Zach Lowe

Zach Lowe appears in Planet Money vs. the NBA’s tanking problem as the episode’s main NBA expert. He explains [[SportsTanking|tanking]] as a response to draft incentives and walks the hosts through the NBA’s reverse-order draft, lottery changes, and reform proposals.

Lowe’s most important contribution is the basketball-specific point that one superstar can transform a team. That makes Sports Draft Incentive Design especially hard in the [[NationalBasketballAssociation|NBA]] because the payoff from a top pick can be large enough to keep intentional losing attractive even after lottery odds are flattened.

Connections

• National Basketball Association - league context for his analysis.
• Sports Tanking, Draft Lottery Tradeoff, Draft Wheel, and Sports Competitive Balance - mechanisms he helps explain.
• Planet Money - show using his expertise for the episode.