Mean, Median, and Mode

In statistics, we use "measures of central tendency" to find the typical value in a dataset. In basketball, these measures help us understand the typical scoring or playing time for a team.

• Mean (Average): The sum of all values divided by the number of values.
• Median (Middle): The middle value when all numbers are sorted from lowest to highest.
• Mode (Most Common): The value that appears most frequently in the dataset.

The visualization above shows the Points Per Game (PTS) for each player on the 2024-2025 Indiana Pacers roster. Hover over the points to see player names and see where they sit relative to the team's Mean, Median, and Mode.

Why use all three?

By comparing these three numbers, we can see how the team's scoring is distributed. For example, if a "superstar" player scores way more than everyone else, the Mean will go up significantly, but the Median might stay exactly where it is. This helps us see if a team's scoring is balanced or if it's dominated by one or two players.