Shot Clock Usage

“Shot Clock Usage” is a metric that breaks down the NBA’s 24-second shot clock into segments, then examines various statistics that occurred during those time intervals. These values can be calculated for individual players, teams, and also used to look at league-wide results.

The website 82games uses a system of shot clock usage that is broken down as follows: 0-10 seconds (“quick” possession), 11-15 seconds (“early” possession), 16-20 seconds (“structured” possession) and 21-24 seconds (“late” possession). Once these parameters are established, you can look at a large variety of events that took place within these time segments.

For example, in a recent season, league-wide numbers for Offensive Rating (points per 100 possessions) were calculated. The results were: Quick: 112.3, Early: 102.3, Structured: 100.6, and Late: 91.8. Clearly, the longer a team goes into the shot clock on a possession, the less successful they are in terms of scoring points.

Almost any statistic can be broken down by shot clock usage, and when doing so, a great deal can be learned about how the NBA shot clock affects players and teams in their attempt to play as efficiently as possible.