Belmont wing Ben Sheppard is definitely my kind of guy. So many of the boxes that I look for are checked by Sheppard. He’s a long, lanky 6’6” with decent positional size. He’s got a terrific feel for the game from growing up as a point guard; he’s posted a positive assist-to-turnover ratio each of the last three years. He’s also an exceptional shooter with a buttery stroke and insanely impressive metrics.

Some people are labeled a ‘guy’s guy’, meaning that other guys are supposed to love them more than anyone else. If that’s the case, then I’m a ‘shooter’s scout’. I love 3-point shooters. The value they bring is immeasurable thanks to the floor spacing it provides for others. Any superstar needs space to operate, guys who can knock down shots when they kick the ball out, and guys who move off screens to create gravity for easy looks elsewhere.

Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. Be sure to check out Megan Gauer’s latest update to the Bracketology section of the Her Hoop Stats website! Haven’t subscribed to the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter yet? Talented players from all across the world have been part of the WNBA since its inception. However, these players often seem undervalued on draft night for a variety of reasons, from legitimate concerns about unavailability, to the difficulties in projecting players drafted two or more years younger than their NCAA peers, to lack of familiarity with overseas leagues.

Uh, is this thing on? Anyways, welcome back to Buckets & Bytes! Can I say that I’m “reviving” this blog if I’ve only posted once? I’ve been chronicling some of my recent visualizations on GitHub, and I thought that I might as well start this blog back up — but expect shorter posts. There’s just no way that I can sustain 3,000-word tutorials, but I hope that this will still provide some semblance of value!

In today’s diverse workplace landscape, feedback is a vital element that helps teams grow. As the late CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh, once said, the role of a leader is to be the architect of the greenhouse. Leaders shouldn’t tell each plant how to grow but create an environment in which they can flourish on their own. But here's the rub: Just as gardening requires knowledge and skill, so does giving and receiving feedback.