Field Goal Percentage Calculator (FG%)

What is field goal percentage?

Field goal percentage is an easy-to-understand basketball metric that shows how successfully a player scores from the floor. It provides a clear comparison of how many field goals a player makes and how many total shots he attempts. The term “FG%” is widely used as a quick abbreviation for this important shooting stat.

Importance of FG% Calculator

This formula may seem simple, but doing the math after every shot can be a time-consuming task, especially during fast-paced games. That’s why having an FG percentage calculator is extremely useful. Here’s why it’s important:

Quick and Accurate Calculations

This digital tool takes the stress out of doing manual calculations. You simply add up the shots made and total attempts, and the field goal percentage calculator shows the result in seconds. It delivers accurate output and avoids silly mistakes, so you can focus on the action. Due to its simplicity and speed, it works perfectly as a shot percentage calculator for both coaches and avid fans.

A Helpful Scouting Resource

For analysts and scouts, the field goal percentage calculator acts as a quick evaluation tool. It helps you record a player’s shooting statistics during a single matchup, throughout an entire season, or even throughout an entire career. By doing this, you can study patterns, find weaknesses, and evaluate your overall fg percentage basketball performance.

Useful for player development

Young players and coaches can consider this tool as a performance tracker. By regularly monitoring field goal percentage, a player can set goals, track improvements, and see how training results change. For example, a coach can encourage a player to maintain a good fg percentage, giving them a clear and measurable goal during shooting practice.

Definition – What is Field Goal Percentage?

Field Goal Percentage (FG%) is the ratio of shots made (2 or 3 pointers) to shots attempted (2 or 3 pointers). This stat does not count free throws or attempts. You can think of it as the basketball version of the “shooting percentage” used in football or hockey.

FG% serves as a performance metric. It gives a better look at a player’s shooting efficiency rather than just focusing on total points scored.

A common flaw with FG% is that it treats 2-point and 3-point attempts the same way. A better advanced stat that fixes this problem is “effective field goal percentage” (eFG%).

Another limitation is that FG% ignores free throws. A player who drives to the rim, fouls, and scores at the line can still impact the game. The metric that takes this into account is called “True Shooting Percentage” (TS%).

Formula – How to Calculate Field Goal %

FG% = Field Goals ÷ Field Goal Attempts

Where:

• A field goal is any shot taken in live play that is not a free throw.
• A field goal attempt is any shot taken during live play that is not a free throw.

Example

A player makes a total of 514 field goal attempts and makes 261 of them successfully (including both 2-point and 3-point baskets).

FG% = 261 ÷ 514

FG% = 0.5078

Therefore, this player’s field goal percentage is .5078, which means 50.78%.

Detailed explanation

Field goal percentage is one of the main metrics used to determine how well a player shoots the ball. In basketball, a field goal includes any scoring attempt that is not a free throw, including both 2-point and 3-point shots. FG% helps determine how consistently a player converts their attempts into baskets. A high FG% often indicates that a player is scoring efficiently, although factors such as shot selection, volume, and difficulty are also important when evaluating performance.

Historical usage:

Field goal percentage has been a key metric in basketball since its inception, tracking how accurately both players and teams score from the field.

Historical context:

The value of FG% has remained consistent throughout the evolution of basketball, although the way we understand it has changed as 3-point shooting has become more dominant. In today’s advanced statistical era, FG% is often combined with deeper efficiency measures like True Shooting Percentage, which adjusts for the additional scoring value of 3-pointers and free throws.

Limitations:

While FG% helps assess shooting efficiency, it does not distinguish 2-pointers from 3-pointers. Because of this, it cannot fully reflect the impact of players who rely heavily on shooting from deep, where the success percentage is lower but the scoring reward is higher.

What is considered a good field goal percentage?

The idea of ​​a “good” field goal percentage can vary greatly depending on a player’s playing style, position, and how they contribute to the offense.

For Guards:

A strong FG% for most guards typically hovers around 40-45%. Guards tend to make more difficult attempts like deep shots, step-backs, and competitive looks, so their efficiency is typically lower compared to bigger players closer to the rim.

For Forwards:

A reliable FG% for forwards often falls between 45-50%. Because they mix inside scoring with mid-range attempts, their accuracy sits in the middle compared to guards and centers.

For Centers:

Centers should generally shoot 50-60% or higher because most of their scoring comes around the rim via dunks, tip-ins, and close finishes. Their shot selection makes their percentages naturally higher.

For reference, DeAndre Jordan has the highest NBA field goal percentage at 67.3%. On the other hand, even skilled scoring icons like Michael Jordan finished with a career FG% of 49.7%, which shows how percentages vary across roles and shot types.

FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions