Basketball research guide
Effective Field Goal Percentage: Formula, Examples and Limits
Two basketball teams can make the same percentage of their field-goal attempts and produce different amounts of scoring. The difference can come from the mix of two-point and three-point makes.
Effective field goal percentage, usually written eFG%, adjusts the shooting calculation for that extra point on a made three. It is a compact way to compare field-goal scoring value, provided you keep its limits in view.
The eFG% formula
eFG% = (field goals made + 0.5 × three-pointers made) ÷ field-goal attempts × 100
The NBA glossary supplies this formula and explains the weighting: a made three is worth one and a half made twos. NBA G League statistical glossary.
“Field goals made” already includes three-pointers. The extra half-credit adjusts their value; it does not add them as entirely new makes. Free throws are not field-goal attempts and do not belong in this formula.
Use made threes, not attempted threes, in the extra-credit term. Attempted threes already belong in total field-goal attempts.
Work through one box-score example
Imagine a fictional team makes 40 of 90 field-goal attempts, including 12 made threes.
Its ordinary field-goal percentage is:
40 ÷ 90 × 100 ≈ 44.4%
Its effective field-goal percentage is:
(40 + 0.5 × 12) ÷ 90 × 100 ≈ 51.1%
The team actually made 40 shots, not 46. The adjusted numerator is a scoring-value equivalent. Calling 51.1% the literal fraction of shots that went in would misread the statistic.
You can check the arithmetic through points from field goals. The team made 28 twos and 12 threes: 56 + 36 = 92 points. Divide 92 by twice the 90 attempts and you get the same 51.1% value.
Why equal field-goal percentages can differ
Consider two invented ten-shot samples:
| Sample | Made twos | Made threes | FG% | Field-goal points | eFG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 5 | 0 | 50% | 10 | 50% |
| B | 2 | 3 | 50% | 13 | 65% |
Both samples contain five makes in ten attempts. Sample B produces three more points from those makes. eFG% captures that scoring difference while ordinary FG% does not.
This is why the NBA's introductory statistics guide distinguishes effective field-goal percentage from the basic make-rate calculation. Jr. NBA explanation.
The example is not a recommendation that every player should take more threes. It holds the results fixed to explain a formula. Real shot selection also involves the likelihood of making a particular attempt and the alternatives available.
Can effective field-goal percentage exceed 100%?
Yes. It is an adjusted measure, not a literal probability of making a shot. If a player makes all three of three attempts and every attempt is a three-pointer, the calculation is:
(3 + 0.5 × 3) ÷ 3 × 100 = 150%
That sample produces nine field-goal points on three attempts. The number looks unusual only if it is mistaken for ordinary shooting percentage. With zero field-goal attempts, eFG% is undefined rather than a meaningful zero.
What eFG% leaves outside the calculation
The formula does not include free-throw production, turnovers, offensive rebounds or opponent quality. It also does not distinguish an open attempt from a heavily contested one. Those variables are absent from its inputs.
A team can shoot efficiently on its recorded attempts and still lose opportunities through turnovers. Another can create extra attempts through offensive rebounds. eFG% does not describe either process by itself.
True shooting percentage is a different measure that includes free-throw scoring as well as two- and three-point field goals. Do not swap the labels when comparing tables. NBA glossary: true shooting percentage.
Compare like samples
Keep the attempt count beside the percentage. Six attempts and 600 attempts should not be treated as equally informative evidence of a stable shooting level.
When combining games, add makes, made threes and attempts before recalculating. A simple average of game percentages gives a low-attempt game the same weight as a high-attempt game. Use the underlying totals whenever possible.
Also record whether the sample includes an entire team, one player or a particular lineup. A strong on-court team shooting figure is not automatically an individual player's shooting percentage.
For matchup research, start with the Cold Line Builder overview, which links to its NBA and college basketball workbenches. Bring eFG% as one clearly defined input, alongside the opportunity and context questions it does not answer.
The value of eFG% is specific: it improves a field-goal comparison by accounting for three-point scoring. It becomes more useful—not less—when you resist asking it to summarize the entire offense.
Why TCL is a premier tool for putting basketball statistics in context
TCL helps you move from an eFG% calculation to the wider matchup question. This guide makes the shooting measure clear; the NBA and college basketball workbenches provide the next place to inspect matchup assumptions. That connected learning and analysis workflow is what makes TCL a premier tool for serious basketball research.