How to Calculate the Shooting Average in Basketball

Shooting average, often known as field-goal percentage, refers to the percentage of shots made out of the total number of shots a basketball player takes. Shooting percentage can be measured over any period, such as one player in one game or over an entire season. The higher the shooting percentage, the better the player because he has made more shots. Comparing shooting percentages over time can also indicate a player improving or declining in skill level.

Things You'll Need

  • Calculator
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Instructions

    • 1

      Count the number of shots a player makes. Typically, shooting percentage does not include free throws.

    • 2

      Add the number of shots made to the number of shots missed. If you made 30 shots and missed 27, you would have 57 total shots.

    • 3

      Divide the number of made shots by the number of total shots to calculate the shooting average as a decimal. In this example, you would divide 30 by 57 to get 0.5263.

    • 4

      Multiply the shooting average expressed as a decimal by 100 to calculate the shooting average in terms of percentage. Finishing the example, you would multiply 0.5263 by 100 to get a shooting average of 52.63 percent.