The best of Nylon Calculus 2015

It’s been a long year, 12 months to be exact. Over that time the writers of the Hardwood Paroxysm Basketball Network have written hundreds of thousands of words on more ideas than we care to remember. Some of that work was questionable, some was good, some was great. As we head into the new year, here are our favorite pieces from 2015 at Nylon Calculus. Don’t forget to check out the best of Hardwood Paroxysm, Upside and Motor, and Friendly Bounce as well.

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PT-PM, RPM, and the curious case of Ersan Ilyasova and Khris Middleton

Andrew Johnson | @CountingBaskets

A case study of defensive RPM and PT-PM looking at Ersan Ilyasova and Khris Middleton.

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A manifesto for the “best player available” approach

Layne Vashro | @vjl_bball

Hitting in the draft if simply too important to allow eliminating options for any reason other than future potential. Take the best player available.

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The NBA’s inequality problem: defense earns 60 cents on the dollar

Mika Honkasalo | @MikaHonkasalo

Offense gets you paid. Defense, not so much.

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Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook: the odd couple

Matt D’Anna | @hoop_nerd

How do two of the biggest offensive stars in the league affect each other when they’re both in the game.

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How will we remember Kevin Garnett?

Justin Willard | @AcrosstheCourt

A statistical longform on the career and legacy of Kevin Garnett.

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CBA Corner: renegotiate and extend

Nate Duncan | @NateDuncanNBA

Thus, renegotiations and extensions could be a powerful tool to soak up cap space that otherwise might be poorly utilized.

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Bully Ball

Seth Partnow | @SethPartnow

To put it another way, a big man who can’t punish a smaller player is giving up a mismatch without creating one in return.

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The Chicago Sky’s hidden defense — rebounding

Howard Megdal | @HowardMegdal

Accordingly, every defensive rebound isn’t merely an end to a Sky opponent’s possession. It is an opportunity to unleash the best offense in the league.

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Visualizing team offense by style

Ian Levy | @HickoryHigh

Using four elements—pace, ball movement, player movement and shot selection—to describe and visualize team offense style.

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NBA Players need their rest: a look at shot difficulty

Adam Yudelman | @oodlesofyoodles

How does rest impact shot selection?

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