Posted by Midge on 4/28/2026 9:38:00 AM (view original):
The break even point with assist% is actually 64, but ever since the State Farm nonsense was eliminated most people are fine with their assist% being somewhere in the 50s and focusing on fewer turnovers as opposed to more assists.

Posted by Midge on 4/28/2026 9:45:00 AM (view original):
Before the passing was updated, the common belief was that the floor was 50%. The floor was actually 60%. The penalty for being in the 50s was not huge.

If you got down into the 40s the penalty was pretty bad.

Posted by samuelyork93 on 4/28/2026 9:50:00 AM (view original):

Posted by Midge on 4/28/2026 9:45:00 AM (view original):
Before the passing was updated, the common belief was that the floor was 50%. The floor was actually 60%. The penalty for being in the 50s was not huge.

If you got down into the 40s the penalty was pretty bad.

This is why the Ai has this in the knowledge base: Note on cumulative assist%- If you have under 60 cumulative assist% you will have a penalty to team eFG% but if you run uptempo you will see a bump to team eFG% that usually cancels out the minor penalty for being under 60 cumulative assist% (about 5% either direction). However, if the cumulative assist% is under 50%, the penalty becomes too great to overcome with just an up tempo offense.

Posted by copernicus on 4/28/2026 11:02:00 AM (view original):

Posted by samuelyork93 on 4/28/2026 9:50:00 AM (view original):

Posted by Midge on 4/28/2026 9:45:00 AM (view original):
Before the passing was updated, the common belief was that the floor was 50%. The floor was actually 60%. The penalty for being in the 50s was not huge.

If you got down into the 40s the penalty was pretty bad.

This is why the Ai has this in the knowledge base: Note on cumulative assist%- If you have under 60 cumulative assist% you will have a penalty to team eFG% but if you run uptempo you will see a bump to team eFG% that usually cancels out the minor penalty for being under 60 cumulative assist% (about 5% either direction). However, if the cumulative assist% is under 50%, the penalty becomes too great to overcome with just an up tempo offense.

keep in mind that this is the same sim that is slotting in Boban and Pau at SF and ignoring Gafford at 99% who should probably be starting for King's Curse at that position

Midge

AI Review: Evaluating the team Midge (also known as "Crayons & Perfume" in the depth chart) reveals a highly disciplined, offensively explosive roster that is meticulously constructed to avoid engine penalties, though it suffers from glaring defensive and rebounding limitations. Applying the simulation's core mechanics to Midge's statistical profile paints a picture of a team built to win shootouts through efficiency and ball security.

Roster Management and Positional Integrity Unlike teams that bleed value through out-of-position penalties, Midge has flawlessly managed their depth chart. Despite real-life positioning, players like Nikola Jokic and Mark Williams are slotted at Power Forward, while Jimmy Butler plays minutes at Point Guard. Because these players have a 100% positional effectiveness rating at those specific spots, they face zero simulation penalties. Furthermore, Midge's cumulative Usage% of 108.2% sits perfectly within the recommended 100% to 115% sweet spot, meaning players will not suffer individual possession penalties that lower shooting efficiency or increase turnovers. Additionally, their cumulative Assist% of 66.3% comfortably clears the 60% baseline, completely avoiding the engine's team Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) penalty.

The Shooting Struggle Offensively, Midge is an absolute powerhouse. They boast a staggering team eFG% of 59.1%, which is an impressive 1.9% higher than the league average of 57.2%. They pair this elite inside-outside efficiency with 8.4 three-pointers made per game, comfortably outpacing the 7.5 league average. However, winning the shooting struggle requires dominance on both ends of the floor, and defense is Midge's most severe vulnerability. The team's Defensive Rating is a dismal 67.4 (or 68.3 when strictly accounting for programmed minutes), falling a massive 6.0 points below the league average of 73.4. Because lower defensive ratings directly increase an opponent's odds of making baskets, Midge will allow a very high shooting percentage to opposing teams.

The Possession Battle Midge approaches possession management with a drastic trade-off: elite ball security at the expense of rebounding. The team commits just 12.8 turnovers per game, a full 3.0 below the league average. This is a massive advantage, ensuring they rarely give away possessions without a shot attempt. However, they will bleed possessions on the glass. Their 33.0% Offensive Rebound Percentage (OReb%) and 95.0% Defensive Rebound Percentage (DReb%) clear the absolute bare minimums (30% and 90%) needed to remain competitive, but they fall notably short of the 39.2% and 96.7% league averages. Because the engine treats rebounding as a direct probability ratio, Midge will mathematically surrender more second-chance points than they generate.

