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Basketball strategy, statistics and simulation

Five players share one ball, so a basketball roster is a set of trade-offs: shot creation against spacing, size against speed, a star against depth. These guides are about those trade-offs — what each position is asked to do, what the efficiency statistics actually measure, and how draft order and salary rules decide who ends up on a team.

They sit alongside two of our apps that look at the sport from opposite ends. Pro Basketball GM Franchise puts you in the front office, drafting a roster and then managing rotations, contracts and trades across an 82-game season. Basketball Career Sim follows one player you create, from youth basketball through recruiting and college to the draft and the pro years. Every guide is written to be useful without either app.

Our basketball apps

Pro Basketball GM Franchise asks whether you can build a team: a draft board, a rotation, contracts and trades, judged by what the roster does over a season. Basketball Career Sim asks whether one player can build a career: you choose the position and build, then step in on key possessions through Live Sim while coach trust, chemistry and reputation respond. If you like evaluating and assembling players, start with the GM game; if you would rather be the player, start with the career sim.

Where to start

  • Learn what the numbers measure

    Start with positions and the efficiency statistics. Effective field-goal percentage and true shooting percentage adjust for the extra point a three is worth, and true shooting also counts free throws — which is why they can rank two shooters differently from plain field-goal percentage. The true shooting percentage calculator lets you check any box-score line.

  • Then think in rosters, not players

    A balanced roster covers ball-handling, shooting, rim protection and rebounding across the rotation. The roster-building, free-agency and salary-cap guides explain why five high ratings do not automatically make a good team.

  • Pick the mode that matches your question

    If you want to assemble and manage a team, read the draft and GM guides. If you want to live one career, read the guides to recruiting, body measurements and playing time.

Start here

Rules and how the sport works

Statistics and what they measure

Strategy, tactics and team-building

Getting more from the simulators

Guides for any sport

These use our basketball apps as the example, but the ideas apply to every sport. More are collected on the sports index.

Calculators

Good to know

Basketball: common questions

What is the difference between Pro Basketball GM Franchise and Basketball Career Sim?
Pro Basketball GM Franchise is a draft and general-manager game: you build a roster from a draft board, then manage rotations, contracts and trades across an 82-game season and the playoff race. Basketball Career Sim is a career simulator: you create one player and guide them through youth basketball, high school, recruiting and college, the draft and the pro years.
Which basketball statistics best describe shooting?
Field-goal percentage treats every made shot the same. Effective field-goal percentage counts a made three as one and a half field goals, and true shooting percentage also folds in free throws by weighting each free-throw attempt at 0.44 of a shot. Our true shooting percentage calculator computes all three from one line.
How long is a season in Pro Basketball GM Franchise?
The season runs to 82 games after the draft, followed by the race for a playoff place. You follow the results and handle rotations, contracts and trades along the way.
Where should a newcomer to these guides start?
With the guide to basketball positions and the basketball draft simulator guide, then the advanced statistics explainer. The articles link to one another, so you can follow whichever question comes up next.
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