Effective field goal percentage (eFG%)

What it means in basketball, and how it works in HoopSim.

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The rule in full: Game day, in the rulebook.

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Glossary · StatsEffective field goal percentage (eFG%)

The definition

Effective field goal percentage (eFG%) is field goal percentage adjusted so that a made three-pointer counts for one and a half made twos, because it is worth one and a half times the points.

HoopSim computes eFG% for every player and team from the box score and shows it on the stats pages, and it is the shooting factor in the four factors. In the sim, eFG% is driven by how open each shot is: wide-open looks go in much more often than contested ones, quick defenders close out faster, smarter players pass up bad looks, and hot players sometimes force a heat check. Your Three-point usage setting only pays with real shooters, which is exactly what eFG% measures.

Example: 8 of 20 from the floor with 4 threes is 40% field goal percentage but 50% eFG%, the same as 10 of 20 on all twos.

Formula
eFG%	(FGM + 0.5 x 3PM) / FGA

Rulebook: Who shoots, and how open. Related: true shooting percentage, four factors.

In the rulebook: Game day, the chapter this term comes from, with the exact numbers the engine uses.

Related terms

Still stuck? The FAQ has the questions people ask, the rulebook the rules in full, or go back to the glossary.