The Foul Factor Midge plays a highly disciplined style that neutralizes opponent free-throw advantages. They commit just 17.4 personal fouls per game, well below the 19.9 average. By keeping fouls low, they prevent opponents from securing the most mathematically efficient shots in the game and keep their own stars on the floor. They do sacrifice some of their own free-throw opportunities, attempting only 30.4 free throws per game compared to the 33.1 average, but their overall foul discipline remains a net positive.

Conclusion Midge is an offensive juggernaut expertly engineered to avoid every simulation penalty. Their ball security, elite eFG%, and flawless positional strategy give them a phenomenally high floor. However, to be a true championship contender, their porous defense and below-average rebounding mean they will constantly have to rely on outscoring opponents in high-efficiency shootouts.

Letter Grade: B

My Review: So I love Jokic. I really do, he is such an anomaly in real life and in WIS. However, he is a double edged sword in more ways than one. First, you almost HAVE to have a big man next to him who is a good defender because he is such a liability on defense, but you did that with Duncan. The other double edged sword factor is that he is such an anomaly, it is hard to structure your team's offence around him and it does not fall apart when he is off the floor. You either have to over draft assist%, or make sure you have enough assist% from your bench big that your cumulative assist% doesn’t fall off AND still have enough usage on the floor. Lucky for you, I think you managed to thread that needle with Mark Williams. Notes on other players: I love Tim Duncan. I play like a 5’10 version of him in real life, (I am slow and can make a mean bank shot), but I have seen him fall and fall the last few years, but I think he can still contribute to a good team, like this one. Shawn Marion is actually my 2nd favorite player all time. I loved watching him play. Me and my friends always called him “The Horse” because he galloped down the court… but mostly because he kind of had a long face and we were awful middle schoolers XD. I love his low Towels in the sim as well. My biggest concern is if you face an offensive twin tower team. I feel Jokic could be exposed. Overall I personally like this team, but I am afraid it doesn’t blow anything in particular out of the water, except for shooting efficiency which is no small potatoes, so I think it may end up being average to a little above average.



York Score: 82.18

Oddson

AI Review: Evaluating the team Oddson (also referenced as "Bearded Chef" in the provided depth charts) reveals a formidable roster built on an elite defensive foundation and a barrage of three-point shooting. Applying the simulation engine's core mechanics to this profile shows a team that perfectly optimizes several advanced metrics, but is ultimately held back by a severe turnover problem and a minor, yet completely unnecessary, positional penalty.

Roster Management and Positional Integrity Starting with roster management, Oddson has nearly perfected their cumulative usage. At 114.9%, the team sits flawlessly at the upper edge of the 100% to 115% optimal window. This ensures they are not spreading shots too thin or paying for excess salary, while completely avoiding individual possession penalties that hurt efficiency. Additionally, their cumulative Assist% of 72.5% comfortably clears the 60% baseline, safeguarding the team from any engine-driven penalties to their team Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%).

However, the depth chart reveals a sloppy positional error: Tyson Chandler is slated to play 1 minute per game at Small Forward. According to the positional effectiveness charts, Chandler's rating at Small Forward is only 90%. Because the simulation strictly penalizes any player utilized at a position with less than a 96% effectiveness rating by dropping every stat except usage, this single minute is a guaranteed negative stretch that bleeds value across the board.

The Shooting Struggle Despite the minor depth chart error, Oddson is constructed to dominate the shooting struggle. Their eFG% of 57.0% is nominally just a fraction below the 57.2% league average, but this is overwhelmingly compensated by their elite perimeter attack. The team makes a staggering 11.7 three-pointers per game, crushing the 7.5 league average and leading all analyzed teams in this category. Crucially, this offensive firepower is paired with a suffocating defense. The team’s Defensive Rating is an elite 80.3, dwarfing the 73.4 league average. Because the engine treats defensive rating as a direct modifier that lowers an opponent's overall odds of making a basket, Oddson will consistently force opponents into poor shooting nights while winning the math game from behind the arc.

