Cross-era · careers 30 years apart
Dave Cowens vs Anthony Davis
Dave Cowens (1970-1982) and Anthony Davis (2012-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 30 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Anthony Davis was the higher-volume scorer (24.0 points per game to 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.69× and 2.37× their league average respectively; Anthony Davis was the more efficient scorer (60.1% true shooting to 49.5%). Dave Cowens holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 2 championships and the #51 all-time ranking to Anthony Davis's #61.
Career averages
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Anthony Davis |
|---|
| 17.6 |
Points / game |
24.0 |
| 13.6 |
Rebounds / game |
10.7 |
| 3.8 |
Assists / game |
2.6 |
| 0.8 |
Steals / game |
1.3 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
2.3 |
| 45.9% |
Field goal % |
52.2% |
| 0.7% |
3-point % |
24.6% |
| 78.5% |
Free throw % |
78.8% |
| 49.5% |
True shooting % |
60.1% |
| 766 |
Games played |
807 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Anthony Davis |
|---|
| 1.69× |
Points vs era avg |
2.37× |
| 2.82× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
2.58× |
| 1.63× |
Assists vs era avg |
1.11× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dave Cowens's era.
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Anthony Davis |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
110.2 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
107.5 |
| — |
Net rating |
2.7 |
| — |
Usage % |
27.5% |
| — |
Assist % |
15.1% |
| — |
Rebound % |
18.7% |
Playoff averages
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Anthony Davis |
|---|
| 18.9 |
Points / game |
26.1 |
| 14.4 |
Rebounds / game |
11.7 |
| 3.7 |
Assists / game |
2.9 |
| 0.9 |
Steals / game |
1.3 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
2.1 |
| 45.3% |
Field goal % |
54.0% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
28.0% |
| 76.4% |
Free throw % |
83.8% |
| 89 |
Playoff games |
60 |
Accolades
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Anthony Davis |
|---|
| 1 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 2 |
Championships |
1 |
| 6 |
All-Star selections |
7 |
| 0 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
4 |
| #51 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#61 |