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How to Calculate Offensive Efficiency in Basketball

In a basketball game, each team essentially has the same number of offensive possessions. The victorious team is more effective and efficient with its possessions. In other words, they score more points per possession. It is essential to measure your team's effectiveness by Points per Possession instead of just total points because you cannot completely control the number of possessions you get in a game (i.e. your opponent may slow the pace of the game and limit your possessions/scoring opportunities). In this article we will go over how to calculate Points per Possession so that you can track your progress by measuring against other teams and your own team's progress.

Calculated Number of Possessions
Calculator or Excel Spreadsheet

Instructions

- 1
  Determine the time frame you wish to measure your offensive efficiency. This can be for a quarter, half, whole game or number of games.
- 2
  Document the number of possessions for the specified time period.
- 3
  Document the number of points scored for the specified time period.
- 4
  Use the following formula to calculate Points per Possession:
  
  Points per Possession = Points Scored/Number of Possessions
  
  Example #1:
  Team has 70 possessions in a game
  Team scores 75 points
  
  Points per Possession = 75/70
  Points per Possession = 1.07
  
  Example #2:
  Team has 50 possessions in a game
  Team scores 60 points
  
  Points per Possession = 60/50
  Points per Possession = 1.20
  
  * In Example #1 the team scored more points, but the team was much more efficient in Example #2. All things being equal, they will have a greater chance of winning in Example #2.

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