Poké Poké Hoops Scouting Department
Scouting Guide
What makes a Pokémon good at each position. Every stat stands for a real NBA measure, and every position is graded against the best real players who played it.
The exact ratings stay secret, because scouting players by eye is half the fun. This tells you what to look for.
Poké Hoops · Scouting Guide
What each position looks for
| Position | HP | ATK | DEF | SP. ATK | SP. DEF | SPEED | HEIGHT | WEIGHT | Type bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PG Point Guard Runs the offense: creates shots, sets up teammates and hits threes. | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★smaller | ★★★lighter | psychicdragonelectricnormal |
SG Shooting Guard Scores off the ball and spaces the floor with shooting. | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★smaller | ★★★medium | electricflyingdarkghost |
SF Small Forward The two-way wing: scores, defends the other team's best wing, does a bit of everything. | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★medium | ★★★medium | fightingwaterdarkbug |
PF Power Forward Size and strength next to the center. Defends, rebounds and finishes. | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★bigger | ★★★heavier | fightinggrounddragondark |
C Center Anchors the paint: protects the rim, defends the post, controls the glass. | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★bigger | ★★★heavier | steelrockgroundfighting |
Bench spots use the same chart: a bench guard is graded as the better of PG and SG, a bench forward as the better of SF and PF, and the bench center as a C. For height and weight, the word under the stars is the direction that position wants.
How a team is graded
- Every Pokémon gets a fit rating (0–100) at its spot, from the chart above.
- The Team Score (out of 1,000) averages the fits. Starters count almost twice as much as the bench.
- Weak spots count extra. Your two worst starters drag the score down harder than a star lifts it, so don't leave a hole in the starting five.
- Chemistry adds a little on top: a rim protector, shooters spread through the starting five, a real floor general, size up front, speed on the break and a deep bench. No rim protection, one shooter or a thin bench costs you.
- Up to 2 Legendaries per team. They follow the same rules as everyone else.
The season and the playoffs
- Your Team Score sets your odds in all 82 games. A great draft in the 900s has a real shot at 82–0.
- 42 wins makes the playoffs: four best-of-7 rounds, and upsets happen more than in the regular season.
- The season ends with a box score of your team's averages, from points and rebounds to threes and blocks.
Free Play and the Daily
- Free Play: new spins every run, from all nine regions or Retro (Gen 1–4). Retro has its own score scale.
- Daily: the same spins for everyone, new at midnight ET. Your first finished run counts; after that it's practice.
- Difficulty: Easy shows stats and each Pokémon's NBA comp, Medium shows stats only, Hard shows just the sprite, name, type and Pokédex number. Scoring is the same at every level.
The stats are real NBA numbers
| Pokémon stat | On the court | Measured by |
|---|---|---|
| HP | Workload | Minutes per game and share of games played |
| Attack | Offensive impact | DARKO offensive rating (O-DPM) |
| Defense | Defensive impact | DARKO defensive rating (D-DPM) |
| Sp. Atk | Shooting | Three-point attempts per 36 minutes and three-point accuracy |
| Sp. Def | Disruption | Steals, blocks, deflections, contested shots and rim protection |
| Speed | Speed | Player-tracking speed on offense, plus draft combine agility and sprint times |
| Height, Weight | Size | Listed height and weight |
Height and weight
Size counts both ways. Point guards run small, centers run huge, wings sit in between. Too big for a spot hurts as much as too small: Wailord won't run point.
Types
Some types get a small bonus at certain spots, listed in the chart with the biggest first. A Pokémon with two listed types takes the bigger one. It can settle a close call, but it won't save a bad fit.
Quick answers
Should my center have high Defense or high Sp. Def?
Both. Along with size, they're a center's key stats.
Does Speed matter for bigs?
Barely. It counts for guards, and a little for wings.
Can a Legendary play anywhere?
No. Size still counts, so a giant Legendary grades well at center and badly at point guard.
Why can't I see each Pokémon's exact rating?
That's the challenge: you scout by eye. Fits show on the court after your tenth pick.