Restricted Area Percentage

Restricted Area Percentage in basketball measures the field goal success rate on attempts taken within the restricted area, the four-foot radius semicircle painted under the basket where defensive players cannot draw charging fouls (except on players who start their drive from outside the lower defensive box). This specialized shooting efficiency metric quantifies finishing ability at the rim on the highest-percentage shot location in basketball, providing crucial insights into interior scoring skill, athleticism, touch, and ability to convert close-range attempts despite defensive pressure. Restricted Area Percentage serves as a fundamental evaluation tool for assessing finishing ability across all positions, from guards attacking off drives to centers finishing around the basket. The calculation formula for Restricted Area Percentage is straightforward: (Restricted Area Field Goals Made / Restricted Area Field Goal Attempts) × 100 percent. A player who makes 120 shots in the restricted area on 180 attempts shoots 66.7 percent from the restricted area. Player tracking systems precisely identify restricted area attempts through coordinate data measuring exact shot distance, ensuring accurate classification of attempts within the four-foot semicircle. League-average Restricted Area Percentage typically ranges from 63-66 percent in the modern NBA, significantly higher than any other court location due to close proximity to the basket. This exceptional efficiency makes restricted area attempts extremely valuable: 65 percent shooting generates 1.30 points per shot, matching or exceeding even wide-open three-pointers (1.26-1.35 PPS). The combination of high success rate and high point value makes rim attacks and restricted area finishing central to efficient offensive basketball. Position significantly affects Restricted Area Percentage expectations due to different physical attributes, roles, and shot contexts. Centers typically show the highest percentages (68-75+ percent) through size advantages, dunking ability, and high-quality looks from rolls, cuts, and post-ups. Power forwards average 65-72 percent mixing dunks with layups. Athletic wings show 60-68 percent through drives and cuts. Guards range widely (55-68 percent) based on finishing ability, strength, and touch against taller rim protectors. Shot type within restricted area attempts dramatically affects conversion rates. Uncontested dunks succeed at 95+ percent, uncontested layups at 75-85 percent, contested layups at 55-65 percent, and highly contested attempts against rim protectors at 45-55 percent. Restricted Area Percentage aggregates these diverse shot qualities, meaning percentage alone doesn't fully reveal finishing skill without context about shot contest levels and attempt types. Finishing ability for perimeter players manifests clearly in Restricted Area Percentage. Elite finishing guards and wings convert 65-70+ percent of restricted area attempts despite facing contests from bigger rim protectors. Average finishers show 58-63 percent. Poor finishers struggle to reach 55 percent, limiting their driving value as opponents willingly concede contested layups. Finishing development significantly impacts restricted area efficiency for perimeter players. Size and athleticism advantages appear starkly in Restricted Area Percentage. Taller players shoot higher percentages through better angles over defenders and dunking ability. Explosive athletes finish through contact and above contests more readily than less athletic players. Strength enables finishing through contact. These physical advantages explain why centers and athletic wings typically show higher restricted area percentages than smaller guards. Restricted area frequency combined with percentage determines total restricted area scoring value. A player with 70 percent restricted area shooting on 8 attempts per game produces 11.2 points per game from the restricted area (8 × 0.70 × 2), substantial offensive production. High restricted area frequency on good efficiency indicates elite interior scoring creating significant value. Handedness effects on Restricted Area Percentage reveal finishing versatility. Players who finish effectively with both hands maintain higher percentages through angle diversity, while one-handed finishers show efficiency drops when forced to their weak hand. Tracking attempts and efficiency by finishing hand (left vs right) reveals ambidextrous finishing ability or areas for development. Contact absorption and finishing through fouls correlates with Restricted Area Percentage. Players who finish through contact maintain efficiency despite defensive pressure, showing high restricted area percentage and high free throw rate. Those who struggle with contact show lower percentages and avoid driving into traffic. Physical strength and body control determine contact finishing ability. Touch and finesse contribute to Restricted Area Percentage through soft layups, creative angles, English (spin) on the ball, and banking shots off the glass effectively. Players with exceptional touch like Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry convert difficult contested layups through creativity and finesse. Those lacking touch rely more on athleticism and strength for restricted area finishing. Rim protection effects on opponent Restricted Area Percentage measure defensive impact at the rim. Elite rim protectors like Rudy Gobert reduce opponent restricted area percentage by 5-10+ percentage points through deterrence and shot alteration. Poor rim protectors allow opponents to shoot 3-5 points above their normal percentages. Tracking opponent restricted area percentage when specific defenders are involved quantifies individual rim protection value. Transition Restricted Area Percentage typically exceeds half-court percentage by several points through uncontested fast break layups and early offense advantages before rim protection arrives. Players with high transition frequency show inflated restricted area percentages through easier transition attempts. Declining transition opportunities in playoffs sometimes reduces restricted area percentage from regular season averages. Assisted versus unassisted restricted area percentage reveals shot creation