the Game
Five of six moves point toward the real league
Over 5,375 new games, HoopSim kept closing in on the real league's pace, scoring, rebounding and assists. The one move going the other way is turnovers, and it is small.
Another milestone week: the real league has reached opening week, and that gives us a clean look at where HoopSim stands. The Engine Lab has now measured 30,656 regular-season games across 224 HoopSim leagues against the 2025-26 real-league numbers.
Most of the column is about what moved since last time, and where the gaps still are. Every gap here is a question the Lab is working on, not a flaw in the game.
within striking distance
dead on target
Five of six moves lean real-league-ward
Since Vol. 17, the league has played 5,375 new games. Pace fell from 103.8 to 102.3, moving toward the real league's 99.4. Points per game dipped from 116.4 to 114.9, closer to the real league's 115.6.
- ▼Blocks5.1 → 5.0real-league 4.8
- ▼Pace103.8 → 102.3real-league 99.4
- ▼Rebounds44.8 → 44.2real-league 43.8
- ▼Points / game116.4 → 114.9real-league 115.6
- ▼Assists27.3 → 27.0real-league 26.7
- ▼Turnovers14.0 → 13.9real-league 14.5
Rebounds slid from 44.8 to 44.2 (real-league 43.8), blocks from 5.1 to 5.0 (real-league 4.8), and assists from 27.3 to 27.0 (real-league 26.7). Turnovers moved from 14.0 to 13.9, which is away from the real league's 14.5, and it is the one move we are watching closely.
“Five of six moves lean toward the real league, and the one that doesn't is small enough to watch closely.”
Three-point share has settled
Three-point share of field-goal attempts is the number we follow most closely. It rose across Vol. 13 to Vol. 14, then held steady through Vol. 16. Since then it has moved only slightly, and the latest column sits at 40.5%, against the real league's 41.5%.
Two columns of near-identical readings suggest the mix has found its level for now. We will keep watching it to see whether that holds.
Whistle is close to the real league
Fouls per game came in at 19.2 for HoopSim against 19.9 in the real league, and free-throw rate at 19.0% against 20.7%. Both are on target, and both sit a little below the league.
Players fouling out of games is also on target, at 0.05 per game against the real league's 0.08. Players reaching five fouls run a little higher, at 0.67 per game against 0.55. We are now asking whether that tracks how physical games get.
Shots are coming closer to the rim
Rim and paint account for 46.2% of field-goal attempts, against the real league's 44.0%. Mid-range makes up 13.2%, against the real league's 14.4%. That is nearly half of all shots taken at the basket, and the shift away from mid-range is steady.
When shots are taken, inside shots convert at 57.1%, jumpers at 43.8%, and threes at 36.2%. The three-point share is the one number from this section we follow in the history.
Twenty-one of twenty-two on target
Of 22 checks, 21 are on target and 1 is close. None are in the Lab. The one close check is offensive efficiency, at 111.9 against the real league's 115.8.
That single close item is the one we are working on next. Everything else is already where we want it.
Thanks for reading along, and here's to a long season of good numbers.
— Dr. P