What is True Shooting Percentage (TS%)?
True Shooting Percentage is a basketball statistic introduced by APBRmetrics (Association for Professional Basketball Research Metrics) that measures a player's overall shooting efficiency. Unlike basic field goal percentage, TS% accounts for two-point shots, three-point shots, and free throws together, giving a single, more accurate picture of how efficiently a player scores. See also our Slugging Percentage Calculator.
What is the formula to calculate True Shooting Percentage?
The formula is: TS% = PTS / (2 × TSA), where TSA (True Shooting Attempts) = FGA + (0.44 × FTA). The 0.44 constant approximates the average proportion of possessions used by a free throw trip, accounting for and-ones, technical fouls, and other edge cases.
Why is 0.44 used in the True Shooting Percentage formula?
The constant 0.44 is a historically derived approximation that adjusts free throw attempts to reflect actual possession usage. A free throw trip doesn't always use a full possession — for example, and-one situations use only a fraction of one. Some modern analysts use 0.475 as an updated constant, but 0.44 remains the widely accepted standard.
What is considered a good True Shooting Percentage in basketball?
In the NBA, a TS% around 55% is considered average, 58–60% is good, and anything above 62% is considered elite. All-time great scorers like Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have historically posted TS% values well above 60%, reflecting their exceptional shooting efficiency.
Why is True Shooting Percentage more useful than regular field goal percentage?
Regular field goal percentage treats every made shot equally, ignoring that a made three-pointer is worth 50% more than a made two-pointer, and that free throws involve no field goal attempt. TS% normalizes for these differences, making it a far more accurate comparison of scoring efficiency across different types of players and playing styles.
What is TSA (True Shooting Attempts)?
TSA stands for True Shooting Attempts, a calculated figure representing the total 'possession cost' of a player's scoring opportunities. It is calculated as: TSA = FGA + (0.44 × FTA). It serves as the denominator in the TS% formula to normalize scoring across all shot types.
Can True Shooting Percentage exceed 100%?
Theoretically, TS% can exceed 100% in very small sample sizes — for example, if a player scores points entirely from free throws without any field goal attempts, the math can produce unusual results. In any meaningful sample size, TS% stays well below 100%, as even the most efficient shooters score around 65–70%.
Is True Shooting Percentage used in amateur and youth basketball?
Yes, TS% can be applied at any level of basketball where points scored, field goal attempts, and free throw attempts are tracked. It's a valuable tool for coaches and analysts evaluating player efficiency in high school, college, and recreational leagues, not just the NBA. You might also find our calculate Elo Rating useful.