Basketball Shooting Percentage
Calculate field goal or free throw shooting percentage by entering shots made and shots attempted. Essential for evaluating player efficiency in games or practice sessions.
About this calculator
Shooting percentage in basketball measures the fraction of shot attempts that result in successful baskets, expressed as a percentage. The formula is: Shooting % = (Shots Made ÷ Shots Attempted) × 100. For example, making 8 out of 20 shots gives (8 ÷ 20) × 100 = 40%. The same formula applies to field goal percentage (FG%), three-point percentage (3P%), and free throw percentage (FT%). These metrics are among the most fundamental in basketball analytics — a league-average FG% hovers around 46%, while elite scorers often exceed 50%. Note that FG% does not distinguish between two-point and three-point attempts, which is why advanced stats like True Shooting Percentage (TS%) and Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) were developed to weight three-pointers and free throws appropriately.
How to use
Suppose a player attempted 15 free throws and made 12 during a game. Enter Shots Made = 12 and Shots Attempted = 15. The calculator computes (12 ÷ 15) × 100 = 80%. The player's free throw percentage for that game is 80%. For context, NBA average free throw percentage is about 77%, so this performance is above average. Coaches can use this figure to decide whether extra free throw practice is needed or to track improvement across multiple games.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate basketball shooting percentage from game stats?
Divide the number of successful shots by the total number of attempts, then multiply by 100 to convert to a percentage. If a player makes 9 of 22 field goal attempts, the calculation is (9 ÷ 22) × 100 = 40.9%. This single figure summarizes scoring efficiency for any shooting category — field goals, three-pointers, or free throws — using the same formula. Tracking this number over a full season reveals whether a player is improving, declining, or staying consistent.
What is a good field goal percentage for a basketball player?
In the NBA, a field goal percentage above 50% is considered efficient for players who take a high volume of shots. Guards and wing players who create their own shots typically fall in the 44–48% range, while big men who shoot near the basket often exceed 55–60%. For high school and college levels, averages are slightly lower due to less refined shot selection. The context of shot difficulty matters enormously — a center shooting 58% on dunks and layups is not necessarily more skilled than a guard shooting 44% on contested mid-range jumpers.
Why do basketball analysts use effective field goal percentage instead of regular field goal percentage?
Standard field goal percentage treats a two-point make and a three-point make equally, even though three-pointers are worth 50% more points. Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) adjusts for this by adding a 0.5 bonus to each made three-pointer: eFG% = (FGM + 0.5 × 3PM) ÷ FGA. This gives a more accurate picture of a player's true scoring efficiency. For example, a player shooting 40% on three-pointers has an eFG% of 60%, which is equivalent in value to a player shooting 60% on two-pointers — a comparison impossible to make with standard FG%.