Effective field goal % (eFG%), explained — and how it differs from TS%

Plain field-goal percentage counts a made three and a made two as equally successful, which is obviously wrong — one is worth 50% more points. Effective field goal percentage fixes exactly that. It adjusts the standard shooting percentage to give three-pointers their proper credit, so a player who lives beyond the arc is no longer unfairly ranked below a mid-range two-point shooter.

eFG% takes made field goals, adds half-credit weighting for the extra value of each made three, and divides by total attempts. You do not need the formula in your head — the takeaway is simple: making 4 of 10 threes gives the same eFG% as making 6 of 10 twos, because both produce 12 points from 10 shots. It puts every made basket on an equal points-per-shot footing.

eFG% and true shooting percentage (TS%) are close cousins with one gap. eFG% accounts for threes but ignores free throws; TS% folds in free throws as well. So eFG% is the purer measure of shooting from the field, while TS% is the fuller measure of total scoring efficiency. Use eFG% to judge jump-shooting, TS% to judge overall scoring including trips to the line.

Because it credits the three, eFG% runs higher than plain FG%. Around 52-54% is roughly league-average territory in the modern NBA; elite shooting teams and efficient scorers push into the high 50s. As with all efficiency stats, pair it with volume — a huge eFG% on three shots a night means little next to a strong one carried across a full scoring load.

eFG% is a big reason the three-point revolution happened. Once teams measured shooting this way, the math was undeniable: an open three at a decent percentage beats a contested long two almost every time. Chasing high-eFG% shots — layups and open threes — over inefficient mid-range looks reshaped how basketball is played, and it is exactly the kind of shot-quality thinking behind data-driven previews like those on SportMetrics.