I am delighted to announce the publication of our latest scientific article in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, written in collaboration with my co-authors, Benedek Ágost Nagy, Ágoston Nagy, József Gáll and Tamás Sterbenz.
📄 Title:
“Rethinking the Strongest Link: VAL, Ratings, and Team Success in Hungarian Basketball”
🔗 Full text available here: Frontiers – Article link
About the study
The research explores whether Hungarian basketball truly operates as a “strong-link” sport, where outcomes depend on top performers, and how well traditional metrics like VAL capture a player’s real impact on team success. Using detailed data from the 2022/23 NB I/A season, we examined 137 players across three categories: imports, Hungarian-educated, and U23 players.
We analyzed 21 offensive and defensive indicators (including points, shooting percentages, rebounds, assists, turnovers, and advanced ratings like OffRtg, DefRtg, and NetRtg) to understand which measures are most strongly linked to team results.
Key findings
VAL is limited: It does not strongly correlate with team standings, and it reflects offensive contributions more than defensive ones. Ratings matter more: Offensive Rating, Defensive Rating, and especially Net Rating showed strong associations with team success. Group differences: Foreign players had the highest performance values, Hungarians were the most balanced, while youth players showed the widest variability. Trends: Mid-range shots continue to decline, while free throws, close-range, and three-point shooting efficiency remain decisive. Practical insight: Coaches should focus on free-throw accuracy, defensive rebounding (especially for youth), and balanced player development rather than relying solely on MVP-type performances.
Why this matters
The study demonstrates that team balance and efficiency metrics are more reliable indicators of success than individual star-value rankings. This has significant implications for coaches, player development, and roster building in Hungarian basketball and beyond.
This publication is an important milestone in my doctoral research, advancing both the academic study of basketball and the visibility of Hungarian basketball on the international stage.