NBA standings ordered by shooting efficiency: Karl-Anthony Towns has the Knicks shooting with confidence

Do you remember the moment you realized that field goal percentage isn't an important statistic in the NBA? Is that moment right now? Well, then I'm sorry to tell you like this— but it's true. Shooting percentage is becoming somewhat obsolete as an NBA statistic, and if you're looking for someone to blame... it's Steph Curry.

Okay, that's not 100 percent true; Steph Curry didn't directly have anything to do with making field goal percentage less important as a barometer for determining how good an NBA player is, but the 3-point evolution is a big part of why raw field goal percentage doesn't tell us much about a player's profile in 2024.

With 3-pointers and free throws being such vital parts of the modern game, you're missing a big part of the story when just looking at a player's FG%. How many of those attempts were 3-pointers? How often did they get to the free-throw line? Those are questions field goal percentage can't answer — but questions that true shooting percentage does answer. TS% factors in free throw shooting and

NBA standings ordered by true shooting percentage

1. The Cleveland Cavaliers are as efficient as they come

We're not bakers, but the recipe for success in Cleveland is still pretty easy to follow. Jarrett Allen shoots nearly 69 percent from the field, Evan Mobley is well over 50 percent, Ty Jerome is making over half of his 3-pointers, and the team is No. 9 in the league in free-throw percentage. Mix that all together, and hey, you have the best true shooting percentage in the league by a long shot at 63.3.

Some of these numbers will come back down to earth (sorry Ty Jerome, you probably won't become the first guard to ever shoot 60 percent from the field) but it wouldn't be a shock for Cleveland to remain in this top spot for the whole season. Jarrett Allen doesn't really miss shots, Evan Mobley mixes in enough 3-point attempts (and makes) to keep his personal true shooting high, and Donovan Mitchell is adept at getting to the free-throw line.

Cleveland has a nice mix of high shooting percentages, good free-throw shooters and elite snipers from deep. That's a good mix to keep true shooting percentage high.

2. Karl-Anthony Towns has transformed the New York Knicks offense

Let's do some math. Wait, where are you going? It's fun math!

A good Knicks offense plus one of the best 3-point shooting big men of all time equals... a great Knicks offense! Yes, the numbers check out here.

Last year, New York finished No. 7 in the league in offensive rating but only No. 20 in true shooting, in part because they were a middle-of-the-pack 3-point shooting team. By acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns from the Timberwolves, New York has left the pack and jumped to No. 2 in true shooting at 61.6 percent, and KAT is the catalyst of that rise.

He's hitting over 47 percent of his 3s, getting to the line and dominating the post, too. He was the bump New York needed to take another step forward on offense, and he's providing exactly what Tom Thibodeaux needs.

3. The Boston Celtics will just keep shooting

And they'll probably keep making them, too. Boston led the NBA in 3-point rate last season, and that will probably continue this season. It's hard to blame them for the constant barrage of deep balls, too, because they make so many of them. Plus, they won the NBA Finals, so... why change anything? With a true shooting clip of 60.2, this strategy is working wonders.

Boston's relentless 3-point shooting is great for all efficiency numbers (as long as the shots keep going in) and this team will regularly pass up good 2-point shots in favor of great 3-point shots. Don't expect that to change anytime soon, either — Boston is going to try and replicate last year's success for years to come.

4. The Brooklyn Nets are surprising everyone

Did you expect to see the Nets here? Neither did we. Brooklyn was supposed to occupy the bottom of the NBA ladder in pretty much all important categories this season, but Jordi Fernandez has the team competing in his first season as head coach after years on the Kings including No. 4 in true shooting at 59.5 percent.

This is even more impressive considering Brooklyn's leading scorer is Cam Thomas, who historically has neglected efficiency for the sake of... getting buckets. That's not a diss, by the way. Cam Thomas rules.

But this year, Thomas is both a hooper and a pretty efficient scorer, as his true shooting percentage of 60.5 would be a career-high by far.

5. The Los Angeles Lakers new offensive system is working

With Anthony Davis acting as the Lakers offensive hub this season, LA's offense has been rebuilt under JJ Redick.

AD is getting to the free throw line more while taking (and making) more 3-pointers than ever, two things that are basically automatic efficiency enhancers for a player.

As a team, LA's true shooting percentage of 59.4 is, surprisingly, lower than last year's number of 60.1. But when combined with all other offensive measurements, it's clear this offense has improved pretty significantly.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves (59.3)

7. Chicago Bulls (58.9)

8. Indiana Pacers (58.8)

9. Memphis Grizzlies (58.6)

10. Milwaukee Bucks (58.6)