University of Fantasy Ball

The inaugural fantasy season has been a grind. After 19 regular weeks, 8 teams competed for the championship. Overlooked and considered unfavorable, Gamma Squad rose to a new level, upsetting every team in their way. In the first round, they defeated the #2 seed, Spike Lee’s Diary, with a score of 5-4, and then beat the 6th seed, Girth God, in a similar fashion in the semifinals. In the finals, the only obstacle remaining was Speedsters, whom they defeated handily, emerging victorious with a 6-3 score. Congratulations to the inaugural champion, Gamma Squad!

As seen in the win percentage plot above, seven teams either decided to tank or had bad fortunes, resulting in win percentages well below the league average. The other thirteen teams fiercely competed for the final eight playoff spots. Congratulations to the two conference winners, Killa (Sub Zero) and Knickstape (Spike Lee’s), for taking home first and second place respectively and being the only teams with a matchup win rate higher than 60%. One has to wonder if the many upsets we saw throughout the playoffs were significantly influenced by rest.

Quickly reviewing Gamma Squad regular season performance against league average across 9 categories we see:

• Weeks Won: 17 out of 21.
• Field Goal Percentage (FG%): Generally above league average, ranging from +0.004 to +0.05.
• Free Throw Percentage (FT%): Varied, with some weeks above and others below league average, ranging from -0.065 to +0.059.
• 3-Pointers Made (3PTM): Generally above league average, ranging from +2.2 to +36.2.
• Points (PTS): Mostly above league average, ranging from +17.9 to +326.4.
• Rebounds (REB): Mostly above league average, ranging from +5.2 to +219.4.
• Assists (AST): Mostly above league average, ranging from +8.1 to +98.7.
• Steals (ST): Varied, with some weeks above and others below league average, ranging from -12.7 to +33.2.
• Blocks (BLK): Varied, with some weeks above and others below league average, ranging from -6.9 to +12.7.
• Turnovers (TO): Varied, with some weeks above and others below league average, ranging from -8.1 to +20.1.

Gamma Squad consistently performed well across various statistics compared to the league average, securing victories in the majority of the weeks and demonstrating strong performance in scoring, rebounding, and assists.

Comparing Gamma Squad to Speedsters over the course of the full season:

• Weeks Won: Gamma Squad won 11 out of 22 weeks, while Speedsters won 11 out of 22 weeks as well.
• Field Goal Percentage (FG%): Gamma Squad had a slightly higher average FG% across the weeks compared to Speedsters, with a range of +0.002 to +0.079 for Gamma Squad and +0.008 to +0.082 for Speedsters.
• Free Throw Percentage (FT%): The FT% for Gamma Squad fluctuated more widely than Speedsters, with some weeks above and others below the league average. Speedsters generally had a more consistent FT%.
• 3-Pointers Made (3PTM): Gamma Squad made more 3-pointers than Speedsters in some weeks, but Speedsters had higher 3PTM in others. Overall, their performance in 3PTM varied.
• Points (PTS): Gamma Squad scored more points in some weeks compared to Speedsters, but Speedsters had higher points in other weeks. The difference in total points varied across weeks.
• Rebounds (REB): Gamma Squad generally had higher rebounds than Speedsters, showcasing better performance in this category.
• Assists (AST): Speedsters had higher assists in some weeks compared to Gamma Squad, while Gamma Squad outperformed in others. The difference in assists varied across weeks.
• Steals (ST): The number of steals fluctuated for both teams, with Speedsters having more steals in some weeks and Gamma Squad in others.
• Blocks (BLK): Gamma Squad generally had more blocks than Speedsters, showing stronger defensive performance in this category.
• Turnovers (TO): The turnover numbers varied, with both teams having weeks with higher turnovers than the other.

Overall, Gamma Squad and Speedsters had comparable performances across different statistical categories, with each team having strengths in certain areas and weaknesses in others. Gamma Squad won the categories they dominated against Speedsters throughout the regular season: FG%, PTS, and REB. They also benefited from favorable outcomes in both 3PTM and TO, although the momentum for turnovers was strongly in Gamma Squad’s favor. Gamma Squad left Speedsters with no room for “what ifs,” even running away with the steals category, which they had dominated throughout the season.

To summarize the improvements in Gamma Squad’s performance from the fantasy regular season to the fantasy playoffs:

1. Kyrie Irving (DAL PG/SG) stats profile was about the same but managed to jump from the 48th ranked player to the 5th ranked player.
2. Jalen Green (HOU PG/SG) demonstrated remarkable improvement in multiple aspects of his game. His points per game rose from 18.4 to 29.8, with notable increases in three-point shooting percentage (3%) from 31.4% to 44.4%.
3. Michael Porter Jr. (DEN SF/PF) improved his scoring efficiency, with his field goal percentage (fg%) increasing from 48.4% to 54.9% and his free throw percentage (ft%) from 81.3% to 86.4%.
4. Grayson Allen (PHO SG/SF) enhanced his scoring output, with his points per game rising from 13.0 to 16.1. He also improved his three-point shooting percentage (3%) from 47.4% to 47.1%.
5. Pascal Siakam (IND PF/C) improved his scoring and rebounding, with his points per game increasing from 21.6 to 23.5 and his rebounds per game (r/g) increasing from 6.6 to 10.2.
6. Rui Hachimura (LAL SF/PF) demonstrated improved scoring efficiency, with his field goal percentage (fg%) rising from 51.7% to 62.6%. He also improved his three-point shooting percentage (3%) from 41.2% to 46.9%.
7. Caris LeVert (CLE SG/SF) showcased better scoring distribution, with his assists per game (a/g) increasing from 1.0 to 7.7.
8. De’Andre Hunter (ATL SF/PF) demonstrated improved scoring efficiency, with his field goal percentage (fg%) rising from 47.6% to 44.2%.

Overall, Gamma Squad saw notable improvements in scoring efficiency, three-point shooting, and free throw shooting, which contributed to their enhanced performance during the playoffs. Giannis having a relatively light playoff schedule helped keep turnovers manageable. Jalen Green’s hot streak coincided with Sengun’s season-ending injury. Hats off to the champ!

Jalen Green wins the 2024 NBDL Finals MVP