Under the hood
Ratings & Simulation
How four on-chain stats become a full basketball engine — the BBL conversion, physical ratings, composite archetypes, and the team synergy that wins playoff series.
How games are simulated
Your four core stats don't go straight onto the court. The BBL engine first expands them into a deeper set of in-game skills, layers in physical ratings from your position and Sneaker, then simulates each possession to produce a box score. Understanding the expansion is what lets you build a roster that punches above its Overall.
BBL conversion (4 → 10)
Each of the ten in-game skills is a weighted blend of your four core stats (Dunk, Playmaking, Shooting, Defense). This is the exact mapping the engine uses:
| In-game skill | Blended from |
|---|---|
| Inside | 90% Dunk + 10% Shooting |
| Dunks / Layups | 100% Dunk |
| Free Throws | 100% Shooting |
| Mid Range | 100% Shooting |
| Three Pointers | 100% Shooting |
| Offensive IQ | 20% Dunk + 50% Playmaking + 30% Shooting |
| Defensive IQ | 100% Defense |
| Dribbling | 100% Playmaking |
| Passing | 75% Playmaking + 25% Defense |
| Rebounding | 50% Dunk + 50% Defense |
Physical ratings
Height, Strength, Speed, and Endurance aren't on-chain — they come from your Baller's assigned position and build. Position is inferred from your strongest core stat (Playmaking → PG, Shooting → SG, Defense → SF, Dunk → C), and each position has three build styles with different physical baselines. Jumping comes entirely from your equipped Sneaker — see Sneakerz.
Composite tags
From the in-game skills the engine derives eight composite tags— archetypes that describe what a Baller actually does well. A Baller "earns" a tag at a rating of 75 or higher:
| Tag | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Three-Point Shooter | Spacing and outside scoring. |
| Athlete | Strength, height, speed, and hops combined. |
| Ball Handler | Dribbling and speed off the bounce. |
| Interior Defender | Rim protection — size, strength, def IQ. |
| Perimeter Defender | Containing guards — speed and def IQ. |
| Post Scorer | Scoring with size and inside touch. |
| Passer | Creating for others — passing and IQ. |
| Rebounder | Height, rebounding, and motor. |
Team synergy
Synergy is a team-wide bonus determined by how well your five starters' composite tags complement each other — and it recalculates on every substitution. It has three boosts and one penalty:
- Offensive synergy — from shooting, ball-handling, passing, post scoring, and athleticism across your starters.
- Defensive synergy — from interior defense, perimeter defense, and athleticism.
- Rebounding synergy— from your starters' rebounding.
- Perimeter penalty — a team thin on perimeter skill (three-point, dribbling, passing across your PG/SG/SF) gets its offense docked until it has enough perimeter punch.
How the perimeter penalty works
The sim checks the combined perimeter synergy at your guard and wing spots. If your backcourt and small forward can't shoot, handle, or pass enough collectively, your offensive synergy is scaled down. The fix isn't one superstar — it's making sure the players who handle the ball on the perimeter can actually play on the perimeter.
Alpha mechanic
Synergy in the playoffs
In the regular season synergy is a meaningful boost. In the playoffs it's worth about 2.5× as much — between two evenly matched rosters, the better-built, better-balanced team usually takes the series. Build for synergy, not just five high Overalls.