How this instrument works
Effective field goal percentage (eFG%) is (field goals made + 0.5 × three-pointers made) / field goals attempted. The 0.5 adjustment exists because a made three-pointer is worth 50% more than a made two-pointer, but ordinary field goal percentage counts them identically — a player who makes four of ten threes and a player who makes five of ten twos both show a plain 40–50% field goal percentage despite the first player scoring more actual points on the same number of attempts. eFG% corrects that by crediting the extra half-point of value each made three carries.
Concretely: two players who both go 10-for-20 shooting from the field — one making 4 threes and the other making none — would look identical on plain field goal percentage (50%), but the eFG% formula gives the three-point shooter credit for the extra scoring value, pushing that player's figure to 60% against the other's 50%. That gap is the entire reason eFG% exists: it answers 'how efficiently did this player convert shot attempts into points,' which plain FG% can't do once three-pointers are part of the game.
eFG% doesn't account for free throws at all — a player who draws contact and scores efficiently from the line can have a modest eFG% and still be an efficient scorer overall. That's the gap true shooting percentage (TS%) is built to close, factoring in free-throw attempts alongside field goals. eFG% stays focused specifically on field-goal shot selection and accuracy, which is exactly what makes it useful for evaluating shot quality independent of how often a player gets to the line.
- Enter Field goals made — total made field goals, twos and threes combined.
- Enter Three-point field goals made — the subset of field goals made that were three-pointers.
- Enter Field goals attempted — total field goal attempts, twos and threes combined.
- Read Effective field goal percentage (eFG%) beneath the inputs, shown as a decimal to four places.
- Field goals attempted must be greater than zero, and made field goals (including threes) can never exceed attempts.
Worked example — 10-for-20 shooting, 4 threes made
Enter 10 into Field goals made, 4 into Three-point field goals made, and 20 into Field goals attempted. eFG% = (10 + 0.5 × 4) / 20 = 12 / 20 = 0.6000, or 60.0%.
Plain field goal percentage on the same line would read only 50% (10 makes on 20 attempts) — the eFG% calculation adds the extra 2 to the numerator (0.5 × 4 made threes) specifically because those four threes were worth four extra points beyond what four made twos would have scored, and 60.0% reflects that added scoring value directly.
Questions
How is eFG% different from plain field goal percentage?
Plain field goal percentage treats every made shot identically, whether it's a two-pointer or a three-pointer, so it can't distinguish a player scoring efficiently from beyond the arc from one scoring the same percentage entirely inside it. eFG% adds a 0.5 weight to made three-pointers before dividing by attempts, crediting the extra half-point of value each one is actually worth.
Is eFG% the same thing as true shooting percentage (TS%)?
No. eFG% only accounts for field goal attempts and makes (two- and three-pointers). True shooting percentage goes a step further and also factors in free-throw attempts, giving a fuller picture of overall scoring efficiency. eFG% stays narrowly focused on field-goal shot selection and accuracy, which is exactly why it's the preferred stat for evaluating shooting decisions specifically.
Can eFG% ever exceed 100%?
Yes, mathematically. A player who makes every attempt as a three-pointer would post an eFG% of 150% — (FGM + 0.5×FGM) / FGM = 1.5 — since every make is worth 50% more than a standard field goal. In practice, elite single-game shooting nights land well below that ceiling, but the formula itself has no cap at 100%.
What does it mean if eFG% equals plain field goal percentage exactly?
It means the player made zero three-pointers on the attempts counted — with 0 three-point makes, the 0.5 × 3PM term in the numerator adds nothing, so eFG% reduces to the same FGM / FGA plain field goal percentage. An 8-for-16 line with no threes made, for example, gives an eFG% of exactly 0.500, identical to plain FG%.
Does eFG% credit missed three-point attempts differently from missed two-point attempts?
No — every attempt, whether it's a two or a three, counts equally in the denominator (FGA) regardless of outcome. eFG% only adjusts the numerator for made three-pointers; a missed three costs exactly as much as a missed two in terms of its effect on the attempt total, which is why shot selection (not just shot-taking volume) drives a player's eFG% up or down.