement to superstars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. Morey also insists on trading for and drafting players which were versatile and capable of creating offensive and defensive advantages. Such a player is Kevin Martin, a 6-6 Shooting Guard acquired in a trade with the Sacramento Kings last season. Martin's height creates mismatches on both ends of the floor.
Will Daryl Morey's success in Houston continue to the point at which the Rockets are a championship contender? Who knows! However, it will be interesting to see if NBA teams keep hiring experts in analytics to advise or even run their teams. About two thirds of NBA teams currently employ at least one expert of analytics, and this trend should continue to increase, especially of Morey's Rockets continue to improve!
Will Daryl Morey's success in Houston continue to the point at which the Rockets are a championship contender? Who knows! However, it will be interesting to see if NBA teams keep hiring experts in analytics to advise or even run their teams. About two thirds of NBA teams currently employ at least one expert of analytics, and this trend should continue to increase, especially of Morey's Rockets continue to improve!
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