Shooting Percentage: FG%, eFG% and True Shooting Explained
Field goal percentage is shots made divided by shots attempted, but it treats a three-pointer as worth the same as a layup. Effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage correct for that, and they are the numbers analysts actually use.
The three formulas
- FG% = FGM ÷ FGA × 100.
- eFG% = (FGM + 0.5 × 3PM) ÷ FGA × 100 — credits the extra point of a three.
- TS% = points ÷ (2 × (FGA + 0.44 × FTA)) × 100 — includes free throws.
- 3P% and FT% are plain made-over-attempted for their own shot types.
Why 0.44
Not every free-throw trip ends a possession: and-one attempts, technical fouls and the first of two shots do not. Analysts settled on 0.44 as the empirical fraction of free-throw attempts that correspond to a used possession, which makes true shooting comparable across players with very different foul-drawing profiles.
Which to quote
True shooting is the best single measure of scoring efficiency because it values every attempt at the points it produces. Effective field goal percentage is the right choice when free throws are not relevant to the comparison. Raw FG% remains useful for interior scoring and for goalkeepers of other sports where every attempt is worth the same.
Key takeaways — Shooting Percentage Calculator
- FG% ignores shot value; eFG% and TS% do not.
- TS% folds in free throws using the 0.44 possession estimate.
- Compare players on true shooting, not field goal percentage.