PRODUCTION INDEXES

Following are several tables showing how KU players and teams compare, based on mathematical formulas.

For example, Wayne Simien achieved the third most statistically productive season at KU since 1984. This past season, Simien garnered a total per game score of 24.42, lower only than the scores posted by Danny Manning in 1988 and 1987, respectively.  His per minute score of .774 was the fifth highest on record since 1984.

The 2005 team production index, per game, however, ranked only 19th best among teams from 1984 on.

In 1990 Martin Manley published Basketball Heaven, in which he outlined his Production Ratings, statistical indexes which measure the overall production of players and teams. In the book, he discusses his formulae and variations, and compiles indexes for all players in the NBA.

I have to admit to a special affinity for Manley, as he too grew up in rural Kansas and is an unabashed Jayhawk fan.  So, he can't be all bad in my book.

His formula is relatively simple, adding up the 'good' things players do, including points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots, and subtracting the 'bad' things, such as missed field goals, missed free throws, and turnovers.  The sum of those eight statistics are then divided by the number of games played to derive a Game Index (GI), or divided by the number of minutes played to derive a Minute Index (MI). 

       (PTS + RBS + AST + BLK + STL) - (TO + MFG + MFT) = PRODUCTION POINTS

      PRODUCTION POINTS / GAMES = GAME INDEX

      PRODUCTION POINTS/MINUTES PLAYED = MINUTE INDEX

While useful in condensing a game or even an entire season into a meaningful comparative statistic, Manley admits that it has some weaknesses, primarily due to the fact that box score statistics lean heavily on the offensive part of the game.  Too, he says that "no statistical ranking can measure a clutch player's abilities in the closing seconds of a game.  Nor can it measure a player's abilities to psych up his teammates or psych out his opponents.  It can't measure flash, charisma, or intensity, ingredients which all go into the process of winning."  "Still, those categories which are statistically measurable constitute at least 90% of winning and losing", concludes Manley.

Obviously, to compute the indexes, one needs to be able to collect all the above mentioned statistics.  This is possible only for the years 1984 and after.  For the years 1975 to 1983, Turnovers were not collected.  For the years 1954 through 1974, data on assists, blocked shots, steals, minutes played and turnovers were not collected.  Before 1954, rebounds were not tabulated.

Thus, the following tables are computed, using the full index formula for 1984 to present. An abbreviated formula (not using turnovers) is used for the years 1975-84. So that players for these years can be compared to the later players, I have also included an adjusted index, based on subtracting a value of 1.15 per game per player, and subtracting a value of .006 per minute per player, which are the averages for player turnovers during the period 1984 to 2005.

PLAYER INDEXES
Production Index per Game (PI/G), Season, 1984 to Present

Production Index per Game (PI/G), Career, 1984 to Present

Production Index per Game (PI/G), Season, 1975-83

Production Index per Game (PI/G), Career, 1975-83

Production Index per Minute Played (PI/M), Season, 1984 to Present

Production Index per Minute Played (PI/M), Career, 1984 to Present

Production Index per Minute Played (PI/M), Season, 1975-83

Production Index per Minute Played  (PI/M), Career, 1975-83

TEAM INDEXES
Production Index per Game, Season, 1984 to Present

Production Index per Minute, 1984 to Present

Production Index per Game & Minute, 1975-83

ADJUSTED INDEXES
50 Best Seasons, Per Player, 1975-2005

Best Career PI, Per Player, 1975-2005

Adjusted Team Production Index, 1975 to Present