About the Basketball Efficiency Calculator
Points are the headline statistic in basketball, but a player who scores 25 points on 30 shots with five turnovers may help their team less than one who scores 15 on 10 shots while grabbing rebounds and making assists. The efficiency rating, known as EFF, tries to capture a player's total contribution in a single number from the box score. It is used by the NBA and by many international and European leagues.
This basketball efficiency calculator works out EFF from points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, minus missed field goals, missed free throws and turnovers. It also gives true shooting percentage, field goal and free throw percentages, and works per game for season totals.
How to Use the Basketball Efficiency Calculator
Enter the player's points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
Enter field goals attempted and made, free throws attempted and made, and turnovers.
Enter the number of games: 1 for a single game, or the number of games for season totals.
How Efficiency Is Worked Out
positive = points + rebounds + assists + steals + blocks
negative = (FGA − FGM) + (FTA − FTM) + turnovers
EFF = (positive − negative) ÷ games
TS% = points ÷ (2 × (FGA + 0.44 × FTA))Step-by-Step Example
25 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 10 of 20 from the field, 5 of 6 from the line, 3 turnovers.
Positive: 25 + 8 + 6 + 2 + 1 = 42
Negative: (20 − 10) + (6 − 5) + 3 = 14
EFF: 42 − 14 = 28
True shooting: 25 ÷ (2 × (20 + 0.44 × 6)) = 55.2%What Is a Good EFF?
| EFF per game | What it suggests |
|---|---|
| 30 or more | MVP level |
| 20 – 29 | All-Star level |
| 15 – 19 | Solid starter |
| 10 – 14 | Rotation player |
| Under 10 | Limited impact |
Only a few players in any season average 30 or more. Because EFF is a total, not a per-minute figure, players who play more minutes naturally score higher.
True Shooting Percentage
Field goal percentage treats a three-pointer like a two-pointer and ignores free throws. True shooting percentage fixes both by comparing points scored with the scoring attempts used, counting a free throw attempt as 0.44 of a shot (some free throws come in pairs, some in threes, and some after a made basket). A true shooting percentage of about 57 percent is typical in the modern NBA; above 60 percent is excellent.
Strengths and Weaknesses of EFF
EFF is easy to calculate from any box score and gives credit for everything a player does, not only scoring. But it treats every statistic equally: a rebound counts as much as a point, and a missed shot is penalised the same whether it was a desperate end-of-clock heave or a lazy attempt. That tends to favour centres and power forwards, who collect rebounds and blocks near the basket, over guards who take harder shots. It also says nothing about defence beyond steals and blocks.
EFF, PER and Other Measures
The player efficiency rating, PER, developed by John Hollinger, is a more complex per-minute rating adjusted for pace and scaled so the league average is 15. Other modern measures, such as box plus-minus and win shares, estimate a player's effect on the scoreboard. EFF remains useful as a simple, transparent summary that anyone can work out.
Using EFF for Your Team
Coaches in youth and amateur leagues can use EFF to see which players contribute beyond scoring. Tracking it through a season, along with true shooting, highlights players who make good decisions and rewards rebounding, passing and defence.
A Worked Season Example
Season totals work the same way, divided by games played. Suppose a forward finishes a 70-game season with 1,400 points, 560 rebounds, 210 assists, 70 steals and 50 blocks, having made 520 of 1,100 field goals and 300 of 380 free throws, with 150 turnovers. The positive total is 2,290; the negative total is 580 missed field goals, 80 missed free throws and 150 turnovers, or 810. The season EFF is 1,480, which is about 21.1 a game — All-Star level on this scale. True shooting is 1,400 ÷ (2 × (1,100 + 0.44 × 380)), or about 55.1 percent, a solid figure for a high-volume scorer.
Getting Accurate Numbers
Official box scores list every statistic the formula needs, usually in the order PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK, FGM–FGA, FTM–FTA and TO. Rebounds include both offensive and defensive rebounds. For your own team, a volunteer keeping a simple tally sheet on the bench is enough; the key is to record missed shots and turnovers as carefully as points, since they pull the rating down. Free throw attempts that come from technical fouls count the same as any others.
Comparing Across Levels
Games in high school, college and international competition are shorter than NBA games — 32, 40 and 40 minutes against 48 — so raw EFF figures are lower. Compare players within the same league, or divide by minutes played and multiply by 36 to put players with different playing time on the same footing.
Understanding Your Result
Efficiency is the EFF rating, per game for several games.
Breakdown shows the positive and negative parts.
True shooting gives the true shooting percentage.
Shooting percentages gives field goal and free throw percentages.
Rating describes the level of the EFF.
Worth knowing explains the limits of EFF.
When Should You Use This Calculator?
Rating a player's game from a box score.
Comparing players on your team.
Following fantasy basketball statistics.
Tracking a season per game.
Checking shooting efficiency.
Common Mistakes
Subtracting made shots instead of missed ones.
Forgetting turnovers.
Comparing season totals without dividing by games.
Comparing players with very different minutes.
Relying on EFF alone to judge defence.