Basketball PER Calculator
Player Efficiency Rating (PER) was developed by basketball analyst John Hollinger to measure a player's per-minute productivity, with the league average normalized to 15.00 each season. PER incorporates points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks as positive contributions, and turnovers, missed field goals, and missed free throws as negative contributions, all adjusted per minute. This calculator uses the simplified uPER approach, which gives a close estimate to the official pace-adjusted PER when league pace is near average.
PER formula (simplified)
uPER/min = (PTS + REB + AST + STL + BLK - TOV - (FGA - FGM) - (FTA - FTM)) / MP
PER estimate = uPER/min x 67.5
The scaling factor of 67.5 aligns the simplified formula so that an average player produces approximately PER 15. The full Hollinger formula includes additional adjustments for pace, team pace, and assists creating points.
PER rating scale
- Above 25.00: MVP-level season.
- 20.00 to 25.00: All-Star caliber.
- 15.00 to 20.00: Above average starter.
- 13.00 to 15.00: Average rotation player.
- Below 13.00: Below average; bench or developmental player.
Basketball PER calculator: frequently asked questions
What is PER in basketball?
PER stands for Player Efficiency Rating. Developed by John Hollinger, it attempts to sum up a player's statistical contributions per minute into a single number. The league average PER is always set to 15.00.
What is the PER formula?
The full PER formula (published by Hollinger) is complex, involving pace adjustment and league-wide pace factor. This calculator uses a widely cited simplified estimate: uPER per minute is derived from positive (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks) and negative (turnovers, missed shots) contributions, then pace-adjusted and scaled so the league average equals 15.
What is a good PER in the NBA?
A PER of 15 is exactly league average. A PER above 20 indicates an All-Star caliber player. Above 25 is an MVP-level season. The all-time single-season PER record is Michael Jordan's 31.71 in 1987-88. Most rotation players are in the 12 to 20 range.
Does PER account for defense?
PER captures steals and blocks as defensive contributions, but it underweights defense compared to offense. A player who is an excellent defender but average scorer may have a lower PER than their true value. PER is best used alongside defensive metrics like DPOY votes or defensive rating.
How does minutes per game affect PER?
PER is a per-minute rate stat, so it is normalized for minutes played. A bench player with high efficiency in limited minutes can have a higher PER than a starter with more total production. This is why PER is more meaningful when a player has logged at least 500 minutes.
Official sources
- Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) reference on basketball metrics: sabr.org.
- NBA Official Statistics Glossary: nba.com/stats/help/glossary.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 15 June 2026. See our methodology.