Longitudinal analysis of Brazilian basketball performance in 13 seasons of Novo Basquete Brasil

Abstract

In 2008, the Brazilian Men's Basketball Championship was renamed Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB), completing 13 seasons in June 2021. This period represents an excellent opportunity to observe the evolution of the sport based on statistical performance indicators (SPI). Thus, the objective was to longitudinally analyze the aggregate performance of the teams over the 2008/2009 and 2020/2021 seasons and determine the reference values for the main SPI. The SPI of 3338 matches from the 13 seasons of the NBB were collected on the championship official website. The performance, expressed as mean ± standard deviation of basic (e.g. shooting, rebounding, assists, etc.) and advanced (e.g. 2 points/3points – 2PT/3PT ratio, number of ball possessions, effective use, etc.) SPI, was compared by one-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni post hoc, and the SPI reference values were calculated by percentiles. Over the seasons, teams started to attempt more 3-point shots, score proportionately more via 3-point shots, and catch more defensive rebounds (minimum and maximum values: 20.9±5.1 and 27.8±6.3; 27.4%±9.8% and 35.6%±10.3%; 21.1±4.7 and 27.4±4.9; respectively; p<0.001 for all). On the other hand, they shot fewer free throws, with a lower free throw rate and a lower 2PT/3PT ratio (maximum and minimum: 22.9±7.8 and 18.0±6.2; 28.4%±11.1 % and 22.6%±9.8%; 2.1±0.9 and 1.4±0.5; respectively; p<0.001 for all). These results indicate the execution of technical-tactical actions further away from the basket, with long-distance shots and with less physical contact close to the offensive lane.