Being able to score in basketball has always been an important part of the game, and in today’s NBA it’s now important than ever to have players on your team that can score efficiently.
It’s one thing to take a lot of shot and score points, it’s another thing to be able to make your shots at a high percentage. So, you might be wondering what is considered to be a good field goal percentage in basketball?
In general, a basketball player is considered to have a good field goal percentage (FG%) if they shoot 40% or above depending upon their position. For guards and small forwards, a FG% over 40% is considered good. For centers and powered forwards a good FG% would be any number above 65%
With that being said, a good field goal shooting percentage depends on the position of the player and the level and league that they play in. Also keep in mind that the volume or number of field goals attempted and the types of shots they take can affect their field goal percentage.
In this article, we will discuss more in-depth on what is considered to be a good field goal percentage at the NBA, NCAA, & High School levels, discuss other key basketball statistics and why field goal percentage may not be the most accurate stat to measure a players scoring efficiency.
Let’s get started.
Basketball Field Goal Percentage
Most basketball fans are probably aware of what a field goal percentage (FG%) is and how it’s calculated. A field goal percentage is basically a simple way to measure how well a player is shooting. It’s a stat that most people use when they want to talk about how well a player or team is at scoring.
Calculating a shooting percentage is pretty straight forward. To get a players or teams field goal percentage simply divide the number of made shots by the total number of shot attempts. (made shots /shot attempts = FG%)
Field goal percentage counts all shots taken during a game, but it doesn’t include free throws, which are measured separately as free throw percentage.
In most levels of basketball, a player or team that has a field goal percentage of 45% or higher is considered good. However, it all depends on what position the player is and where they are taking most of their shots.
Guards typically take more 3-pointers and other shots that are further away from the basket. As a result, their field goal percentage is typically lower than the other positions. A good field goal percentage for guards is any number above 40%.
Forwards tend to take more shots inside and should have a slightly higher FG% than compared to guards. A good field goal percentage for the guard position would be 45%-48% or higher.
Center or “bigs” typically have the best shooting percentage because they tend to take all their shots close to the baskets and will dunk the ball quite often. A good field goal percentage for centers is any number around 50%.
Here is a breakdown of what I would considered to be a good and elite field goal percentage at the different levels of basketball.
Basketball Field Goal Percentage by Position
| Basketball Position | FG% (Below Average) |
| Guards | 40-42% |
| Forwards | 45-48% |
| Centers | 50-55% |
Now that we have covered what a good field goal percentage is for each position, let’s talk about FG% at the different levels of basketball.
NBA
In the NBA the average player will have a field goal (FG%) percentage around 40%. Below average shooters will have a FG% of 40% or below. A good field goal percentage in the NBA is anything above 40%. Elite NBA basketball players will have a field goal percentage of 45% or greater.
Keep in mind that a player’s FG% can greatly be impacted by a player’s position and the type and frequency of their shots. Guards generally have a lower shooting percentage compared to power forwards and centers.
For example, during the 2022 NBA season Rudy Gobert a center for the Utah Jazz led the NBA with a shooting percentage of 70.8%. While Stephen Curry one of the greatest shooters of all time had a field goal percentage of 44.1%. Rudy doesn’t shoot any three’s and all of his shots are dunks, put backs or high percentage close to the basket shots.
College
In college basketball the field goal percentage for a player during a season is around 40%. Elite college basketball players typically have a shooting percentage of 50% or higher. Below average shooters will typically have a field goal percentage below 40%.
Here is an article that compares the shooting percentage of NBA players to College players. It’s pretty interesting to see the differences.
In general, the most efficient shooters in college basketball are centers and forwards but some guards can also shoot at a high percentage from the field.
Highschool
As you would expect it’s much easier for high school basketball players to score and often times there can be a hug talent gap between the good and average players. Making it much easier for elite high school basketball players to shoot at a high percentage.
The average field goal percentage for high school basketball players is around 45%. A really good high school basketball player might shoot a FG% above 55%. A below average player would be any player with a FG% of 40% or below.
Here are some high school basketball stats from Maxpreps.com to give you a better idea of what kind of number you can expect high school players to put up.
With all that said, these numbers might also vary depending on what level of high school basketball is being played. For example, the varsity players will most likely shoot a higher percentage than the freshmen team would and bigger high schools are more likely to have more skilled players than smaller schools. All things to considered when looking at a player’s field goal percentage.
How Field Goal Percentage is Calculated
Calculating your field goal percentage is pretty straightforward. You simply take the number of field goals made and divide it by the total number of shot attempts. From there you can multiply that number by 100 to get the percentage. Most basketball leagues and stat tracking websites round your percentage to the nearest tenths place.
For example, if Steph Curry makes 10 field goals in a game out of 22 attempts. You can calculate his field goal percentage by taking his made shots (10) and dividing it by the number of attempts (22) and then multiplying that number by 100 to get the percentage. (10/22 = 0.4545 X 100 = 45%)
eFG%
When looking how well a player is scoring compared to the amount of shots taken a lot of people look their field goal percentage. However, a player’s FG% doesn’t include free-throws or factor in that 3 point shots are worth more regular field goals. Because of this many statisticians, sports analyst and coaches prefer to look at a metric called eFG%. So what exactly is eFG%?
In basketball eFG% stands for Effective Field Goal Percentage. It is a basketball statistic that accounts for the fact that three-point field goals are worth more than two-point field goals. The formula for this statistic is (FGM + 0.5 * 3PM) / FGA.
Here is an in-depth break down of this stat and how it compares to the traditional field goal percentage.
Other Basketball Statistics
- Average Free-Throw Percentage (NBA, College, High School)
- What is a good 3-point percentage? (With Examples)
- How Long Are Basketball Games?
- What is an Assist in Basketball?
Final Thoughts
More and more teams and players are shifting their focus on being able to effectively and consistently make shots from everywhere on the court.
These days if you want to be a successful and effective basketball player making your field goal shots is something every basketball player should work on and improve.
I hope this article provides some clarity on what is considered to be a good field goal percentage at the different levels of basketball and that you take into account the different variables we discussed in this article.