The NBA’s All-Points Per Total Shots Team

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (R) shoots over Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum during first half of Game 1 of their NBA Western Conference playoff series in Dallas, Texas April 16, 2011. REUTERS/Mike Stone (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

When looking at overall shooting, I like to use Points Per Total Shots (PPTS) which is simply:

PPTS = Points / (FGA + FTA)

I prefer this stat to Effective FG% (eFG%) because it accounts for free throw accuracy and eFG% does not. I also like it better than True Shooting % (TS%) because it doesn’t have any arbitrary constants. TS% does. Points Per Shot (PPS = PTS/FGA) is more popular, but PPTS takes into account free throw accuracy, which is important. PPS does not.

Here is a look at the top PPTS players at each position. To qualify, the player had to attempt at least 1000 total shots (FGA + FTA) over the course of the season.

PG: Stephen Curry (1.073)
Curry proved that his fine rookie season was no fluke, increasing his scoring average, FG%, 3P% and FT%. For a point guard, his FG% (.480) is outstanding and he hit an eye-popping 44.2% of his three-point attempts (#3 in the league). He also led the league in free throw accuracy. (Runner-up: Steve Nash)

SG: Ray Allen (1.104)
At 35-years-old, Allen was #2 in 3P% (.444) and #9 in FT% (.881), and thanks to this terrific shooting, he registered the highest PPTS in the league. (Runner-up: Jason Richardson)

SF: Paul Pierce (1.028)
Pierce was #20 in FT% (.860), and since 30.5% of his total shot attempts came from the free throw line (#17 out of the 92 players that qualify), he was able to cash in and register the highest PPTS of any small forward. He also hit 49.7% from the field, which is terrific considering he takes a lot of shots from 17-23 feet. (Runner up: Thaddeus Young)

PF: Dirk Nowitzki (1.036)
No surprise that Dirk made the All-PPTS team since he has been the best big man shooter in the league for some time. He was #40 in 3P% (.397), #7 in FT% (.892) and had a career year from the field (.517). That adds up to the #5 PPTS in the league. (Runner-up: Lamar Odom)

C: Al Horford (1.062)
Horford was #5 in FG% (.557) and was #2 from the free throw line amongst centers (.798). That’s going to add up to some very efficient scoring. In this case, Horford was #3 in the league in PPTS. (Runner-up: Nene Hilario)

PPTS is also useful when looking at overall team shooting. Here’s a look at all 30 teams, sorted by PPTSd (the difference between PPTS and PPTS-allowed):

#TeamPPTSPPTSaPPTSd
1Boston0.9760.8950.081
2Miami0.9750.9030.072
3Dallas0.9880.9280.061
4Orlando0.9560.9030.053
5Chicago0.9410.8900.051
6San Antonio0.9880.9390.049
7LA Lakers0.9530.9180.035
8Denver0.9750.9450.031
9Oklahoma City0.9540.9290.024
10New York0.9750.9590.016
11Philadelphia0.9410.9270.014
12Phoenix0.9800.9660.014
13Golden State0.9700.9570.013
14Atlanta0.9550.9450.010
15Indiana0.9280.9200.008
16Houston0.9580.9520.006
17Utah0.9420.949-0.007
18New Orleans0.9370.950-0.014
19Memphis0.9330.948-0.016
20LA Clippers0.9210.943-0.022
21Milwaukee0.8950.918-0.023
22Portland0.9360.961-0.026
23Charlotte0.9150.949-0.035
24New Jersey0.9070.944-0.038
25Minnesota0.9220.967-0.044
26Toronto0.9310.978-0.047
27Detroit0.9350.986-0.051
28Sacramento0.9090.964-0.055
29Washington0.8980.960-0.062
30Cleveland0.8980.985-0.087

Notice that the top four seeds in each conference all finished in the Top 9 in PPTSd.

Here’s a look at the top PPTS players in the playoffs (minimum 40 total shots):

#PlayerGFGA+FTAPPTS
1Jason Kidd4411.439
2Ray Allen4631.397
3Wesley Matthews4441.159
4Ron Artest4501.120
5Kirk Hinrich4401.100
6Chris Paul4961.063
7Paul Pierce4851.047
8Jrue Holiday4591.034
9Jason Terry4611.016
10Andre Miller4651.015

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