Basketball Stats Calculator

About This Tool

Basketball statistics tell the story of a game beyond the final score. Whether you are evaluating your own rec league performance, analyzing a player for fantasy basketball, or studying box scores for deeper insight, this calculator transforms raw counting stats into meaningful percentages and composite metrics. Enter your game stats above to get a complete performance breakdown including field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free throw percentage, efficiency rating, and true shooting percentage.

Understanding the Efficiency Rating

The efficiency rating, sometimes called the NBA Efficiency statistic or EFF, is a simple composite metric that captures a player's total box score impact in a single number. The formula adds all positive contributions (points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks) and subtracts negative contributions (turnovers, missed field goals, and missed free throws). While it does not capture defensive positioning, screen-setting, or other intangibles, it provides a useful quick-glance summary of box score production. An efficiency rating of 20 or higher in a single game is considered excellent, while 30+ approaches MVP-caliber performance.

True Shooting Percentage Explained

True Shooting Percentage (TS%) is considered the most accurate measure of shooting efficiency because it accounts for the different values of two-point field goals, three-point field goals, and free throws. The formula is: Points / (2 x (FGA + 0.44 x FTA)). The 0.44 factor approximates the number of possessions used by free throws, since and-one free throws and technical free throws do not use a full possession. The NBA league average TS% typically falls between 56% and 57%. Players like Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant consistently post TS% above 60%, which is considered elite efficiency.

Shooting Percentage Benchmarks

For field goal percentage, the NBA average is approximately 46-47%. Big men who play close to the basket often shoot 55-65%, while guards and wing players typically fall in the 42-48% range. For three-point shooting, the league average is around 35-36%. Anything above 38% is considered very good, and above 40% is elite. Free throw percentage averages around 77-78% league-wide. Most coaches consider 70% acceptable, 80% good, and 90%+ excellent. Poor free throw shooters like Shaquille O'Neal and DeAndre Jordan have historically shot below 50%, leading to the well-known "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy.

Advanced Metrics Context

The efficiency rating calculated here is a simplified box score metric. The NBA and analytics community use more sophisticated measures like PER (Player Efficiency Rating, developed by John Hollinger), BPM (Box Plus-Minus), and VORP (Value Over Replacement Player). These advanced metrics account for pace, minutes played, position, and league averages. PER is normalized so that league average is always 15.0. A PER above 20 is All-Star level, and above 25 is MVP-caliber. While those calculations require season-long data and league context, the efficiency rating here provides a solid single-game performance snapshot.

Using This Calculator for Fantasy Basketball

Fantasy basketball managers can use this tool to quickly evaluate player performances. In standard category leagues, look for players who shoot efficiently (high FG% and FT%) while contributing across multiple categories. The efficiency rating helps identify well-rounded performers versus one-dimensional scorers. A player with 20 points on 25 shots might have fewer points than their stat line suggests when you factor in the missed attempts. Comparing true shooting percentage between players gives a much clearer picture of who is truly efficient versus who simply takes more shots.