Heating Up

I tuned our scoring this week and went back and forth on a few numbers, so here is where it landed and why. Nothing here is homemade.

The baseline

I built this off the standard platforms. ESPN's default points league rewards made shots and penalizes missed ones, and that is where our shooting values come from. Yahoo and FanDuel both use 3 for steals and 3 for blocks, which is exactly what we use. DraftKings uses double-double and triple-double bonuses, which is where ours came from. If you have played an ESPN or Yahoo points league, this will feel familiar.

The numbers

Points 1. Field goals made +3, attempted -1.5. Threes made +1.5 on top. Free throws made +1.4, attempted -1.2. Rebounds 1, with an extra 0.5 for offensive boards. Assists 1.75. Steals 3, blocks 3. Turnovers -1.5, personal fouls -0.5. Double-double +2, triple-double +4. Bonuses of +5 for 40 points, 50 points, 15 assists, or 20 rebounds.

How close is that to normal?

Very close. At league-average shooting, a two-point attempt is worth 1.20 here and 1.16 in an ESPN league. Rebounds are identical. Steals and blocks match Yahoo and FanDuel exactly. Assists and turnovers sit a touch below ESPN.

The only real difference is that missing shots costs slightly more than on ESPN. You need 30% on twos or 20% on threes to break even, which every rotation player clears without trying. Twos and threes are worth the same per attempt on purpose, so nobody is forced into a three-heavy build.