Points per Field Goal Attempt
What is Points per Field Goal Attempt?
An advanced basketball statistic used to evaluate the scoring efficiency of any given player. It is considered an advanced statistic because it became more widely used after the publication of Dean Oliver's "Basketball on Paper", which introduced new ways to evaluate players using different types of basketball statistics. This statistic is calculated by dividing the total number of points scored on field goals by the total number of field goals attempted. It is a good measure of a player's scoring efficiency because players who make the best use of their shot attempts on both two- and three-point field goals will score higher.
Sporting Charts explains Points per Field Goal Attempt
The most efficient players on the court are not always the players who score the most, though players like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James do score high on this particular measure. In the modern professional game, those responsible for building teams often use this and other advanced statistics to ensure their entire roster, or at least starting five, are efficient players who protect the ball and make the best use of their shots. Fans are also becoming better educated in the use of this statistic, providing them with a deeper level on which to evaluate players.