Stats explained

Basketball stats, explained simply

What TS%, eFG%, usage, assist and rebound percentages, turnovers, PER, PIE and Win Shares really measure: the formula, a worked example with real numbers where we have them, and what each number cannot tell you.

Read a box score first

Illustration (AI)

TS%True shooting percentageHow many points a player gets out of his shots, counting threes and free throws.Explained →eFG%Effective field goal percentageField goal percentage with a bonus for threes.Explained →USG%Usage rateThe share of his team's plays a player uses while he is on the floor.Explained →PERPlayer Efficiency RatingJohn Hollinger's per-minute rating of everything in the box score.Explained →WSWin SharesA player's share of his team's wins.Explained →+/-Plus-minusThe score difference while a player is on the floor.Explained →PACEPace and team ratingsPossessions per game, and points scored and allowed per 100 possessions.Explained →AST%Assist percentageThe share of his teammates' baskets a player set up while he was on the floor.Explained →REB%Rebound percentageThe share of available rebounds a player or team grabbed.Explained →TOV%Turnover percentageHow often a player's or team's plays end in a turnover.Explained →FTA RateFree throw attempt rateFree throw attempts per field goal attempt: how often a player gets to the line.Explained →AST/TOAssist-to-turnover ratioAssists for every turnover: passing set against mistakes.Explained →PIEPlayer Impact EstimateNBA.com's share of a game's box score, good and bad, that belongs to one player.Explained →MIN–PTSBox score basicsEvery column of a box score, with a practice box score to tap through.Start here →A–ZGlossaryEvery abbreviation in one or two sentences.Open the glossary →

Pick the right number

Which stat answers which question

Every stat answers one question well and others badly. Start from the question.

Team stats

The four factors

Four team numbers are often read together, for a team and for its opponents: shooting, getting to the line, turnovers and offensive rebounds. Each one has its own page with the formula and an example.

FactorStat
ShootingeFG%
Getting to the lineFTA rate
TurnoversTOV%
Offensive reboundsOREB%

Put a team's four next to its opponent's, and you see where a game was won or lost.

Calculator

True shooting % calculator

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Calculator

Effective FG% calculator

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TS%, eFG%, PER, rebound rate, plus-minus and offensive rating follow their Wikipedia articles; usage, PIE, assist percentage, turnover ratio and free throw rate follow the definitions NBA.com uses, in our own words. Every real number in our examples comes from Wikipedia. NBA.com's terms do not allow its statistics to be used on commercial websites, so we do not use them.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: True shooting percentage (version of 14 June 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  2. Wikipedia: Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game (version of 13 August 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  3. Wikipedia: List of NBA single-game scoring leaders (version of 13 October 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  4. Wikipedia: Effective field goal percentage (version of 14 June 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  5. Wikipedia: Turnover (basketball) (version of 9 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  6. Wikipedia: Player efficiency rating (version of 8 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  7. Wikipedia: Win Shares (version of 1 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  8. Wikipedia: Plus–minus (sports) (version of 26 July 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  9. Wikipedia: Basketball statistics (version of 17 March 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  10. Wikipedia: Offensive rating (version of 4 May 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  11. Wikipedia: Assist (basketball) (version of 12 August 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  12. Wikipedia: Rebound rate (version of 8 May 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  13. Wikipedia: Rebound (basketball) (version of 20 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  14. Wikipedia: Bam Adebayo (version of 5 October 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026

Checked on 20 October 2026, unless a source has its own date. Wikipedia content is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; we take single numbers and facts from the versions linked above and say where a number is our own calculation. Spotted a mistake or a record that fell? Write to hello@boxscorestories.com.

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The box score cheat sheet

Every column of a box score on one printable page, the shooting formulas with a worked example, and the stats the old box scores never counted.

  • All abbreviations, from MIN to +/-
  • FG%, 3P%, FT%, eFG% and TS% with examples
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