Amanda Knapp
Basketball is a game of numbers. While there are many intangibles that can't be measured by statistics, analytics are widely used and accepted throughout the basketball world. One of the most popular metrics for assessing a player's performance is the Player Efficiency Rating (PER), which was developed by ESPN.com columnist John Hollinger. PER is a per-minute rating that sums up a player's positive and negative accomplishments, giving each player a single number to express their statistical performance. This number can be used to compare players across seasons, as the league-average PER is always 15.00. However, PER is not the only rating system, and it has been criticised for its focus on offensive performance and its potential to distort a player's defensive value. Other metrics include Efficiency (EFF), offensive efficiency rating (OER), and defensive efficiency rating (DER).
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Player Efficiency Rating (PER) | A per-minute rating developed by ESPN.com columnist John Hollinger. It sums up a player's positive and negative accomplishments. |
| PER league average | 15.00 |
| PER top score | 32.85 (Nikola Jokic) |
| PER top players | Nikola Jokic, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shaquille O'Neal |
| PER drawbacks | PER largely measures offensive performance. It can be distorted by defensive statistics like blocks and steals. |
| Points per game (PPG) | The number of points a player scores in a game. |
| Rebounds | The number of times a player retrieves the ball after a missed shot. |
| Assist percentage | The percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while on the floor. |
| Defensive rating | The number of points allowed by a player per 100 possessions of the ball. |
| Value Point Formula | A playing rating formula that takes into account a player's entire season or part of a season. |
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What You'll Learn
Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
PER strives to measure a player's per-minute performance, while adjusting for pace. A league-average PER is always 15.00, which permits comparisons of player performance across seasons. For instance, if a player had a league-average rate of shots and they were all 2-pointers, and he shot 30.4%, he would end up with a PER of 7.18, which would make him considerably worse than nearly every player in the league. To end up with a league-average PER of 15.00, the actual break-even mark in this case is 48.5%, which is exactly what the league average is on 2-point shots.
PER takes into account positive results, including field goals, free throws, 3-pointers, assists, rebounds, blocks, and steals, and negative results, including missed shots, turnovers, and personal fouls. The formula adds positive stats and subtracts negative ones through a statistical point value system. The rating for each player is then adjusted to a per-minute basis so that substitutes can be compared with starters in playing time debates.
PER is calculated using a detailed formula that rates every player's statistical performance. It is important to have an accurate record of a player's PER so that coaches can objectively determine their strongest players and help market them to potential recruiters.
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Points per game (PPG)
PPG is calculated by dividing the total number of points scored by the number of games played. For example, if a player has scored 500 points in 82 games, their PPG would be calculated as 500 / 82 = 6.1 PPG. This formula provides the average number of points scored per game.
PPG is often used to rank players' offensive contributions and is a key factor in determining scoring champions. High PPG scorers are typically seen as star players and can significantly influence a team's offensive strategy. Throughout NBA history, PPG has been the primary statistic for identifying top scorers. For example, Wilt Chamberlain holds the record for the highest single-season PPG with 50.4 in the 1961-62 season, while Michael Jordan has the highest career PPG in NBA history with 30.12.
However, it's important to consider PPG in the context of other statistics for a more complete picture of a player's performance. PPG does not account for efficiency (shots taken), playing time, or other contributions such as rebounds or assists. For instance, Dennis Rodman was known not only for his PPG total but also for his rebounding prowess, averaging 13.1 rebounds per game. Assist percentage is another important statistic, which estimates the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while on the floor. Additionally, Player Efficiency Rating (PER) provides a per-minute evaluation of a player's skills, taking into account both positive and negative accomplishments.
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Assist percentage
The formula to calculate assists is:
> 100 x Assists/(((Minutes played/(Team Minutes/5)) x Team field goals made) – Field goals made)
However, assist percentage does have its limitations. For example, a player with a high assist percentage may not necessarily translate to a higher number of team scores. Other factors, such as the team's pace and minutes played, can influence the number of assist opportunities per minute.
Other basketball statistics, such as Player Efficiency Rating (PER), provide a per-minute evaluation of a player's skills. PER takes into account both positive and negative accomplishments and can be a more comprehensive way to assess a player's performance.
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Defensive rating
The defensive rating formula, developed by Dean Oliver, is based on the calculation of intermediate data defined as "Stop". Stop represents the number of interrupted actions by the opponent. There are two types of Stop: Stop1, which depends on the terms found on the box score, and Stop2, which depends on "hidden" terms and requires a more complex calculation. Steals are added together, while blocks and defensive rebounds are multiplied by coefficients that consider the rebounding fight and the opponent's shooting percentage.
To calculate the team's defensive rating, the points conceded are divided by the total possessions, and the result is multiplied by 100. This provides a measure of the team's overall defensive efficiency. For an individual player's defensive rating, the formula becomes more complex. It considers the team's total points conceded per 100 possessions, the percentage of defensive possessions where the player is the primary defender, and the points conceded when a shot is made or a foul is committed. This adjustment skews the statistic to reflect the impact of an individual player on the team's defensive performance.
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Rebounds
There are two types of rebounds: offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds. Offensive rebounds are retrieved from missed shots by a player's own team, while defensive rebounds are retrieved from missed shots by the opposing team. A player's rebounding prowess can be assessed through their rebound percentage (REB%). This is calculated by adding up the number of missed shots that didn't go out of bounds or lead to a foul and then determining the percentage of times a player gained possession of the ball as a result of those missed shots.
Some notable players with high RPG include Wilt Chamberlain, who holds the NBA record for the highest single-season RPG with 27.2 in the 1960-61 season, and Bill Russell, who has the highest career RPG in NBA history with 22.5. Dennis Rodman is also known for his rebounding skills, averaging 13.1 rebounds per game over his career, for a total of 11,954 rebounds. Kevin Garnett is another notable rebounder, with 14,662 rebounds over his career.
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Frequently asked questions
The player efficiency rating (PER) is a per-minute rating developed by ESPN.com columnist John Hollinger. It sums up a player's positive and negative accomplishments and returns a per-minute rating of their performance. The league-average PER is always 15.00, which permits comparisons of player performance across seasons.
The formula for PER is:
> (Player's positive stats) - (Player's negative stats) x (Minutes played / (Team minutes / 5))
Positive stats include field goals, free throws, 3-pointers, assists, rebounds, blocks, and steals. Negative stats include missed shots, turnovers, and personal fouls.
