Game Theory in the NBA
One of the most popular games outside the realm of Economics and Mathematics (etc.), is the Basketball: a sport that consists of two opposing teams competing two put the basketball in their respective baskets. While this game generally is known for its athletic prowess and detailed skill amongst teams/players, there is also a more numeric/strategic component of the game that is often overshadowed. Personally I’d rather learn how to dunk a basketball than how to optimally strategize my teams skill versus my opponents skill, but considering I can already dunk (not meant to be a brag) I thought I’d give game theory in basketball a chance. The study done by D. Chakrabarti and R. Dutta, displays the game theoretic approach to strategizing for the game of basketball. The article poses the problem as NBA teams and coaching staffs optimizing offensive and defensive strategy, given that there are 30 different teams and 82 games in an NBA season. Each team has different players with different athletic abilities and skill sets, so if you calculate the optimal plays given their efficiency ratings you can find a realistic game plan that optimizes your teams chances of beating your opponent.
The researchers broke down the game of basketball into a way that be applied to game theory principles and concepts. They divided the game up into offensive and defensive strategies, each consisting of moves and zones that players can are represented as varying combinations through matrices. For this particular study, the researchers decided to take data from the 2017-18 NBA season, using the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets as the teams that would be modelled. They used the stats of each teams starting five, and calculated which actions in which zones had the highest payoff (for both offense and defense). They theorized that Nash equilibrium strategies, with noise factored in, is the most optimal strategy to any strategy executed by opponents.
This approach to the game of basketball poses a very different perspective to the sport, one rooted in mental execution as opposed to physical execution. Game theory is a highly effective way of modeling oneself against an opponent, essentially calculating your moves against your opponents to reach the most optimal payoff. Basketball can embody this framework in a more theoretical way as well, beyond matrices and mathematical strategies. In preparation for an opposing team, a basketball team will spend a lot of time scouting their opponent. This is done by watching film on the opponent, reading the opposing coaches playbooks, understanding their tendencies etc. Teams will often spend time practicing how they will play defense and offense against opponents, using players of their own team to act as a “scout team” and run all of the opposing teams offensive and defensive schemes during practice.
Game theory is fundamentally very numerical and tangible, which is shown by the study conducted to optimize payoffs in basketball games. But as a basketball player, the biggest bridge association between game theory and basketball is the theoretical framework that can be applied to the planning and efficiency necessary to win as many games in a competitive season. Rather than applying stats and ratings to matrices and algorithms, applying the conceptual elements of game theory to the sport is much realistic to the nature of the sport. While there is immense strategy to the game, sometimes there is no way to strategize for the outstanding skill and ability of basketball players; especially those in the NBA. In basketball employing scenarios and strategies may be effective when done numerically, however math is no match for LeBron James.