PLL Week 3 Devitte Matrix
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Hello, my binary and non-binary friends - it’s dark and July is hot. We skipped last week because the maniacs at the MIAA (Mass. not Maryland) decided that it would be okay to have their lacrosse playoffs go well beyond the school year because...reasons. Also, there were no PLL games last week and just writing about the results of the first two weeks seemed premature...especially for what week’s topic entails.
Allow me to [re]introduce you to the Devitte Matrix. The way to calculate a player’s Devitte Matrix is shockingly simple: you take their total points (goals and assists) and subtract their turnovers. It’s a completely real, but not real, number that puts a player’s point production into a contextual corner. Sometimes it is unfair, but numbers, like all things in life, do not care about things being fair. In fact, if you haven’t learned that the concept of “fair” is a conceit that you were taught as a child to placate you, then I apologize for your worldview being crushed by the harsh melancholy of reality. What? I told you it was dark and hot. Brings out the worst in people.
But before we get to the worst, let’s take a gander at the best. These are your PLL point leaders after three weeks of action:
Rob Pannell, 16
Grant Ament, 15
Lyle Thompson, 13
Paul Rabil, 13
Andrew Kew, 13
Jake Carraway, 12
Will Manny, 12
Myles Jones, 12
Ryan Drenner, 11
Jeff Teat, 11
Are there any surprises there? Maybe Andrew Kew if you haven’t watched any MLL, box, or DII in your entire life, but everyone else is pretty much a known quantity. Even Jeff YEET, who has only played in two games but has secured legendary status for his greased silk style of play, is only a surprise if you missed his debut this weekend.
Leaders in Turnovers:
Lyle Thompson, 13
Matt Rambo, 12
Josh Byrne, 11
Rob Pannell, 11
Grant Ament, 8
Zed Williams, 8
Paul Rabil, 8
Eric Law, 8
Justin Guterding, 8
Jackson Morrill, 8
Well, well, well if it isn’t the consequences of my actions. Turnovers matter. They just do. Lacrosse is not like soccer because soccer is a game of mistakes. Lacrosse is a game of execution. People will say that a change in possession is less important in the pros because the shot clock is shorter so sometimes passes and shots have to be forced. Sure. I’ll buy that. But how many times does that directly translate to an individual turnover per game? Four times? Five? On the other side of the sword - doesn’t the shortened clock add more possessions overall which add more chances to accrue points? Ball carriers and initiators are clearly going to have more turnovers than any other type of player. But...that’s because they are the ones that are also counted on to produce points for their team.
So, applying turnovers to any offensive metric is NOT a measure of poor production; it merely puts the production that is generated into context. Lyle Thompson leads the league in turnovers with 13 and is third in the league in points with 13, making his Devitte Matrix zero. Does that mean Thompson ISN’T the most electrifying man in sports entertainment now that the Rock is starring in multiple movie franchises? No, of course not. But isn’t it slightly disconcerting that he has 13 turnovers? Let’s take a look at the Devitte Matrix leaders and see if we can glean anything from that data.
Leaders In Devitte Matrix (Points Minus Turnovers)
Andrew Kew, 11
Ryan Drenner, 10
Will Manny, 8
Jules Henningburg, 7
Jake Froccaro, 7
Stephen Rehfuss, 7
Colin Heacock, 7
Grant Ament, 7
Jake Carraway, 6
Ryan Brown, 6
How interesting that two Cannons players are at the top of the points to turnover ratio - and they’re both attackmen that play on the same line as Lyle Thompson. Kew and Drenner never will get the No. 1 pole. Ever. In fact, they will draw shorties more often than not because teams are more concerned with stopping the Cannons’ midfield initiator corps of Rabil, Rehfuss, and Buczek (among others).
Obviously, their respective playstyles also contribute to their lack of turnovers - Kew is the unholy monster child of Matt Poskay and BJ Prager and Drenner is the Ben Foster of character actor scorers in the PLL - but there is something to be said about being extra efficient that should be applauded. At the highest level of play, you’re not just shooting on a net - you’re facing the best goaltenders and defensemen in the world every game. Don’t think of combining a positive and a negative stat as a zero-sum game. It’s just a different way to appreciate the most deadly offensive players on the planet.
Now if only there were a way to do the same for defenders…
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Have enjoyed watching Kew as a Blackwolves fan. Great to see him showing his skills in the field game.