“We scored 80 and still lost,” or “They scored only 60, but felt much stronger.” Total points can be a misleading way to judge a team because games have different numbers of possessions. Ratings put scoring and defense on a common per-possession scale. This guide is for coaches and team managers who want to move beyond the final score.
This follows our guide to the Four Factors that help explain wins and losses. The Four Factors help identify areas to improve; ratings summarize how efficiently a team scores and defends.
Possessions are the measuring unit
A possession is one turn with the ball: it ends when a team scores, turns the ball over, or otherwise gives the opponent the ball. Since the teams usually have a similar number of possessions in a game, possessions offer a useful common denominator. Converting performance to “per 100 possessions” lets you compare a fast game with a slower one.
A common estimate is: Possessions ≈ field-goal attempts + 0.44 × free-throw attempts + turnovers − offensive rebounds. The coefficient is an estimate, not a rule to memorize. The idea is to approximate how often a team had the ball and its chance to score.
ORtg, DRtg and NetRtg
Offensive rating (ORtg)
ORtg is points scored per 100 possessions: points ÷ possessions × 100. If a team scores 81 points in 90 possessions, its ORtg is 90. That means 90 points per 100 possessions at that efficiency, rather than simply “81 points in this game.” Higher is better.
Defensive rating (DRtg)
DRtg is points allowed per 100 opponent possessions: points allowed ÷ opponent possessions × 100. Lower is better because it means the defense allows fewer points for each opponent possession.
Net rating (NetRtg)
NetRtg is ORtg minus DRtg. A team with ORtg 90 and DRtg 85 has a NetRtg of +5: over 100 possessions, its scoring margin would be about five points at those rates. Positive values indicate a scoring advantage on average; negative values indicate a disadvantage.
Fast pace does not automatically mean strong play
Pace is the number of possessions in a game, or the tempo. A team that attacks quickly can create more possessions and more total points even if each possession is only moderately effective. PPP (points per possession) measures scoring efficiency per possession; it is ORtg divided by 100.
A helpful approximation is: Total points ≈ efficiency (PPP/ORtg) × opportunities (pace). Pace is volume; PPP and ORtg are efficiency. A high-scoring team may simply have played at a faster pace. Ratings help separate that effect from the quality of its offense and defense.
For context, recent NBA league-wide offensive ratings have often been around 110–115, but that is professional-level context only. Age group, competition, skill level and rules change what is a reasonable benchmark. Do not use NBA averages as a pass/fail target for a school or community team.
How to use ratings with a team
- Compare your own games over time. ORtg and DRtg help separate changes in efficiency from differences in opponent strength and pace. A fall from ORtg 95 to 88 can flag an offensive issue even if the team still won.
- Compare the margin in efficiency. NetRtg can help describe a close loss where the teams were nearly even per possession, or show that a win came with a substantial efficiency advantage.
- Look at lineup groups. Ratings by five-player lineup can reveal combinations whose offense works but defense struggles, or vice versa. Use the numbers as evidence to investigate rotations, not as a verdict about an individual player.
Our basketball stats primer explains other common measures.
Automating the arithmetic
Possession estimates include free-throw attempts and offensive rebounds, so hand calculation for every game or lineup can be tedious. BoardStrategist’s scorebook calculates ORtg, DRtg, NetRtg, PPP and pace from recorded plays, and its lineup analysis includes offensive and defensive ratings plus plus/minus. Reports can be exported to PDF or Excel for team review. Check current product details and plan availability before purchase; the measures depend on accurate play-by-play recording.
Frequently asked questions
What is offensive rating?
Points scored per 100 possessions. It lets you compare offensive efficiency while accounting for games with different tempos.
Does the team that scores more have to be stronger?
No. Total points depend on both efficiency and the number of possessions. Ratings help isolate efficiency.
What is the difference between pace and PPP?
Pace measures possessions, or opportunities. PPP measures points per possession, or scoring efficiency.
Can school teams use ratings?
Yes. They are often most useful for comparing a team with itself across games and checking efficiency relative to its opponents. Avoid treating a professional league average as a youth or school benchmark.