True shooting percentage
True shooting percentage (TS%) is an advanced basketball statistic that measures a player's or team's scoring efficiency by accounting for all points produced from field goals, three-point shots, and free throws relative to the opportunities used to generate those points.[1] It provides a single, comprehensive metric that adjusts for the different values and attempt costs of various shot types, offering a more holistic view of offensive production than simpler percentages.[2] The formula for calculating TS% is PTS / (2 × TSA), where PTS represents total points scored and TSA (true shooting attempts) is defined as FGA + 0.44 × FTA; FGA stands for field goal attempts and FTA for free throw attempts.[1] This structure effectively normalizes scoring attempts by treating two-point field goal attempts as costing one full possession, while scaling free throw attempts by 0.44 to approximate their partial possession value, such as in cases of and-ones or multiple free throws per possession.[2][3] The result is expressed as a percentage, allowing direct comparisons across players and eras. TS% is particularly valuable because it addresses limitations in traditional metrics like field goal percentage (FG%), which ignores the extra point value of three-pointers, and effective field goal percentage (eFG%), which adjusts for threes but excludes free throws.[2] By incorporating free throws—often shot at higher success rates than field goals—TS% better reflects overall shooting proficiency, especially for players who draw fouls or rely on perimeter shooting.[4] In modern NBA analysis, it serves as a key indicator of offensive efficiency, helping scouts, coaches, and fantasy managers identify undervalued performers who maximize points per opportunity.[5] Historically part of the rise in basketball analytics during the early 2000s, TS% has become a staple in evaluating player development and team strategies, with league-wide averages typically ranging from 57% to 58% in recent seasons as three-point shooting and pace have evolved. Elite scorers like Stephen Curry have posted TS% above 65% in peak seasons, underscoring its role in highlighting sustainable high-efficiency play.[2]Definition and Calculation
Formula
The true shooting percentage (TS%) is calculated using the formula: \text{TS\%} = \frac{\text{PTS}}{2 \times (\text{FGA} + 0.44 \times \text{FTA})} where PTS represents the total points scored by a player or team, FGA denotes field goal attempts, and FTA indicates free throw attempts.[1] This formula provides a comprehensive measure of scoring efficiency by incorporating all scoring methods—field goals worth 2 or 3 points and free throws worth 1 point each—into a single percentage that normalizes for the varying point values and attempt structures. The 0.44 multiplier applied to FTA accounts for the average contribution of free throw attempts to possession-ending shots, derived empirically from play-by-play data across NBA seasons from 2002–03 to 2005–06, where approximately 43.8% of free throws terminated a possession.[6] This adjustment reflects typical foul scenarios, such as two-shot fouls (yielding about 2 FTA per possession), and-1 opportunities (1 FTA after a made field goal), or single technical free throws, ensuring that free throws are weighted relative to field goal attempts in terms of possession usage rather than treating each free throw as a full equivalent to a field goal attempt. To derive the formula step by step from basic scoring components:- Total points scored (PTS) aggregate all contributions: 2 points per made two-point field goal, 3 points per made three-point field goal, and 1 point per made free throw.
- Field goal attempts (FGA) each represent a full possession-ending opportunity, typically normalized by multiplying by 2 in the denominator to scale the metric comparably to traditional field goal percentage (which ignores free throws and three-point value), yielding a baseline of PTS / (2 × FGA) for field goals alone.
- Free throw attempts (FTA) must be adjusted because they often occur in multiples per possession and do not always end possessions (e.g., due to offensive rebounds on misses). The empirical factor of 0.44 approximates the average number of free throw possessions as 0.44 × FTA, based on the observed rate at which free throws conclude plays.
- Combining these, the total "true shooting attempts" (TSA) become FGA + 0.44 × FTA, and dividing PTS by twice this value produces TS%, which estimates points per equivalent two-point field goal attempt across all shot types.[6]