Basketball Analyst

Reports to: Director, Basketball Analytics • FLSA Status: Full-time salaried, Exempt • Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

About the role

The Basketball Analyst will work within the Pelicans Basketball Operations department, supporting Coaching, Player Personnel / Scouting, Player Development, Health & Performance, and Salary Cap Management through research, model development, and analytical support.

Responsibilities

• Own basketball research initiatives end-to-end: translate ambiguous questions from basketball staff into defined research designs, models, and clear recommendations.
• Build, validate, deploy, and monitor models that evaluate players, teams, lineups, tactics, and roster and strategy decisions, including feature development and ongoing performance review.
• Work across large and complex basketball datasets—optical tracking and spatiotemporal data, play-by-play and event data, lineup and personnel data, and scouting inputs—using statistical modeling, machine learning, and exploratory analysis.
• Support the Director, Basketball Analytics on projects spanning on-court strategy, player acquisition, injury monitoring, and player development.
• Deliver recurring in-season reporting for coaching and front office use.
• Collaborate with front office, strategy, coaching, scouting, player development, G League, and health & performance staff to align analysis with live basketball decisions.
• Communicate findings through clear written reports, visualizations, and presentations, applying basketball judgment to state limitations and practical next steps alongside results.
• Build internal tools, dashboards, and repeatable workflows that put analysis directly in the hands of basketball staff.
• Leverage proprietary data and internal context to produce insights that cannot be replicated externally, and evaluate new methods and data sources worth bringing in-house.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Data Science, Economics, or equivalent field, or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience applying statistical modeling and machine learning to large, complex datasets. Experience gained through coursework or personal projects qualifies.
• Proficiency in R or Python.
• Proficiency in SQL, including writing and optimizing queries against large relational databases.
• Demonstrated ability to build, validate, and maintain predictive models.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate technical results to non-technical audiences through writing, visualization, and presentation.
• Experience with Git or similar version control software.
• Strong knowledge of NBA rules, regulations, and standards.
• Willing and able to provide after-hours and weekend support.
• Ability to problem solve and learn new technologies quickly.
• Ability to work independently or collaboratively with a small team.
• Ability to multi-task efficiently to meet aggressive deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a quantitative field.
• Experience working with optical tracking or other spatiotemporal data.
• Experience working with play-by-play and event-level sports data.
• Experience deploying and monitoring models in a production environment.
• Experience building dashboards or internal tools that put analysis in front of non-technical users.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Prior experience in professional or collegiate basketball.

Skills

• Commitment to community and a people-first mindset.
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills.
• Ability to celebrate individuality and value diverse perspectives.
• High integrity and a proactive, solutions-oriented “winning” mindset.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance options.
• 401K with employer contributions.
• Paid parental leave.
• PTO and paid holidays.
• Wellness Program.