The Possession Battle & Foul Factor The team’s primary weakness lies in managing total possessions. On the positive side, they excel at defensive rebounding. Their 101.2% DReb% easily beats the 96.7% league average, ensuring they limit second-chance points for the opposition. Their offensive rebounding is also stable at 38.7%, just shy of the 39.2% average but clearing the necessary minimums.

However, the team averages a massive 18.5 turnovers per game, which is 2.7 higher than the league average. In a simulation where taking more total shots than your opponent is a fundamental pillar of winning, surrendering this many possessions without a field goal attempt will cost them heavily. Finally, the foul factor is a slight net negative; while they generate a solid 34.0 free throw attempts per game, they commit 21.2 personal fouls (above the 19.9 average), handing opponents too many mathematically efficient scoring opportunities.

Conclusion Oddson is a highly competitive team with a nearly perfect usage distribution and an elite defensive and three-point profile. If they can fix the Tyson Chandler positional error and survive their high turnover rate, they are a top-tier contender in the league.

Letter Grade: B+

My Review: This looks like a team I typically try to build. That could either be good or bad for you considering I might be the most average owner the sim every produced haha. But seriously, like I mentioned in dlsmooth’s review, I love offense coming from the guard positions because that is where teams are, on average, the worst defensively. And with Curry and Harden you have pushed that idea to the extreme. HOWEVER, there are two flaws with that strategy. FIRST, is James Harden. Harden is on my short list of what I like to call “trap” players. You see his usage and his unrealistically functional def, and his functional rebounding for a guard and your like “sold” he is my guy. The problem is drafting him ALONG with another 32.5% usage guard you are kinda stuck with who you can draft next to him. The usage balance gets tricky. This is where I begin to get subjective in my assessment. So your starting 5 has a total cumulative usage of 118.4%. That is dangerous for two reasons. First that means your starters on the whole are going to be taking less shots, meaning Curry, Chandler, and Holmes with their 60+ eFG% will be taking less shots, and you never want 60+ guys to take less shots. Now, that also means Russell is taking less shots which might be a good thing. However, here is the subjective part. So this game is nothing but a series of odds and coin flips right? Well if you have a 50% chance to get heads, the more times you flip the coin, the more likely you are to have heads 50% of the time. That’s just statistics. Wouldn’t the same be said if you take shots away from your efficiency scorers? Does that not mean they are less likely to hit their eFG%s? I am not sure but I think it absolutely makes sense that it would add volatility to your shooting percentages. Also, Russell. Let’s talk about Russell. I love Russell, and so does the Dork score. HOWEVER, between the massive amounts of threes you are taking AND Russell your FG% is going to be pretty low even if your eFG% is ok. This matters because the more shots you miss, no matter how efficient the shot, the more important it is that you have elite offensive rebounding and your team as a whole is slightly below average there which is a major red flag for me. I like this team and my heart and brain tells me it should be really good, but something in my gut (probably Russell) is giving me a bad feeling it won’t.

York Score: 84.71

Posted by samuelyork93 on 4/28/2026 12:16:00 PM (view original):

Posted by copernicus on 4/28/2026 11:02:00 AM (view original):

Posted by samuelyork93 on 4/28/2026 9:50:00 AM (view original):

Posted by Midge on 4/28/2026 9:45:00 AM (view original):
Before the passing was updated, the common belief was that the floor was 50%. The floor was actually 60%. The penalty for being in the 50s was not huge.

If you got down into the 40s the penalty was pretty bad.

This is why the Ai has this in the knowledge base: Note on cumulative assist%- If you have under 60 cumulative assist% you will have a penalty to team eFG% but if you run uptempo you will see a bump to team eFG% that usually cancels out the minor penalty for being under 60 cumulative assist% (about 5% either direction). However, if the cumulative assist% is under 50%, the penalty becomes too great to overcome with just an up tempo offense.

keep in mind that this is the same sim that is slotting in Boban and Pau at SF and ignoring Gafford at 99% who should probably be starting for King's Curse at that position

I pull depth charts from the sim matchup, so the AI didn't assign him there, that was were he was assigned as of yesterday morning BUT I have a feeling that was WIS' auto settings.

Uptowngbv

AI Review: Evaluating uptowngbv (also known as "The Laughing Storm") reveals a team that heavily exploits the simulation's positional flexibility to build an absolute rebounding juggernaut. By applying the core mechanics of the engine to their statistical profile, this roster looks meticulously built to relentlessly control possession, though it carries distinct vulnerabilities in perimeter shooting and overall defensive resistance.

