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Shooting
True shooting percentage
Points scored per scoring attempt, counting free throws and threes fairly.
What it teaches
- How efficiently a player turns shot attempts and trips to the line into points.
- Whether volume scoring is “cheap” or “expensive” for the offense.
What it doesn't
- Defense, playmaking, or rebounding.
- Shot quality vs finishing luck in isolation.
- Whether those shots were good process.
Upsides
- One number for 2s, 3s, and free throws.
- Easy to compare scorers with different diets.
- Stable enough over decent samples.
Downsides
- Ignores turnovers and creation burden.
- Can flatter foul-drawing without capturing foul trouble.
- Role and teammate gravity still matter.
How to apply it
- Pair with usage: high usage + high TS% is rare and valuable.
- Don’t crown specialists with tiny attempt volume.
- Compare to league average (about 56–58% in modern seasons) for context.