The Craft of Prediction

Calling a player's next line is a skill, not a guess. Variance, regression to the mean, recency bias, matchup context — these are the habits of mind that turn watching into reading. Build them, then prove you can read the game.

The concepts & the method

Why Sports Predictions Are Hard (And Why It's Not Your Fault) Why sports predictions are hard has less to do with what you know and more to do with how the game fools you. Small samples, regression, and recency bias explained. Read more → Regression to the Mean: Why NBA Breakout Seasons Don't Last Regression to the mean in NBA means last night's career game doesn't predict tomorrow. Here's how this stat concept should change your predictions. Read more → Recency Bias in Sports Is Ruining Your Predictions Recency bias fools sports fans into bad predictions every week. Here's what it actually is, why it's so hard to avoid, and how to fix it. Read more → Why NHL Predictions Hit Different Than NBA Hockey predictions feel random even when you're right. Here's why the sport fights you at every step — and what that means for anyone trying to call it. Read more → Why MLB Player Props Are Harder to Predict Than NBA MLB player props are harder to predict than NBA ones because of daily pitching changes, park factors, and limited sample sizes per matchup. Find out what sets baseball apart. Read more → How to Predict Player Stats Before Any NBA Game Starts Learn how to predict player stats before any NBA game using matchups, usage rates, and rest patterns. No algorithms needed. Read more → How to Get Better at Sports Predictions: The Skills That Actually Matter How to get better at sports predictions. The tactical skills that separate informed fans from casual ones — pace context, minute distribution, matchup data, and shot selection quality. Read more →

Matchup breakdowns