TOV% (Turnover Percentage)

TOV% (Turnover Percentage) is a measurement of the percentage of turnovers a player records in relation to the team’s overall total while they are in the game.

A high turnover percentage means there is a lot of lost possession of the ball.

Formula: TOV% = (TOV ÷ (FGA + (0.44 x FTA) + TOV)) x 100%

Where:

• “TOV” is the number of turnovers allowed;
• “FGA” is the number of field goals attempted (do not include free throws);
• “FTA” is the number of free throws attempted.

Example:

387 turnovers are allowed. At the same time there are 1917 field goal attempts and 858 free throw attempts.

TOV% = (387 ÷ (1917 + (0.44 x 858) + 387)) x 100%

TOV% = (387 ÷ (1917 + 377.52 + 387)) x 100%

TOV% = (387 ÷ 2681.52) x 100%

TOV% = 0.14432 x 100%

TOV% = 14.432%

By nature of the sport, anything you try to eliminate for yourself on offense, you’re trying to force on defense.

That’s why if you believe effective field goal percentage is the No. 1 determining factor between wins and losses for high school teams, you probably believe turnover percentage is close behind.

Why a percentage over a simple cumulative total? For one, turnover percentage gives you a better idea of how you’re taking care of the ball when pace is considered. A team that racks up a big number of turnovers may simply be playing at hyperspeed, and thus not all that bad.

For another, there are few statistics that affect a team’s effective field goal percentage more than this one. Think about it the more you turnovers you force, the more missed oppor¬tu¬ni¬ties your opponent will have to score or get an offensive rebound.

This is a great tool for scouting, both yourself and your opponents.

In fact, turnover percentage should be one of the first things you should look at when sizing up foes. This will give you an idea of how you should defend them. For instance, if your opponent has a high percentage, you might want to apply an aggressive defense — maybe it’s an attacking zone, man-to-man or even a press. If their percentage is lower, you might opt instead to sit back and try to control the boards.

And once again, it’s also really valuable to pair lineup data with turnover percentage. Seeing how each of your lineups rank with turnover percentage can offer some suggestions about how you can better stagger minutes among your top-performing players.

Looking at your upcoming opponent, a particular lineup of theirs is especially troublesome in the turnover department. Maybe you can install a specific pressure package just for that match-up.

Looking at this stat for individuals might also unearth some new discoveries. Maybe there’s a bench player who’s been demon¬strat¬ing great ball security in limited minutes. And when scouting your next opponent, you notice they love to play pressure defense. This would be an opportune time to give more minutes to that kid with the low turnover percentage.