Basketball stats glossary
Every basketball stat in plain English, with the formula and a worked example. Written for league organizers, coaches, players and parents who read box scores.
Assist-to-turnover ratio
Assist-to-turnover ratio compares how many baskets a player sets up with how often they lose the ball. Higher is better.
Box score
A box score is a table that summarizes a basketball game: every player's minutes, points, rebounds, assists and other counted stats, plus the team totals and the score by quarter.
Defensive rating
Defensive rating is the number of points a team allows per 100 possessions. Lower is better.
Double-double
A double-double is a game in which a player reaches ten or more in two of these five categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
Effective field goal percentage (eFG%)
Effective field goal percentage adjusts field goal percentage to give extra credit for three-pointers, because a made three is worth 50% more than a made two.
Field goal percentage (FG%)
Field goal percentage is the share of shot attempts from the floor that go in. It counts two-pointers and three-pointers equally and leaves out free throws.
Four factors
The four factors are the four team statistics that explain most winning: shooting (eFG%), turnovers, rebounding and free throws. They were identified by the analyst Dean Oliver.
Free throw percentage (FT%)
Free throw percentage is the share of free throw attempts that go in.
Net rating
Net rating is a team's offensive rating minus its defensive rating: how many points per 100 possessions the team outscores its opponents.
Offensive rating
Offensive rating is the number of points a team scores per 100 possessions. It measures scoring efficiency without being distorted by pace.
Pace
Pace is the number of possessions a team uses per game or per fixed number of minutes. A fast-paced team plays more possessions.
Plus-minus (+/-)
Plus-minus is the net change in the score while a player is on the court. If the player's team outscores the opponent by 6 points during their minutes, the player is +6.
Point differential
Point differential is the total points a team has scored minus the total points it has allowed over a period. It is often used as a tie-breaker.
Points per game (PPG)
Points per game is the average number of points a player or team scores each game, found by dividing total points by games played.
Rebound
A rebound is when a player gains possession of the ball after a missed shot. An offensive rebound is by the team that shot, and a defensive rebound is by the other team.
Standings tie-breakers
Tie-breakers are the rules a league uses to rank teams that finish with the same record. Common ones are head-to-head results, then point differential, then points scored.
Steal
A steal is credited to a defender who takes the ball from an opponent, or intercepts a pass, and gains possession for their team.
Three-point percentage (3P%)
Three-point percentage is the share of three-point attempts that go in.
True shooting percentage (TS%)
True shooting percentage measures scoring efficiency by combining two-pointers, three-pointers and free throws in a single number.
Turnover
A turnover is when a team loses possession of the ball to the other team without taking a shot, for example through a bad pass, traveling or stepping out of bounds.
Usage rate
Usage rate estimates the percentage of a team's possessions that a player ends with a shot, a free throw trip or a turnover while they are on the court.
Win percentage
Win percentage is the share of games a team has won. It is the main way to rank teams that have played different numbers of games.
Want to see these numbers on a real league page? Open the demo league for box scores and season leaders, or read about the basketball stats app.