A percentage tells you how often your shot goes in. It does not tell you how many points those makes are worth. Points per attempt (PPA) puts both in one number: on average, how many points do you score each time you shoot from this spot?
01What PPA means
You get it by dividing the points you scored from a zone by your attempts from it:
Formula
PPA = points scored from the zone ÷ attempts from the zone
In a two-point zone it equals your percentage × 2. In a three-point zone it equals your percentage × 3. Say you shoot 10 times from one spot and make 7 twos. That is 14 points, so your PPA is 14 ÷ 10 = 1.40.
Key point
A PPA of 1.00 means you score one point per shot on average.
The ceiling is 2.00 in a two-point zone and 3.00 in a three-point zone.
Free throws are not part of it, because they don't come from a zone.
02A real example from a ShootingStat account
The table shows the four two-point zones where this player logged 10 or more attempts. Together they cover 62 of the player's 77 two-point attempts.
Zone
Makes
Attempts
Percentage
PPA
Left Low Post
13
14
93%
1.86
Right Low Post
7
10
70%
1.40
Left Wing Mid-Range
13
23
57%
1.13
Right Wing Mid-Range
8
15
53%
1.07
Points per attempt for four zones. The dashed line marks one point per shot.
Here is what the numbers tell us:
The gap between the best and weakest zone is 0.79 points per shot, which is about 8 points over every 10 shots.
The 1.86 is close to the two-point ceiling of 2.00, but it rests on only 14 attempts.
All four zones are twos, so their PPA order is the same as their percentage order. PPA earns its keep when you compare a two-point zone with a three-point zone, as we did in Three or Two? Work Out Your Break-Even Point.
03How to read it without fooling yourself
Common mistake
Look at the attempts first. With 10 attempts, one shot moves your percentage by 10 points, and luck alone can swing the result by 30 points or more in either direction. A zone at 7 out of 10 can look very different next week. ShootingStat shows a "small sample" hint when a zone has fewer than 10 attempts.
Practice is not a game. A zone that gives you many shots in practice may rarely give you a chance in a game. Compare the zones you actually play from.
Don't measure yourself against professionals. Their shots come with different defense and different shot selection. Compare yourself with your own earlier sessions.
04How to use it in practice
Log your sessions on the court map until several zones have 10 or more attempts.
Open the zones tab and read each zone's PPA next to its attempts.
Pick two zones: one you shoot from often in games, and one with a low PPA.
Practice the weaker zone for a few sessions with a fixed number of attempts, then compare.
05PPA, eFG% and TS%
Measure
What it covers
Free throws
PPA
One zone on the court
Not included
eFG%
All your field-goal attempts
Not included
TS%
The whole session
Included
eFG% adjusts for the fact that a three is worth one more point than a two, as the Basketball Reference glossary puts it. On the same field-goal shots, PPA equals 2 × eFG%. So an eFG% of 54% corresponds to a PPA of 1.08. We explained the three percentages in FG% vs eFG% vs TS%.
06Takeaway
PPA is the average number of points you score from each shot taken from a zone.
Check the number of attempts before you trust the number.
Use PPA to compare zones, especially a two-point zone with a three-point one.
This week, open the zones tab and look at the attempts next to your highest and lowest PPA.
FAQ
What is a good PPA?
There is no single target. A PPA of 1.00 means one point per shot, and a two-point zone can never go above 2.00. Compare your zones with each other and with your own earlier sessions, not with professional players.
Is PPA the same as eFG%?
They measure the same idea at different scales. PPA belongs to one zone, and eFG% covers all your field-goal attempts. On the same shots, PPA equals 2 × eFG%.
Why doesn't my zone appear among the best and weakest zones?
ShootingStat ranks a zone only after at least 10 attempts from it. Log more shots from that zone and it will join the ranking.
Do free throws count in PPA?
No. A free throw is worth one point and does not come from a zone, so its points per attempt simply equal your free-throw percentage. You will find free throws in TS%.
