Assist-network entropy and directional flow as predictors of team performance in Spain’s ACB league (2019–2025)

Abstract

Team sports exemplify complex adaptive systems in which coordinated behavior emerges from interactions among multiple decision-making agents. This study applies information-theoretic and network science methods to characterize one specific layer of assist-based offensive organization in professional basketball using six seasons of Spanish Liga ACB play-by-play data (2019–2025). Assisted scoring interactions were modeled as directed weighted assist networks, from which we derived two descriptors: (i) entropy, quantifying the diversity of assist-linked offensive interactions, and (ii) efficiency flux, representing the directional flow of these interactions relative to player finishing efficiency. Because the official ACB play-by-play does not reconstruct complete pass sequences within each possession, the resulting networks represent assist-linked finishing interactions rather than full possession-wide ball circulation. Analyses at match, team, and team–season levels examined temporal stability, descriptive assist-network profiles, and associations with competitive performance. Entropy emerged as a stable structural descriptor of assist-network organization and was strongly associated with winning percentage, offensive rating, and effective field-goal percentage. Flux displayed substantial temporal variability and limited predictive value at the season scale. The joint entropy–flux space identified four recurrent descriptive profiles, with collective–effective teams consistently achieving superior outcomes. Additional structural metrics indicated that local interconnectedness (clustering) complements assist-network diversity, whereas out-strength centralization contributed minimally. Overall, the findings show that entropy provides a functionally relevant axis for describing assist-network diversity and places assist networks within a broader family of complexity-based models for understanding coordinated team performance.