Author

Editorial portrait of Dr. Ana Petrov, Head of Analytics at HoopBrief, photographed in an office with a data visualisation monitor in the background.

Dr. Ana Petrov

Head of Analytics

Ana leads HoopBrief's possession-level math, lineup grading, and matchup-intelligence work. PhD in operations research; six years at a sports-analytics consultancy serving pro clients before joining HoopBrief in 2024.

Articles by Dr.

23 articles on HoopBrief.

Player DevelopmentJune 26, 2026·11 min

NBA Draft 2026 Grades: Coaching-Lens Breakdown of Every Lottery Pick (Day-After Analysis)

The 2026 NBA Draft is in the books. Here's the coaching-lens grade for every lottery pick — what the team needed, whether the prospect fits, and which picks the media is over- and underrating.

ToolsJune 24, 2026·8 min

How Much Does HoopBrief Cost? The Honest 2026 Pricing Breakdown (Starter vs Pro vs Enterprise)

HoopBrief costs $9.99/month for the Starter plan and $999/month for Pro. Here's the honest breakdown of what each tier includes, who each one is for, and how to decide which fits your workflow.

Player DevelopmentJune 22, 2026·12 min

NBA Draft 2026 Final Mock + Coaching-Lens Team Fits: Where Each Lottery Prospect Should Land

The 2026 NBA Draft is days away. Here's the final lottery mock paired with the coaching-lens fit analysis for each top-14 team — what they need, which prospect actually fits, and which fits are media misreads.

AnalyticsJune 20, 2026·12 min

NBA Advanced Stats Explained: TS%, eFG%, PER, BPM, and the 10 Numbers That Actually Decide Games (2026)

Box scores tell you what happened. Advanced stats tell you who's actually winning the math. Here are the 14 numbers — true shooting, eFG%, PER, BPM, net rating, and more — explained in plain English for coaches, bettors, and serious fans.

ToolsJune 18, 2026·11 min

Should You Pay for a Basketball Scouting Subscription? The 2026 ROI Guide for Coaches, Analysts, and Front Office Aspirants

When does a paid scouting subscription return more than it costs? When is it a luxury? Here's the audience-by-audience ROI calculation across HoopBrief, Synergy, Hudl, and Stathead.

AnalyticsJune 17, 2026·11 min

NBA Analytics Without a Stats Degree: 7 Numbers Every Coach, Bettor, and Analyst Should Know in 2026

Modern NBA analytics is intimidating from the outside and surprisingly simple on the inside. Here are the seven numbers that explain 90% of what advanced stats actually measure — in plain English.

ToolsJune 16, 2026·12 min

The Basketball Scouting Software Stack in 2026: 5 Tools Compared by Real Cost and Workflow

Synergy, Hudl, Basketball Reference, FastModel, HoopBrief — different layers of the prep stack, wildly different price points. Here's what each one is actually for, with real 2026 pricing.

Player DevelopmentJune 15, 2026·11 min

NBA Draft 2026 Preview: The Coaching-Lens Prospect Guide (Lottery Through Pick 30)

The 2026 NBA Draft is late June. Here is the coaching-lens framework for evaluating every prospect — what skills translate, what doesn't, and what each lottery team needs.

AnalyticsJune 8, 2026·11 min

Why the Mid-Range Still Matters in Today's NBA (The 2026 Case for the Shot Analytics Hated)

The analytics revolution said the mid-range was dead. SGA, Brunson, Booker, and Tatum just won the league taking it. Here's why the mid-range is back — and which kinds are actually efficient.

Player DevelopmentJune 8, 2026·9 min

How NBA Scouts Evaluate Size, Length, and Athletic Translation

Combine measurements are easy to look up. The translation math — what those numbers mean for NBA projection — is the part scouts spend years learning. Here's the framework.

Player DevelopmentJune 7, 2026·11 min

How Tall Do You Have to Be to Make the NBA? (The Honest Answer, By Position, 2026)

The average NBA player is 6'7". The shortest are 5'9". Here is the honest height-by-position breakdown — and why the outlier guards like Brunson, Curry, and Conley should not be your case study unless you are exactly like them.

ToolsJune 4, 2026·12 min

Hudl vs Synergy vs HoopBrief 2026: Cost, Features, and Which Tool Fits Your Program

Three tools, three completely different value propositions. Here is the head-to-head on cost, features, scouting depth, and the kind of program each one actually fits in 2026.

AnalyticsMay 21, 2026·10 min

Free Synergy Sports Alternatives for High School Coaches

Synergy is built for pro and college budgets. Here are the genuinely useful free and low-cost alternatives that cover the bulk of a high school coach's workflow — by use case, with the actual tools.

AnalyticsMay 20, 2026·9 min

Synergy Sports Pricing in 2026: What It Actually Costs

Synergy Sports doesn't publish pricing. Here is what the platform actually costs in 2026 by tier — high school, college, pro — based on industry conversations and what coaches report paying.

PlayoffsMay 12, 2026·12 min

2026 NBA Finals: The Pre-Game Brief in Three Lenses

By the time the Finals tip, the staffs already know what they're going to do. The series is decided by which staff executes their brief better, faster, and longer. Here's the brief — in three lenses.

AnalyticsMay 10, 2026·8 min

Points Per Possession (PPP) Explained for 2026

PER tells you who played well over a season. PPP tells you what your last 20 possessions are worth in points. For coaches making in-game decisions, PPP is the only number that matters in real time.

PlayoffsMay 7, 2026·11 min

2026 NBA Finals Preview: Matchup Tier List

We ran the four most-likely Finals matchups through possession-level analysis. Here's where the advantage actually sits.

Basketball IQMay 4, 2026·7 min

Coach Trust: Reading Playoff Rotation Decisions

Why does coach pull X? It's never the box score. Here's a rubric to grade rotation decisions in real time.

Player DevelopmentMay 2, 2026·8 min

Why Role Players Earn Playoff Minutes: Trust Curve

Stats don't determine who plays in May. Trust does. Here's a framework — and a player breakdown — for reading the trust curve.

Basketball IQMarch 6, 2026·7 min

Reading Help Defenders: The Off-Ball IQ That Separates Pros

The best scorers in basketball don't read the on-ball defender — they read the help defender. Here's how to see the second defender before he sees you.

AnalyticsFebruary 15, 2026·10 min

Moneyball for Basketball: How Data Is Changing the NBA

Baseball had its analytics revolution 20 years ago. Basketball's is happening now. Here is how front offices, coaching staffs, and players are using data to find edges that the eye test misses.

AnalyticsFebruary 10, 2026·8 min

Why Traditional Scouting Reports Are Not Enough Anymore

Most scouting reports are information dumps that nobody reads. The best organizations are building something different. Here is what separates good scouting from great scouting.

AnalyticsFebruary 5, 2026·9 min

How NBA Front Offices Actually Evaluate Player Value

It is not just about points and rebounds. Here is how the most sophisticated front offices determine what a player is really worth, and why traditional evaluation gets it wrong.