NBA Stats Glossary
Usage Rate
Also: Usage % · USG% · URAT
The percentage of team plays that end with a given player's shot, turnover, or free throw attempt while they're on the floor.
Definition
Usage rate measures how much of a team's offense runs through an individual player. It captures field goal attempts, free throw attempts, and turnovers — the three ways a possession ends — and expresses them as a share of total team possessions while the player is on the court.
Formula
USG% = (FGA + 0.44 × FTA + TOV) × (Team Min / 5) / (Min × (Team FGA + 0.44 × Team FTA + Team TOV))
Example
A usage rate of 30% means the player ends roughly 30% of possessions while on the floor. Stars typically sit between 28% and 38%; role players between 14% and 22%.
Why it matters for research
Usage is the strongest single predictor of volume-based prop lines (points, shot attempts, field goals). A player with rising usage often has rising prop volume; a player losing touches usually sees props drop.
Related terms
The percentage of teammate field goals a player assists on while they're on the floor.
The percentage of a player's possessions that end in a turnover.
A shooting efficiency metric that weights 2-pointers, 3-pointers, and free throws into a single percentage.
Apply Usage Rate in research
Ask any NBA question using this metric. The assistant pulls the actual numbers and explains what they mean for tonight's lines.