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Estimating the age-conditioned average treatment effects curves: An application for assessing load-management strategies in the NBA

Nakamura-Sakai, Shinpei, Forastiere, Laura, Macdonald, Brian

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

In the realm of competitive sports, understanding the performance dynamics of athletes, represented by the age curve (showing progression, peak, and decline), is vital. Our research introduces a novel framework for quantifying age-specific treatment effects, enhancing the granularity of performance trajectory analysis. Firstly, we propose a methodology for estimating the age curve using game-level data, diverging from traditional season-level data approaches, and tackling its inherent complexities with a meta-learner framework that leverages advanced machine learning models. This approach uncovers intricate non-linear patterns missed by existing methods. Secondly, our framework enables the identification of causal effects, allowing for a detailed examination of age curves under various conditions. By defining the Age-Conditioned Treatment Effect (ACTE), we facilitate the exploration of causal relationships regarding treatment impacts at specific ages. Finally, applying this methodology to study the effects of rest days on performance metrics, particularly across different ages, offers valuable insights into load management strategies' effectiveness. Our findings underscore the importance of tailored rest periods, highlighting their positive impact on athlete performance and suggesting a reevaluation of current management practices for optimizing athlete performance.


I'd Rather Predict Basketball Games Than Elections: Elastic NBA Rankings

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The Elastic NBA Team Rankings is based on statistical modeling techniques frequently used across various industries to predict bankruptcy, fraud or customer buying behavior. No qualitative data or judgment is used to decide the ranks or the importance of different variables; the only human judgment applied is the underlying framework and features behind the algorithm.