Last updated: 3 October 2026
Reviewed by Jordan Morley, FA Level 2 Football Coach
The NBA's Efficiency (EFF) statistic is a quick all-in-one box-score rating: (points + rebounds + assists + steals + blocks) minus (missed field goals + missed free throws + turnovers). It gives a single number for overall game impact and is easy to calculate by hand. It's simpler than advanced metrics like PER, which adjust for pace and minutes, but useful for a fast read on a single game.
- Adds positives, subtracts misses and turnovers
- Single all-round impact number
- Simpler than PER
- Good for single-game reads
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Open the Player Efficiency (EFF) Calculator →In practice
Player efficiency ratings condense a wide range of statistical categories into a single number meant to represent overall value, but every such metric involves subjective weighting decisions about which statistics matter most — which is why serious analysts generally treat any single efficiency number as a useful starting point for discussion rather than a definitive, final verdict on a player's true value.
FAQ
Can a single efficiency number fully capture a player's value?
No single advanced metric is universally accepted as fully capturing value — defensive contribution, team chemistry and situational impact are notoriously hard to quantify, which is why most serious analysis uses several metrics together.
Why do different efficiency metrics sometimes disagree about a player's ranking?
Each metric weights different statistical categories differently based on its own underlying assumptions, so a player strong in categories one metric emphasizes may rank lower under a metric that weights other categories more heavily.