What is NBA Efficiency (EFF)?

EFF is the league's simple box-score rating: points + rebounds + assists + steals + blocks, minus missed field goals, missed free throws, and turnovers. It rewards all-round production in a single number and is easy to compute from a stat line.

How does EFF differ from Hollinger's PER?

Hollinger's true PER is pace-adjusted and league-normalised so the average is always 15.00, which requires full-league data this tool cannot include. EFF is the raw, unadjusted box-score version, which is why it is the practical choice for a single line.

Why use a per-minute figure?

Total EFF favours players who play more minutes. Dividing by minutes, or scaling to a 36-minute baseline, reveals efficient bench players whose totals are low only because their court time is short.

What counts as a missed shot here?

A missed field goal is field goals attempted minus field goals made; a missed free throw is free throws attempted minus made. Enter attempts and makes, or directly enter misses if that is how your stat sheet reports them.

Is a higher EFF always better?

Generally yes for offensive box-score impact, but EFF ignores defence beyond steals and blocks, and rewards volume scoring. Pair it with True Shooting percentage and net rating for a fuller picture of a player's value.

What is the Basketball Player Efficiency Rating (PER) Calculator?

Enter points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, turnovers, fouls, and minutes to estimate a player's efficiency. Includes the simple NBA Efficiency (EFF) metric and a per-minute rate. Runs in your browser. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

Basketball Player Efficiency Rating (PER) Calculator

Name: Basketball Player Efficiency Rating (PER) Calculator
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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A single box-score line hides how much a player actually contributed. The NBA’s Efficiency rating compresses scoring, rebounding, playmaking, and defence into one number, and penalises wasted possessions. This calculator computes it correctly and adds a per-minute rate so you can compare players fairly.

When to use this calculator

EFF is useful when you want a quick snapshot from a single-game stat line — for fantasy basketball decisions, post-game analysis, or comparing prospects in box-score databases. Because it is additive and transparent, it is easy to explain to someone unfamiliar with advanced metrics. It is less suited for long-term evaluation where pace, competition, and role context matter, but for a fast read on a game it is the right tool.

How it works

NBA Efficiency sums positive plays and subtracts the negative ones:

EFF = PTS + REB + AST + STL + BLK
      − (FGA − FGM) − (FTA − FTM) − TOV

The missed-shot terms FGA − FGM and FTA − FTM punish inefficient volume scoring. Dividing the total by minutes gives a per-minute rate, and multiplying that by 36 produces the common per-36-minutes figure used to compare players with different roles.

Example and tips

A player with 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting, 8-of-10 free throws, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, and 3 turnovers has an EFF of 24 + 7 + 5 + 2 + 1 − 9 − 2 − 3 = 25. Over 30 minutes that is 0.83 per minute, or about 30 per 36 minutes — a strong all-round game. Remember EFF rewards volume, so cross-check a high score against shooting efficiency before drawing conclusions.

What the numbers actually mean

As a rough guide: a single-game EFF above 30 represents an outstanding performance, 15–25 is a solid starter’s game, and under 10 for a starter usually means a rough night. The per-36 figure flattens out the role difference between starters and bench players and is the number to use when comparing someone who played 20 minutes against someone who played 35.

Limitations to know

EFF does not know about defensive positioning, screen-setting, floor spacing, or hustle plays that do not appear in a box score. A player who draws charges, sets forty screens, or makes rotations that prevent easy baskets contributes real value that shows up as zero in the formula. For a fuller picture, pair EFF with True Shooting percentage (to judge scoring quality, not just volume) and net rating (to measure actual team impact on and off the floor).

How to enter the numbers

Most box scores report field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, total points, total rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and turnovers. Enter each directly. The tool computes the missed-shot penalties internally — you do not need to subtract yourself. If your stat source only reports total rebounds, enter that; if it splits into offensive and defensive rebounds, add them first.

Minutes is used only for the per-minute and per-36 scaling, so it does not affect the raw EFF total. If you leave minutes blank, the raw EFF is still calculated — you just will not see the per-minute rates.