True Shooting % & eFG% Calculator

Understanding the true shooting percentage and eFG% calculator — concept and principle

Field-goal percentage treats a three-pointer like a two-pointer and ignores free throws. True shooting percentage (TS%) and effective field-goal percentage (eFG%) fix this, so you can compare a centre who scores at the rim with a guard who lives behind the arc. Both are standard efficiency measures in NBA and college basketball analysis.

Each step credits more of how points were scored: 50% → 58.33% → 60.56%.

How it is calculated

TS% = PTS / (2 × (FGA + 0.44 × FTA)) × 100.
eFG% = (FGM + 0.5 × 3PM) / FGA × 100.
FG% = FGM / FGA × 100.

PTS are points, FGA and FGM are field-goal attempts and makes, 3PM is three-pointers made and FTA is free-throw attempts. All are counts for the same game or season.

The principle

eFG% gives a made three 1.5 times the credit of a made two, because it is worth 3 points instead of 2. It answers: "what two-point percentage would produce the same points from these shots?"

TS% goes further and includes free throws. The term FGA + 0.44 × FTA estimates the number of scoring attempts. Free throws usually come in pairs and some come from and-ones or technical fouls that do not use a possession, so on average about 0.44 of an attempt is charged per free throw. Multiplying by 2 converts attempts into the points a perfect two-point shooter would score, so TS% is points per attempt divided by 2.

Worked example

Inputs: 25 points, 18 FGA, 9 FGM, 3 3PM, 6 FTA.
Scoring attempts = 18 + 0.44 × 6 = 20.64; × 2 = 41.28.
TS% = 25 / 41.28 = 60.56%.
eFG% = (9 + 0.5 × 3) / 18 = 10.5 / 18 = 58.33%.
FG% = 9 / 18 = 50%.

Each point is the calculator re-run with only “FGA” changed; the gold point is the default example. Change the inputs above and this chart follows your numbers.

FGA	TS%
4.5	175.07%
9	107.39%
13.5	77.45%
18	60.56%
22.5	49.72%
27	42.17%
36	32.35%

How to read the result

In recent NBA seasons, league-average TS% has been in the high 50s, so 60.56% is efficient and anything above about 62% is excellent for a high-volume scorer. eFG% runs a little below TS% for most players; a large gap means the player gets many free throws. Always read efficiency together with volume and role: a 65% TS% on five shots a game is not the same achievement as 60% on twenty.

Common mistakes

Using FTM instead of FTA in TS%.
Treating eFG% as a shooting percentage you can compare with FG%; it is scaled to two-point value.
Comparing across eras without context; league three-point rates have changed dramatically.

Keep in mind: The 0.44 factor is an average that fits the NBA; other leagues and levels may differ slightly. These are descriptive statistics, not betting advice.

Frequently asked questions

Why 0.44 and not 0.5?

Not every free throw comes in a two-shot set; and-ones, technicals and three-shot fouls lower the average possessions used per attempt.

Can TS% be above 100%?

In theory, yes, for tiny samples, such as a single made three with no misses (150%).

Is eFG% the same as TS% without free throws?

Essentially, yes; it weights threes but ignores free throws.

Sources: Dean Oliver, Basketball on Paper: Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis, Potomac Books (2004) · Basketball-Reference.com, Glossary (TS%, eFG%)

Checked 8 Nov 2026. Official league / federation formulas where they exist; widely used community formulas otherwise. For fun and analysis — not betting advice.

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