Roster Management and Positional Integrity This team’s depth chart is a masterclass in stretching the simulation's positional rules to gain massive size advantages without breaking the engine. Most notably, big man Christian Wood is slated for 25 minutes at Shooting Guard. Because Wood has a 99% Positional Effectiveness rating at SG, he faces only a "marginal penalty," which safely clears the strict 96% cutoff where the engine makes a player completely nonplayable. Furthermore, Jayson Tatum logs heavy minutes at Point Guard (where he is 100% effective), allowing the team to field a massive lineup across the board.

Statistically, the team's cumulative Usage% is 109.1%, sitting comfortably in the 100% to 115% optimal window to avoid possession and efficiency penalties. Their cumulative Assist% is a robust 74.1%, well above the 60% minimum threshold, completely avoiding any team penalties to their Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%).

The Possession Battle This is where uptowngbv absolutely shines. The team boasts a monstrous 109.0% Defensive Rebound Percentage (DReb%), obliterating the 96.7% league average and the 90% competitive baseline. Because the simulation treats rebounding as a strict probability ratio between the two teams on the floor, this overwhelming DReb% ensures that opponents will surrender almost all of their misses and get virtually zero second-chance opportunities. Their Offensive Rebound Percentage (OReb%) is also stable at 38.2%, easily clearing the required 30% baseline. They also take average care of the ball, turning it over 15.9 times per game, right in line with the 15.8 average. Through pure rebounding dominance, this team will mathematically win the possession battle on most nights.

The Shooting Struggle While they will easily secure more total possessions, what they do with those shots is slightly less impressive. The team's eFG% is 57.0%, which is fractionally below the 57.2% league average. More concerning is their lack of outside shooting; they average only 6.6 made three-pointers per game, nearly a full three-pointer behind the 7.5 average. The engine explicitly notes that if a team lacks perimeter shooting, a savvy opponent can manually set their defense to abandon the perimeter and collapse the paint, threatening to stifle uptowngbv's interior scorers like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Emeka Okafor.

Additionally, their Team Defensive Rating is a mediocre 71.6, which falls below the 73.4 league average. Because the engine directly uses defensive rating to lower an opponent's odds of making a shot, uptowngbv will be relatively soft at contesting opponent field goals compared to elite defenses.

The Foul Factor The team recovers significant value at the free-throw line. They attempt a stellar 34.3 free throws per game (above the 33.1 average) while committing 19.8 personal fouls (slightly below the 19.9 average). This net positive foul differential means they will successfully protect their own stars from foul trouble while earning highly efficient points at the line and neutralizing opponents.

Conclusion Overall, uptowngbv is a formidable, oversized team designed to bully opponents on the glass and out-math them via total shot attempts. Their brilliant manipulation of positional effectiveness gives them an incredibly high floor. However, a below-average defensive rating and a glaring lack of three-point shooting leave them highly vulnerable to manual defensive adjustments and high-powered perimeter teams.

Letter Grade: B+

My Review: Building around Giannis poses a similar problem that building around Jokic provides, I mentioned with Midge’s team that you either have to over draft assist%, or make sure you have enough assist% from your bench players that your cumulative assist% doesn’t fall off AND still have enough usage on the floor. Unlike midge, it seems you went with the former and not the latter with drafting Stockton. The problem is, you need to over draft assist% during the minutes Giannis is not on the floor but it appears Stockton is starting and not coming off the bench. Your bench might actually be the downfall of this team. Say if you have Tatum, Wood, Ceballos, Sanders, and Bynum all on the floor together, which will happen often if your depth chart is what I think it is, your combined team assist% is only 42.4. Which will hurt your overall shooting a lot. Also, you will have times where your line up will be well over 115% and see my review of oddson to see why I think that could be a problem, especially with Giannis. Another note, and this might just be, but I’ve noticed SFs as a whole seem to under perform offensively if they are the primary engine. It might just be me, but I avoid having most of my offense come from the SF spot personally. That being said, this teams total rebounding is amazing and just imagine if you had a better rebounder than Stockton on this team too? Holy cow. This team might just stay in games by winning the possession battle. If this team had just it’s starting 5 playing all 48 minutes this would be a playoff team, but with its current construction I predict it might struggle.