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.
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.