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Assist to Turnover Ratio (AST/TO) (Basketball)

LAST UPDATE: September 24th, 2020

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Definition – What is Assist to Turnover Ratio?

Assist to turnover ratio puts a player’s assists in context with their turnovers.

A higher AST/TO can mean more ball control. A lower number can mean less ball control.

Some consider it an indicator of ball control. A player who creates more assists (passes that make a point) and fewer turnovers (the number of times they lose the ball) may have better ball control.

A player who scores a lot may have a low number of assists (points scored do not affect the ratio). They would also have a higher number of turnovers (they may also take the ball closer to the net). This player would have a lower ratio than a player who focuses on assists.

Where:

  • An “assist” goes to the player who passes the ball to a teammate who then scores a basket. The NBA does not record assists that result in points from free throws. FIBA (International Basketball Federation) matches do record assists in points from free throws.
  • A “turnover” is when a player loses possession of the ball to the opposite team. Examples of turnovers include: stepping out of bounds, passing the ball out of bounds, creating an offensive foul (resulting in the ball changing possession), being called for a violation, or having the ball stolen.

Formula – How to calculate AST/TO

AST/TO = Assists ÷ Turnovers

Example

A player has 42 assists and 7 turnovers recorded towards them.

AST/TO = 42 ÷ 7

AST/TO = 6

Therefore, this player’s Assist to Turnover Ratio is 6

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