Basketball performance indicators during the ACB regular season from 2003 to 2013

The aim of this study was to identify basketball game performance indicators that best explain the number of wins achieved during a regular basketball season. Accumulated statistics were analyzed for 18 teams from the Spanish Basketball League (34 games per regular season per team) over 10 years (from 2003-to-2013) including a total of 3,060 basketball games. Teams were grouped by their final ranking in the regular season. Accuracy in 2-point field goals (r=0.66) and the total number of assists (r=0.59) were the variables that best correlated with the number of wins during the regular season. The highest variance explained for the number of wins during the regular season (r(2)=0.76) included shooting accuracy indicators and the number of rebounds (26% and 23% of variance explained respectively). Qualifying for the playoffs or being demoted to a lower category depended on accuracy in 2-and 3-point field goals, the number of assists and points received (P<0.05). In conclusion, basketball success during a regular season is complex because it depends on the accomplishment of numerous game actions. However, shooting accuracy is the best game performance indicator in elite basketball because it positively correlated with the number of wins during a season and differentiated successful and unsuccessful basketball teams. Thus, basketball coaches should design specific training programs to increase shooting accuracy in order to improve their game performance.