Points Per Possession Calculator
Turn points, shots, free throws, offensive rebounds and turnovers into points per possession and offensive rating — the efficiency stats that pace and tempo cannot hide.
How it works
Possessions ≈ FGA + 0.44 × FTA − OREB + turnovers · Points per possession = points ÷ possessions · Offensive rating = PPP × 100
Points per possession strips tempo out of scoring: a fast team and a slow team can score the same per possession while posting very different point totals. Possessions are not counted directly, so the standard estimate charges a shooting trip for every field-goal attempt, roughly 0.44 of a trip per free-throw attempt (since many free throws come in pairs or after made baskets), credits offensive rebounds back because they extend the same possession, and adds turnovers as possessions that ended with no shot. Multiplying by 100 gives offensive rating, the per-100-possessions number used across the NBA.
Worked example
A team scores 110 points on 88 FGA, 22 FTA, 10 offensive rebounds and 14 turnovers. Possessions ≈ 88 + 0.44 × 22 − 10 + 14 = 101.68. Points per possession = 110 ÷ 101.68 = 1.082, an offensive rating of 108.2.
Sources: Possession estimate (Basketball-Reference glossary)
Frequently asked questions
Why multiply free-throw attempts by 0.44?
Free throws usually come two or three at a time, or as a bonus after a made basket, so they do not each represent a fresh possession. The 0.44 coefficient is the long-standing league-wide estimate of how many possessions a free-throw attempt actually consumes.
What is a good points-per-possession number?
For a full NBA team, roughly 1.10–1.20 points per possession (an offensive rating of 110–120) is strong. For a single half-court set or an individual play type, anything above 1.0 is generally considered efficient.
Why subtract offensive rebounds?
An offensive rebound keeps the same possession alive rather than starting a new one, so it is credited back to avoid double-counting a trip down the floor that produced multiple shots.
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