What Is Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) in Basketball?

The formula

• FGM = field goals made (twos and threes).
• 3PM = three-pointers made.
• FGA = field-goal attempts.

The 0.5 adjustment reflects the extra point a made three produces. A made two is worth two points, and a made three is worth three, which is 50% more. Adding half of each made three to the makes column gives threes that extra credit. Free throws are not part of the formula.

A simple example

Ordinary FG% makes Player B look less efficient. eFG% recognizes the extra value of the two made threes and shows that both players produced the same scoring value from their shots. This is arithmetic, not a ranking of the two players and not a benchmark for any age group.

eFG% versus FG%

• FG% treats every made field goal equally, whether it was a layup or a three.
• eFG% gives made threes additional credit for the extra point they produce.
• FG% is still useful. It tells you how often shots go in, which matters on its own.
• eFG% adds context when two players, or two stretches of games, have different three-point mixes.

If a player takes almost no threes, eFG% and FG% will be nearly identical. The gap between them grows as more of a player's field-goal attempts result in made threes. Our guide What Is a Good Field Goal Percentage in Basketball? covers how to read ordinary FG% in context, and it is linked under Related resources below.

Why shot profile matters

A player's shot mix shapes what eFG% shows. Rim attempts, short and midrange shots, corner threes, wing threes, and above-the-break threes can have different difficulty profiles. Two-point and three-point shots also carry different scoring value, and a player's role helps shape which of those shots they get.

eFG% can help compare shooting efficiency across different shot mixes, because it accounts for the point value of each make. It still does not explain whether the shots were open, contested, rushed, or appropriate for the situation. A shot chart helps fill in where the attempts came from.

Read: Basketball Shot Charts Explained: What They Actually Tell You

What eFG% can tell you

• Whether three-point makes are adding scoring value to a player's shooting.
• Whether two similar FG% numbers hide different shooting efficiency.
• Whether a changing shot mix is changing the value of a player's shooting results.

What eFG% cannot tell you

eFG% is a shooting-efficiency metric, not a player grade. It leaves out a lot:

• Free throws, which are not part of the formula.
• Turnovers and assists.
• Rebounding and defense.
• Shot quality and how closely each shot was contested.
• The player's role and the opponent they faced.

eFG% versus true shooting percentage

eFG% uses field-goal attempts only. True shooting percentage (TS%) goes a step further and also accounts for free throws, so it describes a player's overall scoring efficiency rather than shooting from the floor alone. We'll cover TS% in a dedicated Hoopr guide later.

Small samples

Like any percentage, eFG% can swing sharply when attempts are few. One made three in a game with only a handful of shots can move the number a long way. The metric becomes more informative as attempts accumulate, so a trend across many shots says more than a single night.

Example: same FG%, different eFG%

Their FG% is identical, but Player D's makes produced more points per shot. That changes how you read the two players' shooting efficiency. It does not mean Player D is automatically the better player. Their roles, shot difficulty, and everything else they do on the floor still matter.

What parents should actually look for

• Is eFG% changing because three-point accuracy changed?
• Is the shot mix changing?
• Is FG% flat while eFG% moves?
• Did the player's role or competition level change?
• Does the shot chart help explain the change?

These questions fit the wider approach in Basketball Statistics Explained: A Parent's Complete Guide and How to Measure Basketball Player Development, both linked below. One number is a starting point for a conversation, not a verdict.

What to work on if eFG% is falling

Diagnose before prescribing. A falling eFG% can show up alongside several different changes or contexts worth reviewing:

• Fewer made threes.
• Lower efficiency on two-point shots.
• A different shot mix.
• A change in role.
• Tougher competition.

A falling eFG% does not mean a player should simply shoot more threes. Start by understanding what changed, using the shot chart and game context, and then decide whether the pattern points to a practice priority.