Basketball Player Efficiency Calculator
Turn full box-score stats into an EFF-style efficiency rating
Basketball efficiency FAQ
What does this basketball efficiency number measure?
This calculator combines the main box-score stats into one EFF-style efficiency total. It adds up points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, then subtracts missed field goals, missed free throws and turnovers. The idea is to give you a quick net impact number from basic stats.
Is this the same as the classic EFF formula?
Yes, the total follows the common efficiency definition: positives (PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK) minus negatives (missed FG, missed FT, TO). Many sites also report EFF per game and EFF per 48 or per 40 minutes, which this tool can show when you add games played and minutes played.
Why do I have to enter missed field goals and missed free throws?
Missed shots are the main way the formula captures shooting efficiency. A big raw point total with lots of misses will have lower EFF than the same points on fewer attempts. If your box score only lists attempts and makes, you can just subtract them to get the misses.
What counts as a “good” efficiency score?
It depends on minutes and level. For a single game, an EFF in the teens is usually a solid contribution, into the twenties is strong, and thirty-plus is the kind of game that anchors a box score. Over a season, you’ll usually want to look at EFF per game or per 40/48 minutes instead of just the raw total.
Why do you include per game and per 48/40 minutes?
Totals heavily favour players who log big minutes. EFF per game helps compare players with similar roles, and EFF per 48 or per 40 minutes normalises for playing time so you can see how productive a player is when they are actually on the floor.
Does this replace advanced metrics like PER?
No. PER and other advanced numbers use more complex weighting and pace adjustments. This tool is meant to be a quick box-score helper you can compute from simple stats at any level, from youth to pro, without needing a full analytics engine.
How should coaches and players use this in practice?
Treat the efficiency score as a starting point for conversation. It helps spot big nights, empty box scores or turnover-heavy games, but you still need context from video, matchups, system and roles before making decisions about minutes or roles.
How to use this efficiency calculator with box scores
This page is designed for coaches, players, stat keepers and fans who want a fast, EFF-style read on a box score. You can use it on single games, tournament runs or full seasons as long as you keep the sample consistent.
1. Pick the sample you care about
Decide whether you are analysing one game, a series, a whole season or something like the last ten games. Add up points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, missed field goals, missed free throws and turnovers from that exact sample and enter the totals here.
2. Add the box-score positives
Fill in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. These are the things the formula rewards. If your league doesn’t track a stat (for example, blocks or steals at some youth levels), just leave it at zero.
3. Add missed shots and turnovers
Next add missed field goals, missed free throws and turnovers. Missed shots pull the score down, especially if a player is using a lot of possessions to score. Turnovers also hurt the total because they give the ball away without even getting a shot up.
4. (Optional) Add games and minutes
If you know games played and minutes played, type them into the optional fields. The calculator then shows:
- EFF per game (total EFF ÷ games).
- EFF per 48 minutes (NBA-style) and per 40 minutes (FIBA/college-style).
That makes it easier to compare players who play different minutes or to track improvement over time.
5. Copy the summary for reports and scouting
Use Copy summary to paste the full line and efficiency numbers into your own sheets, scouting reports or messages. It saves you from re-typing stats from the calculator into your own docs.
Efficiency is still just one tool in the box. For serious scouting, combine it with shooting percentages, role, game film and whatever advanced metrics are available in your league.
How the basketball efficiency math works
The efficiency formula here follows the usual EFF-style approach: add the good, subtract the bad. It stays close to definitions used on many stat and calculator sites so you can compare numbers easily.
1. Add up the positive stats
First, the calculator sums the basic contributions:
Positives = points + rebounds + assists + steals + blocks
These are the things box scores highlight and that most fans recognise as production on both ends of the floor.
2. Subtract missed shots and turnovers
Then it subtracts the main negatives:
Negatives = missed field goals + missed free throws + turnovers
A player who scores efficiently and protects the ball will keep this part smaller, which pushes their overall efficiency up compared with someone who needs lots of attempts and gives the ball away often.
3. Combine them into a total EFF score
The total efficiency for your chosen sample is just:
EFF = positives − negatives
That total can be positive, zero or negative depending on the balance between contributions and mistakes.
4. Per-game and per-minute versions
If you add games played, the tool calculates:
EFF per game = EFF ÷ games played
If you also add minutes played, it shows:
EFF/48 = (EFF ÷ minutes) × 48
EFF/40 = (EFF ÷ minutes) × 40
These help compare players who have different roles and minutes while still using the same underlying EFF total.
The goal is to keep the math transparent and easy to double-check: if you have the same stats in a spreadsheet, you can recreate the numbers in a few cells and know they match what this page reports.
References and further reading on basketball efficiency
These links explain how efficiency and EFF-style stats are usually defined:
- Wikipedia — Efficiency (basketball) — overviews efficiency metrics built from points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, turnovers and shot attempts.
- Captain Calculator — NBA Efficiency Calculator (EFF) — shows the common formula that adds positives and subtracts missed field goals, missed free throws and turnovers.
- vCalc — Basketball Scoring Efficiency — demonstrates closely related efficiency formulas including per-game versions built from the same stats.
You can use these as deeper background while this tool handles the everyday arithmetic for your own box scores.