Gregg Popovich Says Plus-Minus Rating is a Hoax

San Antonio Spurs’ head coach, Gregg Popovich recently spoke out on his thoughts on individual ratings. Over the weekend, Popovich was asked for his view on individual net rating and plus minus. In his response, he referred to plus minus as a “hoax” and “analytical fantasy.”

Los Angeles Clippers reporter, Jovan Buha, tweeted out, “Gregg Popovich called plus-minus a ‘hoax’ and an ‘analytical fantasy’ pregame when asked pregame how he views individual net rating and plus-minus by a reporter.”

Plus minus tracks a players’ impact on the game by measuring the difference between their teams points scored versus the opposing teams’ points scored, while that player is on the court. A positive plus minus means the players’ team outscored the opposing team, whereas a negative plus minus means the opposing team was on top while that player was on the court.