Using Analytics to Improve the Boston Celtics' Performance

This summer, I interned for the Boston Celtics who compete in the National Basketball Association and are based in Boston, Massachusetts. I worked in the Basketball Operations Department and the Basketball Intelligence Agency which is responsible for using analytics to help inform the players, coaches, and scouts on how to be most effective in their roles.​

The main project I was tasked with pertained to Coaches Challenges, where I used data from previous games and the programming language R to determine when a coach should use their challenge. I communicated with the coaching staff on their thoughts and concerns on the topic, and later presented them my findings. In addition to that project, I worked on data mapping players into the Celtics’ system for analysts and scouts to have better access to player statistics.​

I was lucky enough to be included in many of the ongoing conversations regarding strategy, scouting, the draft, and new projects the team was working on. All of the different departments rely on each other substantially and the communication between them is critical to the overall success of the team. Hearing the ideas from the seasoned managers, scouts, coaches, and analysts made me very excited to continue my own learning about the many facets of analytics and professional sports. ​

Internship funded by the Peter Buck Internship Fund​.