Assist Percentage (AST%)
Assist percentage (AST%) is the share of a team's made baskets that a player assists while on the floor. It measures how much of the offense a player creates for others, correcting raw assist totals for pace and minutes so a playmaker on a slow team is not undersold.
Also known as: assist rate, assist ratio.
Formula
AST% = Assists / (((Player minutes / (Team minutes / 5)) x Team FGM) - Player FGM) x 100
In plain terms: the teammate baskets a player set up, as a share of the teammate baskets that happened while they were on the court.
Worked example
A lead guard who assists on a third of teammate baskets while on the floor posts an assist percentage around 33% - a clear primary creator.
Benchmarks
| Tier | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Elite creator | 35%+ |
| Good | 25 - 35% |
| Secondary | 15 - 25% |
| Low | under 15% |
Ranges are approximate and drawn from public league-average data; exact figures move season to season and vary by source. Use them as a read, not a hard cutoff.
How coaches and scouts use it
- Identify the real engine of an offense, not just the player with the most raw assists on a fast team.
- Pair assist percentage with turnover percentage to judge whether a playmaker creates cleanly or forces the issue.
- Spot secondary creators whose assist percentage rises when the primary ball-handler sits.
Common mistakes
- Reading raw assists per game as playmaking - pace and minutes inflate the total without more actual creation.
- Ignoring turnovers - high assist percentage means little if it comes with a high turnover rate.
Assist Percentage (AST%) is calculated automatically inside Scouting4U.
Measure playmaking with assist rate and assist-to-turnover in Scouting4URelated metrics
Usage rate (USG%) explained: the share of possessions a player finishes on the floor, with the formula, benchmarks, and how to read it with efficiency.
Turnover percentage (TOV%) explained: turnovers as a share of possessions used, the formula, benchmarks, and how coaches read it on offense and defense.
Offensive rating (ORtg) explained: points scored per 100 possessions, the formula, elite vs average benchmarks, and how scouts use it to rank offenses.