What Is True Shooting Percentage (TS%) in Basketball?

The formula

• PTS = points scored.
• FGA = field-goal attempts.
• FTA = free-throw attempts.

The formula compares total points with an estimate of the shooting opportunities used to produce them, then scales the result so it reads like a percentage. Total points already capture what the player scored from twos, threes, and free throws. Dividing those points by twice the estimated number of shooting possessions produces a percentage that can be read alongside FG% and eFG%.

The 0.44 factor is an approximation used in the traditional TS% formula to estimate how many scoring possessions a player's free-throw attempts represent. It exists because free throws do not all arrive the same way. Some come in pairs after a shooting foul, some come as single attempts, and some are attached to a made basket. Blending those situations into one factor keeps the formula workable with ordinary box-score numbers. The 0.44 is not a literal conversion for every free-throw trip. It is a long-standing box-score estimate that works across the different ways free throws occur.

A simple example

This is arithmetic, not a ranking of the player. The two numbers answer different questions: FG% describes how often shots from the floor went in, and TS% describes how efficiently all of the player's scoring opportunities produced points.

TS% versus FG%

• FG% only looks at made field goals versus field-goal attempts.
• TS% includes free throws and captures the scoring value of threes through total points.
• Two players can have the same FG% but different TS% if one scores more efficiently from three-point range or the free-throw line.

FG% is still useful. It tells you how often shots from the floor go in, which matters on its own. Our guide What Is a Good Field Goal Percentage in Basketball? covers how to read ordinary FG% in context, and it is linked under Related resources below.

TS% versus eFG%

eFG% adjusts FG% for the extra value of made threes, but it still only looks at field-goal shooting. TS% goes one step further by also incorporating free throws. In short: eFG% is focused on field-goal shooting efficiency, while TS% is broader scoring efficiency. If a player rarely shoots free throws, the two numbers will move together; the gap grows as free throws become a bigger part of the player's scoring.

We walked through eFG% in detail in What Is Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) in Basketball?, also linked below. Reading the two together shows which part of a player's efficiency comes from the floor and which part comes from the line.

Why free throws matter

Two players with similar shooting from the floor can produce different overall scoring efficiency if one gets to the free-throw line more often or converts free throws at a higher rate. Free throws can add points without adding a field-goal attempt, so they can move TS% noticeably even when FG% barely changes.

This is descriptive, not a ranking of styles. How often a player reaches the line depends on role, how the player attacks the defense, and how the game is officiated. A player who scores almost entirely from the floor can still be highly efficient, and a low number of free-throw attempts is not a flaw by itself.

What TS% can tell you

• How efficiently a player converts shooting opportunities into points.
• Whether free throws materially change the efficiency picture.
• Whether FG% alone is understating or overstating the scoring value of a player's shooting results.

What TS% cannot tell you

TS% is a scoring-efficiency metric, not a player grade. It leaves out a lot:

• Turnovers and assists.
• Rebounding and defense.
• Shot quality and how closely each shot was contested.
• Decision quality.
• The player's role and the opponent they faced.

Small samples

TS% can swing sharply with few shots or free throws. One made three or one perfect night at the line can move the number a long way in a small sample. The metric becomes more useful as attempts accumulate, so a trend across many games says more than a single night.

Example: same FG%, different TS%

Their FG% is identical, but Player D generated more points from the same number of field-goal attempts, with more made threes and additional scoring at the line. TS% captures that difference in overall scoring efficiency. It does not mean Player D is automatically the better player. Their roles, shot difficulty, and everything else they do on the floor still matter.

What parents should actually look for

• Is TS% changing because free-throw scoring changed?
• Is the player taking more threes?
• Is FG% flat while TS% moves?
• Did the player's role or competition level change?
• Does the shot profile help explain what changed?

A shot chart is a good companion to any efficiency number, because it shows where the attempts actually came from.

Read: Basketball Shot Charts Explained: What They Actually Tell You

These questions also fit the wider approach in Basketball Statistics Explained: A Parent's Complete Guide and How to Measure Basketball Player Development, both linked below. One number is a starting point for a conversation, not a verdict.

What to review if TS% is falling

Diagnose before prescribing. A falling TS% can show up alongside several different changes or contexts worth reviewing:

• Lower FG%.
• Fewer made threes.
• Lower FT%.
• Fewer free-throw opportunities.
• A changing shot mix.
• A change in role.
• Tougher competition.

A falling TS% does not prescribe its own fix. It does not automatically mean a player should get to the line more or shoot more threes. Start by understanding what changed, using the shot chart and game context, and then decide whether the pattern points to a development priority.