Basketball Analytics Glossary

Points per possession (PPP) is the number of points a team or player scores for every offensive possession they use. You get it by dividing points scored by possessions. It strips tempo out of the picture, so a slow team and a fast team can be compared on the same efficiency scale.

Offensive rating (ORtg) is the number of points a team or player produces per 100 possessions. It is points per possession scaled up by 100, which turns awkward decimals into whole numbers that are easier to compare and rank.

Defensive rating (DRtg) is the number of points a team or player allows per 100 possessions. It is the mirror image of offensive rating, so a lower number is better - a strong defense gives up fewer points for every 100 possessions the opponent runs.

Pace is the number of possessions a team uses in a game, usually expressed per 48 or per 40 minutes depending on the league. It measures tempo, not quality - a high-pace team simply plays more possessions, which inflates raw totals like points per game without meaning the offense is better.

True shooting percentage (TS%) measures scoring efficiency across every way a player puts the ball in the basket - two-pointers, three-pointers and free throws - in a single number. It weights each shot by the points it is worth, so it captures value that plain field goal percentage misses.

Effective field goal percentage (eFG%) adjusts a player's field goal percentage to account for the fact that a three-pointer is worth more than a two. It gives proper credit to three-point shooting, so two players with the same raw field goal percentage are ranked correctly when one shoots more threes.

Usage rate (USG%) is the share of a team's possessions that a player finishes - by shooting, getting to the line, or turning it over - while they are on the floor. It measures how central a player is to the offense, not how well they play. High usage means the offense runs through them.

Turnover percentage (TOV%) is the share of a team's or player's possessions that end in a turnover. Because it is a rate rather than a raw count, it fairly compares a fast team to a slow one - both are judged on how often they cough the ball up per possession, not per game.

Rebound percentage (REB%) is the share of available rebounds a player or team actually grabs while on the floor. Unlike raw rebound totals, it accounts for how many rebounds were there to get, so it fairly compares players on fast and slow teams and across different minutes.

Assist percentage (AST%) is the share of a team's made baskets that a player assists while on the floor. It measures how much of the offense a player creates for others, correcting raw assist totals for pace and minutes so a playmaker on a slow team is not undersold.