Former Suns assistant Dan D’Antoni hilariously explains the importance of analytics

Current Marshall head coach Dan D’Antoni is 69 years old, but he’s not stuck in his ways.

In an era of sport where the buzzword “analytics” can be scoffed at by the old school or relied upon too much by those darn millennials, it’s important to know the gray area where analytics become most valuable. D’Antoni, brother of former Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni and a Phoenix assistant from 2005-08, went on a rant Wednesday to perfectly paint the picture of the value of statistics.

Asked if his team didn’t quite get the ball in the paint enough in a 112-106 loss to Pittsburgh, D’Antoni set off on explaining why that was a bad question for a team that was the first to score 100 points against Pitt since 1993.

Dan D'Antoni is a national treasure that must be preserved at all costs. "I haven't finished my damn analytics story yet." pic.twitter.com/ze3QUkQYxx

— Craig Meyer (@CraigMeyerPG) December 29, 2016

Mike D’Antoni, of course, is credited with turning Steve Nash and the Suns into one of the best offensive teams of the past decade. Those Phoenix teams are credited for changing the ways of the NBA, and the Warriors, Cavaliers and D’Antoni’s current team, the Houston Rockets, have succeeded in putting up points.

Of course, that’s because they all have talented players to do so.

Case in point: Analytics are important. So is how they are applied.

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