Basketball moves fast. Every shot attempt, rebound battle, turnover and defensive rotation in a game produces data. The Sofascore Rating takes all of it and turns it into a single, objective number that shows who actually made a difference on the court.

It is the same Rating that decides the Sofascore Player of the Season Award basketball edition, and it now appears live on ABA League broadcasts. Here is how it works.

Jokić vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: what the Sofascore Rating sees

Take two of the best players in the NBA. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists, for a Sofascore Rating of 8.42. Nikola Jokić averaged fewer points, 29.6, but added 12.2 rebounds and 11.0 assists, for a rating of 8.90.

Look only at points and Gilgeous-Alexander comes out ahead. The Rating looks at everything a player does on the floor, and that full picture tilts the comparison toward Jokić. It doesn’t settle who the better player is. It shows that scoring is only one part of the game.

The Sofascore Rating scale, from 3.0 to 10

Every player starts at 6.5 the moment they step on the court. From there the rating moves up or down with each action, on a scale from 3.0, the lowest possible rating, to 10, the highest.

Colors make the scale easy to read at a glance:

• 3.0 to 5.0 (red): a tough night
• 6.0 to 6.5 (orange and yellow): around the starting level
• 7.0 (green): a solid, positive performance
• 8.0 (light blue): a standout game
• 9.0 to 10 (blue): an exceptional performance

Behind the number is a broad set of statistics tracked for every player. The algorithm then compares those stats with everyone else’s, so the final rating reflects a player’s real impact on the game rather than raw totals alone.

Why game context matters in basketball ratings

No two games are the same. Some nights teams score 130 points, and other nights they barely reach 90. The Sofascore Rating takes those differences into account.

Here is an example. James Harden scored 35 points with 10 rebounds and a plus-minus of 0 as the LA Clippers lost 102-105 to the Atlanta Hawks. His rating was 9.0. Pascal Siakam put up 36 points and 10 rebounds with a plus-minus of +19 as the Indiana Pacers beat the Chicago Bulls 120-105. His rating was 8.5.

Siakam scored more, finished with a better plus-minus and won the game. Harden still rated higher, because his points came in a game where points were much harder to come by. Twenty points in a low-scoring game are worth more than the same numbers in a shootout.

How minutes played shape the Sofascore Rating

Time on the floor matters as well. When a player makes a big impact in limited minutes, the rating reflects it.

Giannis Antetokounmpo played just 19 minutes in one game and finished with 29 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists. That level of production in so little time earned him a 9.2.

It works the other way too. Players who log heavy minutes have to sustain a high level for longer to earn a strong rating. That balance means stars and role players are judged fairly against each other. It is also why Jason Burnell, the LegaBasket Serie A Sixth Man of the Year, could finish the season as the league’s top-rated player while starting many games on the bench.

The Rating behind the basketball Player of the Season award

Every game rating feeds into a bigger picture. Across a full season, those numbers show who performed at the highest level and who did it consistently. That is exactly what the Sofascore Player of the Season Award basketball edition recognizes in eight competitions, from the NBA and WNBA to the EuroLeague and Liga ACB.

Opinions, highlight reels and narratives play no part. Context, minutes and every action on the court all go into one number, and fans can follow it live, game after game, on the Sofascore platform.