What is general information about a field goal in basketball
General definition of field goal
A field goal comprises any shot near the basket or near the perimeter, not including the free throw shot, that is taken by an offensive player in possession of the basketball within the boundary lines of the court.
Types of field goal shots
Field goal shots consists of two primary types that are close-range field goal shots near the basket and perimeter-based field goal shots that are further away from the basket.
Close-range field goal shots also feature different sub-types such as the layup, the hook shot, the floater, the slam dunk, as well as the alley-oop action.
Perimeter-based field goal shots include multiple sub-types such as the standard mid-range jump shot, the bank shot, the fadeaway jump shot, and the three-point jump shot.
It should also be mentioned that when coaches implement one or more strategies of basketball offense for their respective basketball teams, close-range field goal shots are usually given a higher priority than perimeter-based field goal shots.
This is primarily because it is typically easier for players to score points by way of close-range field goal shots when compared to perimeter-based field goal shots.
Points for made field goal shots
A made field goal shot is usually worth two points if it is at close-range or it is a perimeter-based shot within the three-point line.
Unsurprisingly, a made field goal shot is normally worth three-points if it is outside of the three-point line.
Nevertheless, in certain instances, there could be exceptions to those common rules.
For example, in the variation of 3 on 3 basketball known as 3×3, as well as many other forms of informal basketball games such as twenty-one, close-range field goal shots in addition to perimeter-based shots could be worth one point if those shots are made within the standard three-point line.
In a similar fashion, perimeter-based field goal shots outside of the standard three-point line would usually be worth two points instead of three points.
Moreover, in the 3 on 3 professional basketball league known as Big3, certain long-distance perimeter-based shots would be worth four points instead of the traditional three points.
General action after made field goal
When a certain team, simply denoted as Team A, makes a field goal, particularly as it relates to full court play, a certain player such as the power forward or center of an opposing team, simply denoted as Team B, would then have an opportunity to gain possession of the basketball as it passes through the basket ring.
From there, that same player from Team B could step out of bounds behind the adjacent baseline, and execute an inbound pass to Team B’s offensive initiator such as the point guard.
Afterwards, Team B’s offensive initiator, typically in the backcourt, could implement transition offense as well as basketball set plays or other strategies to generate scoring opportunities near the basket or near the perimeter.
General action after missed field goal attempt
When a certain team, denoted as Team A, misses a field goal attempt, that same team as well as its opponent, denoted as Team B, could gain possession of the basketball by way of an offensive rebound for Team A or a defensive rebound for Team B.
If Team A gains control via an offensive rebound, then Team A would have an opportunity to attempt another field goal shot, which could lead to second chance points.
Conversely, if Team B gains control via a defensive rebound, then Team B could execute actions such as the primary break or secondary break to score quickly before Team A is able to fully implement their transition defense.
However, if fast break action is not feasible, then Team B could simply carry out their standard basketball set plays, quick hitters, and/or offensive strategies within their frontcourt.
Field goal shot violations
The main types of field goal shot violations include goaltending and basket interference.
Generally speaking, goaltending occurs when one particular player attempts a field goal shot that is initially above the basket ring and as the ball is on a downward motion towards the rim, a defender swats the ball away from the rim.
In reference to the rules of the NBA, NCAA, and the NFHS, basket interference generally occurs when a player interferes with the ball while it is above the basket ring itself and within the imaginary cylinder of the basket ring.
Conversely though, in FIBA, if the ball touches the rim but then bounces with an upward motion above the basket ring, it can be played by either the offensive or defensive players even when it is in the imaginary cylinder.
In other words, in terms of FIBA rules, as long as the ball touches the rim first and it is not in a downward motion as if to pass through the basket ring, then offensive players could tap the ball into the basket ring or defensive players could swat the ball away from the basket ring.
What are the different types of field goal statistics
In terms of basketball statistics, a field goal is a general category that consists of sub-categories known as field goals made, field goals attempted, and field goal percentage.
It is also possible to break down the field goal statistical category into two-point or three-point sub-categories such as two-point (or three-point) field goals made, two-point (or three-point) field goals attempted, and two-point (or three-point) field goal percentage.
In addition to that, the field goal statistic is commonly viewed in the box score following most formal basketball games, particularly 5 on 5 basketball action.
Field Goals Made
Field Goals Made, generally abbreviated as FGM, represents the number of field goals that a player or team made during a particular basketball game or over the course of a season.
Two-point field goals made, a sub-category of field goals made, sometimes displayed as 2FGM, would represent the number of two-point field goals that a player or team made during a particular basketball game or over the course of a season.
Three-point field goals made, a sub-category of field goals made, sometimes displayed as 3FGM, would represent the number of three-point field goals that a player or team made during a particular basketball game or over the course of a season.
Field Goals Attempted
Field goals attempted, usually abbreviated as FGA, shows the number of two-point and/or three-point shots that a player or team attempted within a single game or within several games of a certain season.
Two-point field goals attempted, a sub-category of field goals attempted, sometimes denoted as 2FGA, would represent the number of two-point field goals that a player or team attempted during a particular basketball game or over the course of a season.
Three-point field goals attempted, a sub-category of field goals attempted, sometimes abbreviated as 3FGA, would represent the number of three-point field goals that a player or team attempted during a particular basketball game or over the course of a season.
Additionally, statistics could possibly show an average number of field goal attempts over the course of two or more games as well.
Field Goals Percentage
Field goal percentage, typically abbreviated as FG%, displays the number of field goals that a player or team made in relation to the total number of attempts within one or more games.
Moreover, field goal percentage could be displayed as an average number of makes versus average number of attempts over multiple games.
