Player Efficiency Ratings and Other Sortable Stats

The NBA evaluates players based on the EFF quotient calculated by ((Points + Rebounds + Assists + Steals + Blocks) - ((Field Goals Att. - Field Goals Made) + (Free Throws Att. - Free Throws Made) + Turnovers) / Games). This is a pretty simple yet accurate way to evaluate how effective a player is on the court. I decided to take this formula and apply it to Villanova, focusing on the 10 players who receive the most minutes to see how well it translates. Here are some conclusions to ponder...(I'll link my stat sheet when it is finished). Obviously statistics can only go far, but its pretty intersting stuff.

Shane Clark is Villanova's most efficient player based on the NBA EFF Formula. He has a EFF rating of 15.700 11 games into the season.

1. Shane Clark - 15.700
   
2. Scottie Reynolds - 15.455
   
3. Dante Cunningham - 14.364


4. Casiem Drummond - 12.622
   
5. Corey Fisher - 11.222


6. Reggie Redding - 9.091


7. Malcolm Grant - 6.273


8. Antonio Pena - 5.818


9. Dwayne Anderson - 5.000


10. Corey Stokes - 3.364
    

For reference I calculated the EFF for Jason Fraser in 2004-2005, Randy Foye, Allan Ray and Kyle Lowry in 2005-2006 and Mike Nardi, Will Sheridan and Curtis Sumpter in 2006-2007 and Scottie Reynolds in Big East Play in 2006-2007. Foye is the clear leader as he is one of the most complete players to wear a Villanova Uniform.

1. Randy Foye - 18.272


2. Curtis Sumpter - 16.968


3. Kyle Lowry - 14.121
   
4. Allan Ray - 13.312


5. Scottie Reynolds - 11.500
   
6. Mike Nardi - 11.000


7. Will Sheridan - 9.515


8. Jason Fraser - 8.464
   

I didn't like the way the formula failed to account for minutes played so I took the EFF results and divided it by the minutes per game average for each player to determine who makes the most of their minutes to get EFF/M. The results were pretty telling. (Note: Corey Fisher's first collegiate game where he only played 4 minutes was omitted because I felt it did not accurately represent his contributions to the team)

The Team's leader in EFF/M is Casiem Drummond, not surprising because of his ability to grab a ton of rebounds and finish easy lay ups in under 20 minutes per game. It'll be interesting to keep track of where Dwayne Anderson's EFF/M rating goes if his minutes increase in Big East play while Drummond is out.

1. Casiem Drummond - .6779


2. Dwayne Anderson - .6383
   
3. Shane Clark - .5509


4. Antonio Pena - .4923
5. Dante Cunningham - .4802


6. Scottie Reynolds - .4545


7. Corey Fisher - .4191


8. Malcolm Grant - .3966


9. Reggie Redding - .3597


10. Corey Stokes - .2227

For comparison here is the EFF/M for the same Villanova Alums listed above

1. Curtis Sumpter - .5569


2. Randy Foye - .5265


3. Allan Ray - .4152


4. Kyle Lowry - .4069


5. Jason Fraser - .3996


6. Mike Nardi - .3700


7. Will Sheridan - .3694


8. Scottie Reynolds - .3465

So far the Team EFF/M is .4448, (done by taking these 10 player's stats combined). This is quite close to the EFF/M rating for Scottie Reynolds, the team's leader in points and assists and the guy who basically dictates the Villanova Offense. Here are some other key points. (Last Year Reynolds' EFF was 12.455 with a .4207 EFF/M, Reynolds has improved his overall game by 3 EFF Points, a pretty big jump)

Some may be surprised that Malcolm Grant is so low on this list as he has been considered the "microwave" for this team. Grant has shown great 3 point shooting ability this season and incredible confidence for a freshman, but he has really failed to do much else on the floor that shows up in the box score aside from some flashy assists. This low rating shouldn't take away from the overall impact he has had on the team and shows that statistics can only go so far.

Another interesting question that arises out of these findings is: Should Reggie Redding be playing as many minutes as he does when he comes in 2nd to last in the EFF/M rankings? Coach Wright attributes Reddings minutes to solid passing (2.0 apg), rebounding ability (3.7 rebounds/game for a 6'5 guard is very nice) and excellent defensive ability (which the EFF Formula doesn't take into account very well). Redding's EFF/M and overall EFF are very close to that of Will Sheridan, another defensive minded role player who got a lot of minutes from Coach Wright. Redding, just like Sheridan, does very well in the attitude statistics that the team keeps track of, thus why he is on the court for 25 minutes each night.