Assist %
The percentage of a team's field goals that a player assisted while he was on the floor.
Raw assist totals reward players who play more minutes and benefit from teammates who finish at a high rate. A point guard on a poor shooting team might generate just as many open looks as one on an elite team — but get credited with far fewer assists. Assist % normalises for both minutes and teammates' shooting, making it a cleaner measure of playmaking impact.
Benchmarks
- League average: ~49%
- Good: above 51%
- Elite: above 53%
In 2025–26, Olympiacos led the league with 21.7 assists per game — reflecting their system-first approach en route to a dominant 29–12 record. Valencia Basket followed at 21.1, while Monaco posted 20.7. Fenerbahçe, despite finishing 27–15, averaged just 16.0 assists — the lowest among playoff-calibre teams, relying instead on their league-best defense (111.3 DRTG).
Olympiacos' league-leading 21.7 assists per game in 2025–26 showed a team built around collective offense — their ball movement fueled the EuroLeague's best offensive rating (122.3) and a commanding 29–12 record. Contrast this with Fenerbahçe at just 16.0 assists per game — they won through defensive dominance (111.3 DRTG) and individual shot-creation, not ball movement. High AST% is one way to build an offense, not the only way.
Tensions
A great play often starts two or three passes before the assist. The skip pass that creates the drive that draws the foul that opens the corner three — none of those passes show up as assists. Assist % measures the final link in a chain. Exceptional playmakers often create more than they're credited for.
A team with 70% of baskets assisted might be running a beautiful motion offense — or they might be running simple pick-and-roll actions that generate assisted layups mechanically. Assist % tells you the ball moved before the shot; it doesn't tell you whether the movement was sophisticated.
Formula
AST% = (Player Assists × Team FGM) / (Player Minutes × (Team FGM / Team Minutes) − Player FGM) × 100
AST%: Assist Percentage / AST: Assists / FGM: Field Goals Made
