It is in basketball where the problems are most likely to be in the game — where the player, in his play, faces choices between maximizing his own perceived self-interest and winning. The choices are sufficiently complex that there is a fair chance he doesn’t fully grasp that he is making them.
Taking a bad shot when you don’t need to is only the most obvious example. A point guard might selfishly give up an open shot for an assist. You can see it happen every night, when he’s racing down court for an open layup, and instead of taking it, he passes it back to a trailing teammate. The teammate usually finishes with some sensational dunk, but the likelihood of scoring nevertheless declined. “The marginal assist is worth more money to the point guard than the marginal point,” Morey says.
I found it hard to get a quote that did this article justice. Do yourself a favor and go read it, even if you don't like basketball or math. But especially if you're like me and enjoy both.
1 comment:
Dad printed this out and took it to Florida for all to read - I wondered where he found it. It really is a good story, and good writing, and it makes you feel like you have a sense of the personality of this player. I agree - it's worth reading. And I don't know much about the technicalities of basketball.
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