Stat's JoshFarc likes to apply:
PER : Stat that takes into account positive accomplishments, such as field goals, free throws, 3-pointers, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals, and negative ones, such as missed shots, turnovers and personal fouls. The formula adds positive stats and subtracts negative ones through a statistical point value system. The rating for each player is then adjusted to a per-minute basis so that, for example, substitutes can be compared with starters in playing time debates. It is also adjusted for the team's pace. In the end, one number sums up the players' statistical accomplishments for that season. PER strives to measure a player's per-minute performance, while adjusting for pace. A league-average PER is always 15.00, which permits comparisons of player performance across seasons.
Per36: A stat that simply adjusts a players production to 36 minutes per game. It's a great way to compare players in a much more objective fashion. Simply put: it's going to show a players production as a starter getting starter minutes(36). When most analysts compare two players they will adjust each player to Per36 to get a more precise look. Comparing two starters per game stats while one plays 40mpg and the other plays 30mpg is not a very precise look into their actual production on the court; thus Per36 comes into play.
Per Game: A player's statistical average per game. It's what most people are used to looking at and seeing. I mean, it is the objective truth that cannot be questioned, and is always the best statistic to use when talking about a star player who plays starter minutes or comparing 2 players with closely related minutes. The best stat... but when you want to compare a player that plays 33 minutes a game and a player that plays 22.1 minutes a game because he's the backup to some superstar/studs, moving to a different measurement is always the way to go.
*note: Please do not confuse the capitalized "PER" which is John Hollinger's equation that deduces a player to one number with the Per36; his PER is literally spoken as P, E, R, but for some reason it's not written as an acronym like P.E.R. Per36 is literally saying "per", the English word meaning "referring to". The Per36 is just so important because most good/great starting NBA players will start the game and play around 36 minutes. I've noticed many sites show a Per48 stat, which I find stupid since a player's production drops if he plays 48 minutes straight; or at least 95% of the NBA players. Lebron might be able to pull it off. On ESPN I've seen P/40 which was referring to "Per 40 minutes"; some players actually average 39, 40, 41 minutes per game. That one CAN be used, but the majority of respected basketball writers will use the per game stats, Per36 stats, and Hollinger's PER system, and possibly use a different equation called "EFF", short for Efficiency, which is quite similar to the whole PER system ( I believe it just uses TS% more ore less...?). That's why I stick with PER. I hope this page helped you understand what the PER and Per36 are and how useful they have been for the past 10+ years and how you can apply them to many situations for the future.
