How to Calculate Field Goal Percentage
Field goal percentage is one of the most straightforward stats in basketball. It tells you how efficiently a player converts their shot attempts into made baskets — and the formula takes about five seconds to learn.
The Formula
$$\text{FG%} = \frac{\text{Field Goals Made}}{\text{Field Goals Attempted}}$$
That's it. Make 30 shots out of 60 attempts and your FG% is .500, or 50%. Unlike batting average, field goal percentage is usually expressed as a true percentage (50%) rather than a three-decimal figure, though you'll see it both ways.
A field goal is any basket scored during regular play — a two-point shot or a three-pointer. Free throws are not field goals and don't count here.
What the Numbers Mean
Here's a rough guide to interpreting FG% in the NBA:
- 60% and above — elite efficiency. Usually reserved for big men who take high-percentage shots close to the basket.
- 50–59% — excellent. A player shooting in this range is making smart shot choices.
- 45–49% — solid, around league average.
- 40–44% — below average, though acceptable for guards who take many difficult perimeter shots.
- Below 40% — struggling. A player in this range is likely hurting their team's offense.
Context matters a lot. A center shooting 55% on dunks and layups is doing less than a guard shooting 48% on pull-up jumpers. The difficulty of the shots isn't captured in the percentage alone.
2-Point vs. 3-Point Splits
Teams and broadcasters often break FG% down into separate figures:
2-point FG% — made 2-pointers divided by attempted 2-pointers. This reflects efficiency on shots inside the arc.
3-point FG% (also written 3P%) — made 3-pointers divided by attempted 3-pointers. League average typically hovers around 35–37%. A player shooting 40%+ from three is considered elite from distance.
Tracking these separately is useful because a three-pointer is worth 50% more than a two. A player shooting 33% from three is actually generating the same points per attempt as a player shooting 50% on two-point shots — both produce one point per attempt. This insight underlies the modern game's emphasis on three-point shooting.
Worked Examples
Example 1
On January 22, 2006, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points — the second-highest single-game total in NBA history. He made 28 field goals out of 46 attempts. What was his FG% for that game?
$$\text{FG%} = \frac{28}{46} \approx .609 \text{ (60.9%)}$$
He also made 7 three-pointers out of 13 attempts:
$$\text{3P%} = \frac{7}{13} \approx .538 \text{ (53.8%)}$$
An exceptional shooting performance across the board.
Example 2
A player attempts 14 shots and makes 6. What is her FG%?
$$\text{FG%} = \frac{6}{14} \approx .429 \text{ (42.9%)}$$
Example 3
A center finishes the season with a 58.3% FG% on 600 attempts. How many field goals did he make?
Rearrange: Field Goals Made = FG% × Attempts
$$0.583 \times 600 = 349.8 \approx 350 \text{ field goals}$$
Practice Problems
A player makes 9 field goals out of 20 attempts. What is her FG%?
Show answer\(\frac{9}{20} = .450\) (45.0%)
A shooter attempts 8 three-pointers and makes 3. What is his 3P%?
Show answer\(\frac{3}{8} = .375\) (37.5%) — a respectable three-point percentage.
A player shoots 47.2% on 530 field goal attempts. How many shots did she make?
Show answerField Goals Made = FG% × Attempts = \(0.472 \times 530 \approx 250\) field goals.
Two players both attempted 400 field goals. Player A made 192; Player B made 178. How much higher is Player A's FG%?
Show answerPlayer A: \(\frac{192}{400} = .480\) — Player B: \(\frac{178}{400} = .445\) — Player A's FG% is 3.5 percentage points higher (.480 − .445 = .035).
Real data challenge: Head to basketball-reference.com, find any player's page, and look at their per-season stats. The FG% column shows the official figure. Grab their FG (field goals made) and FGA (field goals attempted) for any season, calculate it yourself, and verify against the FG% column.
Show answerApply \(\text{FG%} = \frac{\text{FG}}{\text{FGA}}\) and round to three decimal places. It should match (or round to) the FG% shown on basketball-reference.