How this instrument works
True shooting percentage (TS%) measures how efficiently a player scores per shooting possession, accounting for two-point shots, three-point shots, and free throws all at once. It divides total points by an estimate of the shooting possessions used to produce them, where field-goal attempts are doubled to convert attempts into possessions and free-throw attempts are weighted by 0.44, a factor reflecting that not every trip to the line produces two shots and that some free throws follow shooting fouls already counted elsewhere.
Plain field-goal percentage treats a made three-pointer the same as a made mid-range two, even though the three is worth 50% more, which makes it a poor tool for comparing a three-point specialist to a paint-bound big man. TS% fixes this by working from points scored rather than shots made, so a player who shoots a modest 40% from the field but does so almost entirely from three-point range can post a higher TS% than a 50% two-point-only scorer, because each made shot is worth more.
The 0.44 free-throw weight exists because free throws don't map cleanly onto field-goal attempts: some trips to the line are worth just one shot (and-one situations, technical fouls), others are worth two or three, and a meaningful share of shooting fouls already get their two free throws counted alongside a made basket rather than as a separate possession. Analysts settled on 0.44 as an empirical approximation of how many 'true' shooting possessions a free-throw attempt represents on average across a season.
Because it accounts for shot value and free-throw efficiency together, TS% has become the standard first-look number for comparing overall scoring efficiency across players with very different shot diets — a stretch shooter, a rim-running big, and a foul-drawing slasher can all be measured on the same scale, something raw field-goal percentage can't do on its own.
- Enter Points scored — total points for the game, stretch, or season you're evaluating.
- Enter Field goals attempted — every field-goal attempt, two-point and three-point combined.
- Enter Free throws attempted — total free-throw attempts over the same span.
- Read True shooting percentage (TS%) — the instrument doubles field-goal attempts, adds 0.44 times free-throw attempts, and divides points by that total, then converts to a percentage.
- Compare TS% across players with very different shot mixes; that cross-shot-type comparison is exactly what the stat is built for, unlike plain field-goal percentage.
Worked example — 25 points, 18 FGA, 6 FTA
A player scores 25 points on 18 field-goal attempts and 6 free-throw attempts. The denominator is 2 x (18 + 0.44 x 6) = 2 x (18 + 2.64) = 2 x 20.64 = 41.28. True shooting percentage is 25 / 41.28 x 100 = 60.562, typically reported as 60.6%.
That figure sits well above a typical field-goal percentage for the same line — 25 points on 18 field-goal attempts alone, ignoring free throws entirely, would suggest a simplistic (and incorrect) reading closer to raw points-per-shot; TS% instead properly folds the 6 free-throw attempts and any three-point value already baked into the 25 points into one clean efficiency figure.
Questions
Why does TS% multiply field-goal attempts by 2?
Because points, not makes, sit in the numerator. Multiplying FGA by 2 converts attempts into a 'maximum possible points from field goals' scale — a made two-pointer is worth 2 points per attempt, so doubling attempts creates a denominator on the same scale as the points in the numerator, before free throws are folded in with their own separate weight.
Where does the 0.44 free-throw weight come from?
It's an empirically derived approximation of how many true shooting possessions a free-throw attempt represents, accounting for the mix of two-shot fouls, one-shot and-one situations, and free throws awarded alongside a made basket (which are already counted in the field-goal attempts). Analysts settled on 0.44 as a league-wide average; it isn't derived from a single simple rule, but from studying free-throw patterns across many games.
How is TS% different from field-goal percentage?
Field-goal percentage is simply makes divided by attempts, treating a three-pointer and a two-pointer identically and ignoring free throws entirely. TS% instead starts from total points scored, so three-pointers automatically carry their extra value and free throws are folded in with the 0.44 weight — making it a fairer efficiency comparison for players with different shot mixes than field-goal percentage alone can provide.
What's considered a good true shooting percentage?
In modern professional basketball, a TS% around 55% is roughly league-average for a regular rotation player, 58-60% is very good, and elite, high-volume scorers who shoot efficiently can reach 62% or higher over a season. Because TS% rewards both accuracy and shot value, a role player who takes only high-percentage shots near the rim can sometimes outscore a high-usage star on this particular number, even while contributing far fewer total points.
Can true shooting percentage exceed 100%?
It's mathematically possible but extremely rare in practice — it would require an unusually large share of scoring coming from three-pointers combined with strong free-throw drawing, since only three-point makes and efficient free-throw trips can push points per shooting possession above 1.0. In real box scores across a full game or season, TS% almost always lands well under 100%, typically in the 40% to 70% range depending on shot selection and efficiency.