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Definition – What is “Efficiency” in basketball?
“EFF” in basketball stands for player efficiency. It is a total performance statistic that attempts to measure a player’s performance above the number of points produced.
It is an addition of positive actions (points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks) minus negative actions (missed field goals, missed free throws, and turnovers).
NBA statistics list EFF as a simple addition (and subtraction) of these factors. Other variations of EFF show EFF per game played (EFF/GP, sometimes listed as just EFF) or EFF normalized to 1 unit of regulation game time (EFF/48 for NBA and EFF/40 for NCAA and WNBA).
Formula – How to calculate EFF
Efficiency (EFF) = (PTS + REB + AST + STL + BLK – Missed FG – Missed FT – TO)
Efficiency per Game = EFF ÷ Games Played
Efficiency per 48 minutes (EFF/48)= (EFF ÷ Minutes Played) x 48
Efficiency per 40 minutes (EFF/40) = (EFF ÷ Minutes Played) x 40
Where:
- “PTS” is the number of points scored by the player.
- “REB” is the number of rebounds by the player.
- “AST” is the number of assists by the player.
- “STL” is the number of steals by the player.
- “BLK” is the number of blocks by the player.
- “Missed FG” is the number of field goals (shot on basket that are not a free throw) missed by the player.
- “Missed FT” is the number of free throws missed by the player.
- “TO” is the number of turnovers the player has allowed.
Example
A player has 26 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 9 missed field goals, 7 missed free throws, 7 turnovers, 10 games played, and 372 minutes played.
EFF = (26 + 5 + 10 + 1 + 1 – 9 – 7 – 7) = 20
EFF/GP = 20 ÷ 3 = 6.66
EFF/48 = (20 ÷ 72) x 48 = 13.33
EFF/40 = (20 ÷ 72) x 40 = 11.11
Sources and more resources
- Wikipedia – Efficiency (Basketball) – includes and explanation of the EFF statistic, including individual player efficiency. This formula explains EFF as a per game played measurement.
- Sporting Charts – Efficiency – A glossary entry on the Efficiency statistic in basketball.
- Statistics on EFF from the NBA