Shot differences between professional (ACB) and amateur (EBA) basketball teams. Multifactorial study

Abstract

The shot is the game action in which the rest of the players' actions culminate, allowing them to achieve the
goal of the game, to score. In this action several factors intervene which condition its execution. The goal of this study was
to analyze the shot, by executing a multifactorial study of the differences in this technical action between two competition
levels, professional teams (experts) and amateur teams (inexperienced players). The shots taken during 60 games from two
competition levels, the ACB league (30 games) and the EBA league (30 games) were studied. A total of 10212 shots were
studied, of which 5161 corresponded to the ACB league (174±13.23) and 5051 corresponded to the EBA league
(168±19.54). After an exploratory analysis, an inferential non-parametric analysis to assess whether the two samples of
shots were equivalent was used (Mann-Whitney U).
Differences in free-throws between professional and amateur teams were only found in the distribution of the shots
by quarter (U=7.5E+005, p=.025). The field goals taken in the two competitions are different with regard to the defensive
pressure that the players receive before shooting (U=6.4E+006 p=.025), the shot value (U=7.1E+006, p=.010), and the
action taken before the shot (U=6.6E+006, p=.000). The expert players (professionals) have a greater command of the
game than the amateurs (inexperienced players), they maintain a higher defensive intensity from the beginning of the game,
they are able to find shot positions in which the defensive pressure is less, they use more collective actions to look for
better shot positions (passes), and they can shoot from greater distances.