Ratings

Player ratings use the following list of adjectives, in order from worst to best:

Player Ratings

The following is a list of the categories that players are rated in:

• Jump Shot: A better shooter will make more shots at all distances.
• Jump Range: A player with a higher jump range will find that the effectiveness of his jump shot decreases less with distance.
• Outside Defense: A player with better perimeter defense will be more effective at defending against outside shots and pressuring ball handlers.
• Handling: Allows the player to avoid losing the ball to the opposing defense while dribbling. Important against a pressing defense or, in general, against good perimeter defense. Teams with good handling will have more success at creating quality shot opportunities.
• Driving: Allows the player to create his own shot without a good pass from a teammate. Better driving creates shots more often and creates better shots on average.
• Passing: Helps to create good shots (and get assists). Bad passing can also lead to turnovers.
• Inside Shot: A better inside shooter will make more two-point baskets.
• Inside Defense: A player with better inside defense is better at preventing inside scoring by the opposition.
• Rebounding: A good rebounder will retrieve the ball more often after a missed shot. Notice that height is already considered when a player's rebounding skill is displayed. A player who is 7'2" but has a low rebounding skill simply is very bad at positioning and will not get very many rebounds. He'll learn more quickly though...
• Shot Blocking: Will help to block shots. Not very useful for perimeter players.
• Stamina: A player with high stamina will tire more slowly, and can be effective for longer periods on the court.
• Free Throw: Will help to make free throws. Interior players tend to be fouled more frequently, but this is a useful skill for everybody.

• Game Shape: Players will not always play equally well from week to week. The better they look in practice in a given week, the better they are likely to play in a game.
• DMI and OVR: The overall player index, DMI, and the OVR shown on the player cards (from 50 to 99) give a very rough indication of how good your player is. They are a good way to check that your player is getting training, but are otherwise a lot less meaningful than they first appear. Be warned!
• Best Position: As with the DMI, this is a very rough guideline, and some would even say a meaningless one. You should play your players at the positions that make the most sense to the team, regardless of whether it is his listed position.
• Potential: While all players can improve their skills with training, not all have the ability to become superstars. Potential acts as a soft cap on player skill. When the player's skills reach the maximum their potential will allow, their training will slow down considerably, but will not become zero. Potential is described using the following terms, in order from worst to best:

Match Ratings

Each player that has played at least five minutes in a given match receives a rating, with 1 being the lowest. This rating is based on a combination of your player's stats and his overall contribution to the team effort. Note that this has nothing to do with the player's overall skill; if your worst player overall is the best on the court, he'll have the highest rating!

Your team also receives several ratings per match. These team ratings are used in the calculation of what happens each possession. Here is a synopsis:

• Outside Scoring, Defense: Both guards weighted heavily, small forward medium, power forward slightly.
• Inside Scoring, Defense: Center weighted heavily, power forward somewhat heavily, small forward medium.
• Rebounding: Center and power forward weighted heavily, small forward somewhat heavily, both guards medium.
• Offensive Flow (how well the offense produces assists, avoids turnovers): point guard weighted very heavily, shooting guard weighted medium, small forward weighted medium.

Your team also receives Matchup Ratings for each match. For more information on Matchup Ratings, go to the Game Engine section of the rules.

Enthusiasm Ratings

The following is a list of the enthusiasm ratings that teams can have:

Staff Skill Levels

Each team has a staff Doctor, Trainer, and PR Manager that help them become successful, and can add a Youth Trainer, a Sports Psychologist and a Nutritionist. Every staff type shares the same seven skill levels (in addition to two possible "specialties" for each of the first three). The different skill levels are color coded to reflect the diminishing returns of higher levels, though the colors should not be taken as an accurate quantitative measure of how effective they will be. The seven levels are as follows:

You will never find a "minimal" skill staff member on the staff market: the only ones are those a new club starts with.