Three Independent Dimensions

Each player gets one label per dimension, assigned independently by KMeans clustering on real play-by-play and tracking data. The three labels together form their compound profile. A player can be any combination — there is no constraint forcing a "big man" label in all three.

SCORING (k=6)

Where & how they score

Shot zone percentages and efficiency. Rim-Only → Paint → Mid → Three-Level → Perimeter.

USAGE (k=3)

How they use the ball

Touches, dribbles per touch, time per dribble, time of possession. Ball-handler vs. mover vs. finisher.

PASSING (k=4)

Network role

Pass volume, assist rate, pass ratio (outgoing vs. incoming). Hub, Initiator, Secondary, Terminal.

Scoring Types

Clustered on shot zone distribution (rim %, paint %, mid %, above-break 3 %, corner 3 %) plus zone efficiency. Ordered roughly interior → perimeter.

Rim-Only

Almost exclusively at the restricted area. Barely shoots outside the paint. Pure finisher — dunks, lobs, and putbacks. (Mitchell Robinson, Rudy Gobert)

Paint-Dominant

Heavy rim + paint non-RA volume. Scores inside the arc with short hooks, floaters, and drives. Will shoot occasional mid-range. (Nikola Jokić, Bam Adebayo)

Mid+Paint

Balanced paint + significant mid-range. The classic two-way inside scorer who can pull up to 15 feet. (DeMar DeRozan, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant)

Skip-Mid

Moderate rim attacks, minimal mid-range, some 3-point shooting. The modern 'skip the mid' profile — rim or three, nothing in between. (Athletic wings, dribble-drive guards)

Three-Level

Scores at rim, mid, and 3-point line. True all-around scorer with no dominant zone. (Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, Anthony Edwards)

Perimeter

Overwhelmingly 3-point focused. Heavy above-break and corner volume. Corner and wing spacers, pull-up shooters. (Sam Merrill, Nicolas Batum, Stephen Curry)

Usage Types

Clustered on touches per minute, dribbles per touch, time per dribble, time of possession, and front-court touch rate. The key differentiator is time per dribble — high = Orchestrator (reads the game, sits in post); low with high dribbles = Ball-Dominant (creator off the bounce).

Ball-Dominant

High touches, high dribbles per touch, long possession time. The primary ball-handler who creates off the bounce. The offense runs through them. (Luka Dončić, Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo)

Orchestrator

Moderate touches and dribbles. Moderate time per dribble. Reads and redistributes — not a pure ball-handler but clearly involved in initiating. Posts up, sets the table. (Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan)

Catch-and-Go

Low dribbles per touch, quick release. Catches passes and quickly shoots or passes on. Floor spacers, cutters, roll men, bigs. (Rudy Gobert, Jakob Poeltl, corner shooters)

Passing Types

Clustered on passes made per minute, passes received per minute, pass ratio (made ÷ total), assists per minute, and assists per touch. Distinguishes true network hubs from pure receivers.

Hub

Highest pass volume and assists. The center of the passing network — makes as many passes as they receive, and converts them to assists at the highest rate. (Nikola Jokić, Tyrese Haliburton, Luka Dončić, Draymond Green)

Initiator

Moderate-to-high pass volume with solid assist rate. Initiates plays, pushes pace, but isn't the single dominant distributor. (LeBron James, Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards)

Secondary

Lower volume with decent assist-per-FGA. Contributes to ball movement when touched but isn't a primary creator. Often playmaking bigs or secondary guards. (Draymond Green non-Hub seasons, Bam Adebayo)

Terminal

Low passes made, low assists per touch. Primarily a receiver and finisher — not involved in ball movement as a distributor. Off-ball wings, catch-and-shoot bigs. (Rudy Gobert, Dalton Knecht, Kelly Oubre)

Example Compound Profiles

Nikola Jokić

Paint-Dominant / Ball-Dominant / Hub

The quintessential modern big: paint scorer who dominates possession and distributes at an elite rate.

Rudy Gobert

Rim-Only / Catch-and-Go / Terminal

The purest rim finisher — only scores near the basket, barely dribbles, and rarely initiates.

DeMar DeRozan

Mid+Paint / Ball-Dominant / Initiator

Classic two-way scorer who commands the ball and creates for himself and others.

Stephen Curry

Three-Level / Ball-Dominant / Initiator

Three-level scorer who handles significant ball-movement duties despite a shooter's reputation.

Draymond Green

Paint-Dominant / Catch-and-Go / Hub

Unique profile: rim-adjacent scorer who catches and acts quickly but is the primary network distributor.

Kyrie Irving

Three-Level / Ball-Dominant / Initiator

Elite three-level creator who handles the ball heavily and initiates the offense.

Methodology

Models are fit with KMeans clustering on four seasons combined (2021-22 through 2024-25), minimum 500 minutes played. Each season's assignments are then read from a pre-fit model for consistency — a player's classification doesn't shift because of who else played that year.

Cluster names are assigned deterministically from cluster centers after fitting: the scoring cluster with the highest rim % becomes "Rim-Only", the usage cluster with the highest dribbles per touch becomes "Ball-Dominant", and so on. This means the same player will always receive the same label for a given season regardless of when the model was run.

The current season (2025-26) uses tracking data for past seasons. Players without sufficient tracking data show "—" for all three dimensions.