My first measure of passing aptitude, which I call Passing Ability, calculates the ratio of passes a player makes which lead to a good shot for a teammate relative to the number of passes he throws in all. Playmaking Ability measures these same passes, the passes which are responsible for getting a teammate a good look, against a player’s touches. Playmaking Ability tells us how often a player makes plays for his teams by passing. Passing Ability, on the other hand, tells us how good a player’s passes normally are (for instance, perhaps a great passer creates a good look for his teammate on 28% of his passes). Playmaking Efficiency, the third measure of passing ability, considers a player’s highly effective passes minus his turnovers, relative to how often he has the ball. Playmaking Efficiency tells us how good a player is at making plays for his teammates while avoiding mistakes.