context. Assisted restricted area field goals (cuts, rolls, put-backs) typically succeed at 70-80+ percent through wide-open opportunities created by teammates. Unassisted attempts (self-created drives and post moves) convert at 55-65 percent through defensive resistance. High assisted restricted area percentage indicates benefiting from team offense, while high unassisted percentage demonstrates individual creation and finishing. Pick-and-roll restricted area efficiency for both ball handlers (driving to rim) and roll men (rolling to basket) represents crucial offensive value. Elite pick-and-roll finishers convert 65-72+ percent of pick-and-roll restricted area attempts through reading defenses and finishing in traffic. This efficiency makes pick-and-roll one of basketball's most effective actions. Post-up restricted area percentage measures efficiency on restricted area attempts from post position, typically through power moves, drop steps, and hook shots very close to the basket. Elite post players finish 70-75+ percent of these attempts through positioning, strength, and touch. Declining post-up frequency league-wide has reduced volume of these attempts, but efficiency remains high for skilled post players. Restricted area percentage on drives specifically measures finishing efficiency when attacking the basket off the dribble. Elite drivers convert 60-68+ percent of drives finishing at the rim, creating substantial scoring value. Poor finishers struggle to reach 55 percent, allowing defenses to concede drives knowing shots likely miss. Age effects on Restricted Area Percentage show young players often improving through strength gains, skill development, and finishing package expansion. Prime players show peak percentages through optimal athleticism and skill. Aging players typically decline as they lose elevation, explosion, and ability to finish through contact, sometimes dropping 3-5 percentage points from peak. Usage relationship with Restricted Area Percentage generally shows slight inverse correlation: higher-usage players take more difficult restricted area attempts facing greater defensive attention, potentially reducing percentage. Role players often show inflated percentages through selective shot-taking on highest-quality opportunities created by teammates. Restricted area percentage in clutch situations reveals pressure finishing ability. Some players maintain efficiency in crucial moments, demonstrating composure converting layups under pressure. Others show declines as defensive attention intensifies and pressure affects touch and decision-making. Clutch restricted area efficiency identifies reliable late-game interior scorers. Playoff restricted area percentage often declines 2-4 percentage points from regular season as defenses intensify, rim protection improves, and help rotations accelerate. Players maintaining restricted area efficiency in playoffs demonstrate finishing ability translating to heightened defensive pressure. Significant drops indicate struggles against elite playoff defenses. Opponent-adjusted restricted area percentage accounts for rim protection quality faced. Maintaining high efficiency against elite rim protectors demonstrates superior finishing ability. Percentage inflating against poor rim protection might not translate against quality opponents. Opponent-adjusted metrics provide fairer efficiency evaluation. Restricted area percentage benchmarks for evaluation indicate 65+ percent represents solid efficiency for guards and wings, 68+ percent very good, and 72+ percent elite finishing. Centers should exceed 68 percent, with 72+ percent very good and 75+ percent elite. Players consistently below 58 percent (guards/wings) or 65 percent (bigs) struggle with restricted area finishing. Shot selection within restricted area attempts affects percentage: taking only highest-quality restricted area attempts improves percentage at cost of reduced volume, while attacking aggressively increases volume but may reduce percentage through more difficult attempts. Optimal balance maximizes total restricted area production. Foul drawing correlates strongly with restricted area attempts, as contact occurs frequently on rim attacks. Players with high restricted area frequency typically show high free throw rates. Restricted area attempts ending in fouls don't count as field goal attempts but generate free throw value, so total restricted area impact includes both makes and drawn fouls. Restricted area finishing development emphasizes diverse finishing packages (layups with both hands, floaters, runners, reverse layups, dunks), strength training for contact absorption, body control for angles and positions, and touch refinement for soft finishes. Young players particularly benefit from restricted area finishing development expanding their offensive capabilities. Limitations of restricted area percentage include aggregating diverse shot difficulties (wide open dunks, heavily contested layups) obscuring quality differences, missing foul-drawing value not appearing in field goal attempts, and not accounting for shot creation difficulty (self-created vs assisted). More context about attempt quality and creation method helps interpretation. The future of restricted area percentage analysis will involve more sophisticated shot quality metrics: expected restricted area percentage based on defender proximity and shot type, restricted area finishing decomposed by creation method and hand used, and restricted area value including foul-drawing. Enhanced tracking enables more precise restricted area efficiency evaluation. In contemporary basketball analytics, Restricted Area Percentage provides essential information about interior finishing ability, a fundamental offensive skill valuable across all positions. The restricted area's exceptional efficiency makes finishing there crucial for offensive production, driving strategic emphasis on rim attacks through drives, cuts, and post play. Teams use restricted area percentage for player evaluation, finishing development priorities, offensive role definition, and understanding scoring efficiency. As basketball analytics advance, restricted area percentage will remain fundamental for assessing close-range scoring ability and interior offensive impact.