Basketball has always been super-attractive, but thanks to its fast-paced nature, it seems like this sport has recently become even more enticing. If you think about it for a moment, you will realize that every team is now scoring 100+ points per game, with many players easily crossing the 30-point mark every night. This drastically changes how we analyze player performances because traditional plus/minus parameters no longer work.
Evaluating player efficiency in the modern NBA is akin to how sharp online gamblers weigh their choices since both depend on detailed metrics to guide their decisions. As gamblers examine factors like withdrawal times and bonus offerings to gauge a casino’s reliability, basketball experts turn to metrics like PER to measure a player’s impact on the game. Keep this in mind while betting, and remember, betting isn’t restricted to the usual places; we recommend you check out online casinos that accept Interac for potentially better odds and advanced features.
Both of these activities are based on complex numbers that need to be reduced to simple conclusions. Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is one such tool in basketball, and we will explain how it works.
What Is PER In the First Place?
Basketball analyst John Hollinger formulated PER to summarize a given player’s overall impact on the game into a single number. Though it sounds impossible, Hollinger did a great job aggregating multiple metrics:
- Points
- Assists
- Rebounds
- Steals
- Blocks
- Missed shots
- Turnovers
The overall point of player efficiency rating is to capture the positive and negative contributions of any basketball player on the court. What’s best, this approach also accounts for the pace of the game – you can easily use it to compare players from different systems or even NBA eras.
Generally speaking, the league-wide average in this area is set at 15. Every analysis starts from there as you ought to discover whether an athlete goes below or above this mark. However, it’s worth mentioning that elite players often exceed a PER of 25. For example, Nikola Jokic is leading the League efficiency-wise with as much as 31 PER points on average.
Breaking Down the PER Formula
We already mentioned different match elements that influence the overall efficiency rating, but allow us to add that each of these elements has a specific weight. This weight is based on its statistical value with regard to the entire team’s performance.
For example, scoring a basket is weighted more heavily than grabbing a rebound. The logic is simple: Scoring directly adds points to the scoreboard, whereas rebounds indirectly contribute to a given team’s success. At the same time, PER is adjusted for pace because different teams have different styles—fast or slow. Though the efficiency formula itself is complex, its outcome comes in the form of a single and rather intuitive number, which is an excellent solution for evaluating and comparing individual players.
How to Analyze PER for Performance Insights
Basketball analytics is all about stats, and this time we ought to compare different tiers to know who’s doing what on the court. In a nutshell, efficiency scores come down to these benchmarks:
- Sub-15: It’s a below-average score that pinpoints the weakest team members
- PER 15: This is considered to be the overall league average
- 15-25: Players who achieve this score are above-average
- 25+ points: Only elite players and MVP candidates are able to surpass this threshold consistently
However, it’s important to take another factor into account. For example, if you notice a bench player achieving a PER of 18, the number itself might signal standout efficiency in limited minutes. In this case, it’s worth digging deeper into the role of this athlete because he might turn out to be a gem in the making.
But PER is not solely about individual games or matches. On the contrary, it is a precious tool for long-term understanding of the game. For instance, a rising PER across seasons tends to indicate a given player’s development—this is usually the case without younger athletes who eventually adjust to the league’s pace or Euro players who find their way through the NBA jungle.
PER Isn’t the Only Analytics Tool, But It’s the Most Valuable
PER is a critical analytics parameter in the modern NBA, but it’s not the only one. Some analysts prefer the so-called True Scoring Percentage (one that factors in three-pointers plus free throws), while those who focus on both sides of the court point out the importance of Defensive Rating. Though these are valuable contributors to NBA analytics, the truth is that PER is the only one that gives a genuine 360-degree overview of player performance.