The Washington Wizards announced a partnership with neurotechnology company SyncThink on Tuesday. The team’s medical staff will use SyncThink’s eye-tracking analytics platform to monitor the fatigue of Wizards players throughout the season. The system will also be used with the roster of the Wizards’ G-League affiliate team and for future assessment of draft-eligible prospects.

Players who are feeling fatigued may be more likely to perform worse both on the court and on SyncThink’s eye-tracking evaluation. They may also be at higher risk of injury. Using SyncThink’s eye-tracking platform, the Wizards can conduct tests to understand whether factors such as accumulation of travel, optimization of sleep schedules, and adjustments to training plans can translate to a decreased rate of injuries and better on-court performance.

“We are excited to partner with SyncThink, and eager to incorporate the EYE-SYNC technology as additional objective measures into how we assess high performance and monitor fatigue as part of our comprehensive player management system,” said Steve Smith, Senior Director of Health, Wellness, and Performance for the Washington Wizards, in a press release.

SyncThink’s eye-tracking analytics can also be used to provide doctors with additional metrics on players diagnosed with concussion. SyncThink’s Eye-Sync platform integrates a Samsung virtual reality headset that can record data with a cloud-based software application to process the information gathered. While a user wears the VR goggles, Eye-Sync can run through a series of tests that track eye movement. In January, SyncThink revealed its platform will also be compatible with Magic Leap VR headsets through a new partnership.

“We are really excited about this collaboration with the Wizards,” said SyncThink CCO Scott Anderson, in the press release. “They have a very clear plan about how they will implement the EYE-SYNC technology, and how it can improve performance across the organizations. While we are already identifying some interesting datasets in the NBA, we are hopeful about uncovering, even more, working with both staffs. With three pro teams on the platform we are seeing a clear trend in basketball to use proactive monitoring of fatigue and readiness to optimize performance and minimize injury.”

SportTechie Takeaway

The Wizards become the third NBA team to partner with SyncThink, joining the Atlanta Hawks and the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors are using the platform to help detect concussion symptoms and to track fatigue among players.