8 essential terms explained
A per-minute rating developed by John Hollinger that sums up all a player's positive contributions and subtracts negative ones. League average is always 15.0. The formula accounts for field goals, free throws, 3-pointers, assists, rebounds, blocks, steals, and turnovers, adjusted for pace.
Nikola Jokic's PER of 31.5 in 2023-24 was one of the highest ever. Michael Jordan's career PER of 27.9 is the all-time record. A PER above 25 is MVP-caliber.
A measure of shooting efficiency that accounts for field goals, 3-point field goals, and free throws. Unlike regular FG%, it doesn't penalize players who draw fouls or shoot threes. Formula: Points / (2 × (FGA + 0.44 × FTA)). League average is typically around 56-57%.
A player shooting 45% from the field but 40% from three and 90% from the line might have a TS% of 62% — well above average. Steph Curry's career TS% of 62.5% shows his incredible efficiency.
Achieving double digits (10+) in three of five statistical categories in a single game: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. It demonstrates all-around excellence. Russell Westbrook holds the career record with 199 triple-doubles.
A typical triple-double line: 22 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists. Rare ones involving steals or blocks (like a 20/10/10/5 game) are considered more impressive because those are harder stats to accumulate.
The most common play in basketball. A ball-handler's teammate sets a screen (pick) on the defender, then moves toward the basket (roll). The ball-handler uses the screen to create an advantage — either driving, shooting, or passing to the rolling screener. Defending the pick and roll is the single most important defensive challenge in modern basketball.
Luka Doncic and Daniel Gafford run pick and roll: Gafford screens Luka's defender, Luka drives left, the help defender steps up, Luka lobs to Gafford for the dunk.
The maximum amount a team can spend on player salaries in a season. In 2025-26, the NBA salary cap is approximately $141 million. Teams can exceed it using exceptions (Bird rights, mid-level, etc.) but face luxury tax penalties. The cap is based on a percentage of Basketball Related Income (BRI).
The Warriors paid $170M+ in luxury tax in 2022-23 while spending $215M on salaries. Teams in the "second apron" ($189M+) face additional restrictions on trades and signings.
The point differential when a player is on the court. If you're +12 in a game, your team outscored the opponent by 12 points during your minutes. Simple +/- is noisy in small samples but meaningful over a season. Adjusted versions (RPM, RAPM, EPM) isolate individual impact from teammate effects.
A bench player might score 5 points but have a +/- of +18 because the lineup he played in dominated. Conversely, a 30-point scorer might be -8 if his defense allowed easy buckets.
A foul deemed to involve unnecessary or excessive contact. Flagrant 1: unnecessary contact — the offended team gets free throws AND possession. Flagrant 2: unnecessary AND excessive — same penalties plus automatic ejection. Accumulated flagrant foul points lead to suspensions in the playoffs.
A hard push on a player in mid-air attempting a layup is typically a Flagrant 1. A swinging elbow that hits a player in the face is usually a Flagrant 2 and ejection.
Teams have 24 seconds to attempt a shot that hits the rim. The clock resets to 14 seconds on an offensive rebound. If the shot clock expires without a shot attempt, it's a turnover. The shot clock was introduced in 1954 to prevent teams from stalling — before it, teams would hold the ball for minutes.
A team trailing by 1 with 18 seconds left will try to use the entire shot clock so the opponent has no time for a final possession. The shot clock creates urgency and pace.