Marcus Bennett

I grew up in Chicago on a steady diet of basketball, and what started as fandom slowly turned into something more analytical once I began tracking why certain teams covered and others didn't. The modern game gives you a huge amount of data, and learning to read it properly — without drowning in it — became the work. My approach to basketball tips centres on pace, offensive and defensive efficiency, rest, and the specific matchups that swing a game. A team's record tells you very little compared to how they actually generate and concede shots. I spend a lot of time on totals and how lineups change when key rotation players are in or out. Seven years in, the biggest lesson is that basketball is a long game. Single nights are noisy, injuries and load management muddy the picture, and chasing every result is a mistake. I try to stay process-driven and explain the logic so readers can judge it for themselves. — Marcus Bennett