GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
What denominators distinguish NBA assist percentage, assist ratio and assist-to-pass percentage?
They measure different opportunities. NBA Assist Percentage divides assists by teammate field goals while the player is on the floor; Assist Ratio reports assists per 100 possessions used; Assist to Pass Percentage divides assists by passes made. Compare the source label and denominator before treating the rates as alike.
For Bettors and cappers interpreting basketball statistics · Updated
Assist Percentage uses teammate field goals
The NBA glossary defines Assist Percentage as the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted on while on the floor. Its formula is AST divided by (TmFGM − FGM), where team field goals made are reduced by the player’s own field goals made. This denominator is not the number of possessions or passes.
Assist Ratio and Assist to Pass use different volumes
Assist Ratio is assists per 100 possessions used: (AST × 100) / POSS. Assist to Pass Percentage is assists divided by passes made. One scales to possessions used; the other uses a player’s recorded passes as its denominator.
Keep the player, time window and on-court scope aligned before comparing them. Similar-looking rates can diverge because their opportunity sets differ, not because one is a recalculation of another.
One fictional player ledger
Hypothetical sample for one player over the same recorded on-court window: team field goals made are 30, the player’s own field goals made are 8, the player has 6 assists, 20 possessions used and 50 passes made. Assist Percentage is 6/(30−8) = 6/22 = 27.3%. Assist Ratio is (6×100)/20 = 30 assists per 100 possessions used. Assist to Pass Percentage is 6/50 = 12%. Each calculation uses the same 6 assists but a different denominator; all counts are invented.
Related questions
Is Assist Ratio the same as assists per pass?
No. The NBA glossary defines Assist Ratio per 100 possessions used. Assist to Pass Percentage divides assists by passes made.