What Is Net Rating in the NBA? Formula and Meaning

NBA net rating measures a team’s scoring advantage per 100 possessions. A net rating of +6.0 means the team’s offensive scoring rate exceeds its defensive points-allowed rate by six points per 100 possessions—not necessarily six points per game. On NBA Stats, it appears as NetRtg. The NBA’s glossary defines it as offensive rating minus defensive rating.

The possession-based scale lets you compare fast and slow teams more fairly. It does not, by itself, adjust for opponent strength or make teams from different eras directly equivalent.

How net rating is calculated

Net rating = Offensive rating − Defensive rating

The two components use the same 100-possession scale:

• Offensive rating (OffRtg): points scored ÷ offensive possessions × 100. Higher is better.
• Defensive rating (DefRtg): points allowed ÷ opponent possessions × 100. Lower is better.

These are the NBA Stats definitions. Use each side’s possession count rather than assuming they must be identical.

Here is a hypothetical sample in which a team and its opponents each have 1,000 possessions:

Measure	Calculation	Result
Offensive rating	1,180 points scored ÷ 1,000 × 100	118.0
Defensive rating	1,120 points allowed ÷ 1,000 × 100	112.0
Net rating	118.0 − 112.0	+6.0

The team scored 60 more points across the sample, which becomes a six-point advantage on the standardized scale.

A possession is not the same as a shot attempt. A missed shot followed by an offensive rebound can lead to another attempt within the same possession; the NBA glossary explicitly notes that an offensive rebound extends a possession rather than creating a new one. Turnovers can end possessions without a shot, while free throws contribute points. Net rating therefore captures more than shooting accuracy.

What is a good NBA net rating?

Above zero is a positive scoring balance; below zero is a negative one. Near zero means a team scores and allows points at roughly equal rates. Higher is better, but a small positive number is not automatically elite.

For a concrete benchmark, the NBA’s 2023–24 regular-season table shows:

• Boston: +11.7, highest in the league, with a 64–18 record.
• Denver: +5.5, with a 57–25 record.
• Houston: +0.9, with a 41–41 record.

Those are full 82-game samples, not universal cutoffs. To decide whether a number is strong or elite, compare its rank with other teams in the same season.

Net rating is also not a win total. A one-point victory and a 25-point victory each count as one win, but their scoring margins affect net rating differently. Houston’s positive rating alongside an even record illustrates that distinction.

For cross-era comparisons, use within-season rank as context. Standardizing possessions removes differences in the number of scoring opportunities; it does not remove changes in rules, tactics or competition.

Player net rating is a team result during that player’s minutes

On NBA Stats, a player’s net rating is the team’s point differential per 100 possessions while that player is on the court—not the player’s own points scored minus points conceded. That distinction comes directly from the league’s definition.

Read a player’s +8.0 as “his team had a positive eight-point scoring balance per 100 possessions during his minutes.” Do not read it as “he personally added eight points.” Teammates, opposing lineups and rotation roles all affect those minutes.

Two other distinctions matter:

• Raw plus-minus reports the actual scoring margin during a player’s minutes; net rating puts performance on a per-100-possession scale. The NBA glossary defines both.
• On/off differential subtracts the team’s net rating without a player from its rating with him. If those figures are +8 and +3, the on/off difference is +5—not +8. NBAstuffer’s explanation shows the same comparison through its offensive and defensive components.

Neither comparison alone isolates individual responsibility. Player net rating is also distinct from box plus-minus.

Reading a leaderboard responsibly

The NBA Teams Advanced table includes season, season-type and date-range filters, plus games played, possessions and both component ratings.

Check those before comparing numbers. Keep regular season and playoffs separate, and give a full-season result more weight than a short hot streak. Then inspect OffRtg and DefRtg: the same net rating can come from a strong offense, a strong defense or a balance of both.