Box Plus/Minus (BPM) is an advanced basketball statistic that estimates a player’s contribution to the team, measured in points per 100 possessions above or below an average player. A positive value indicates a player contributes positively to the team while on the court, whereas a negative value suggests the player’s presence is detrimental. For example, a player with a BPM of +5.0 is estimated to contribute 5 points per 100 possessions more than an average player.
The usefulness of this metric lies in its attempt to synthesize offensive and defensive contributions into a single number, offering a quick assessment of a player’s overall impact. It provides valuable insights for player evaluation, trade analysis, and lineup construction. Historically, its development aimed to overcome limitations of traditional statistics that often failed to capture a player’s complete value to the team. Over time, it has gained traction among analysts and fans alike, supplementing conventional metrics.