Built to Succeed: An Econometric Study of NBA Roster Composition and Playoff Success

NBA general managers are responsible for all aspects of roster management and seek to acquire players with complementary skills. Ayer (2012) examines elements of roster composition, including player types and the impact of the composition of a team’s top two and three players on winning games. I exp...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kennedy, Nicholas B.
Format: Others
Published: Scholarship @ Claremont 2014
Subjects:
NBA
Online Access:http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/918
http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1920&context=cmc_theses
Description
Summary:NBA general managers are responsible for all aspects of roster management and seek to acquire players with complementary skills. Ayer (2012) examines elements of roster composition, including player types and the impact of the composition of a team’s top two and three players on winning games. I expand the literature on roster composition by redefining player types and examining the impact of star and role player combinations on playoff success. Contrary to popular belief, I find that general managers should avoid superstar point guards, as teams featuring this player type tend to underperform in the playoffs. The results of this study suggest that teams should seek to acquire, among other player types, two elite wings, one defensive-specialist, and one three-point specialist, all found on a total of five championship teams from 1994 to 2013.