Rested or Rusty? (2023)

Undergraduates: Evan Abolins, Heidi Sipes, Matthew Rostar, Elizabeth Sowards

Faculty Advisor: Jonathan Jensen
Department: Exercise & Sport Science

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In this research project, we focused on determining the impact that a condensed NBA playing schedule has on a team’s athletic performance. A lack of rest days between games has been a major concern for the health and safety of NBA players. Prior studies have found that condensed NBA schedules with limited rest days will negatively impact athletic performance due to player fatigue. Our data was collected from the past five full NBA seasons and reflected the number of rest days prior to each game, as well as the result of the game. Our dependent variable was the team's overall win percentage. We utilized a hierarchical regression model to determine if the number of rest days prior to a game had an impact on performance. We controlled for opponent quality and location (home/away) using Adjusted Efficiency Differential measures for each rest scenario. Contrary to our hypothesis, results suggested that opponent quality and location have a greater impact on performance than the number of rest days prior to a game and an increased number of rest days was not directly correlated with enhanced performance. Interestingly, having one day of rest prior to a game had the greatest positive impact on a team’s winning percentage.

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