Andre Iguodala: Wearable tech helped Warriors stay healthy, win title
With the NBA doing its due diligence while contemplating diving into wearable in-game monitoring devices, Tuesday brought some positive anecdotal evidence about the devices already in use.
Several teams used wearable technology to track and collect data during practices last season. One such team was the NBA champion Golden State Warriors and, according to their Finals MVP, they benefited greatly as a result.
Andre Iguodala said the tech wearables helped the Warriors stay healthy and win the championship.
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) September 22, 2015
CBS Sports' Ken Berger reported during the Finals that the Warriors had rested both regular-season MVP Steph Curry and All-Star Klay Thompson ahead of the playoffs based on data culled from the tracking devices that suggested excessive fatigue.
Iguodala wasn't mentioned in Berger's report, but the career-low 26.9 minutes per game he averaged during the regular season no doubt kept him fresh for his defining playoff performance.
Grantland's Zach Lowe further delved into the various benefits of the devices last week:
They track basic movement data, including distance traveled and running speed, but the real value comes from the health- and fatigue-related information they spit out. The monitors track the power behind a player's accelerations and decelerations (i.e., cuts), the force-based impact of jumping and landing, and other data points. Team sports science experts scour the data for any indication a player might be on the verge of injury - or already suffering from one that hasn't manifested itself in any obvious way.
One member of the dwindling group of opponents to the proliferation of tracking technology was former Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, who was fired this offseason in large part due to clashes with the team's front office over his management of players' minutes.
While there are still concerns over the potential in-game use of the devices - such as NBPA executive director Michele Roberts' fear that "some of this information might be leaked or used in contract negotiations" - wearable tech has already staked out a large place in the league's future.