Cross-era · careers 6 years apart

Dave Cowens vs Bob Pettit

Dave Cowens 1970-1982 · Center Bob Pettit 1954-1964 · Forward

Dave Cowens (1970-1982) and Bob Pettit (1954-1964) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 6 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Bob Pettit was the higher-volume scorer (26.4 points per game to 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.69× and 2.33× their league average respectively; Bob Pettit was the more efficient scorer (51.1% true shooting to 49.5%). Bob Pettit holds the edge on accolades — 2 MVPs, 1 championship and the #22 all-time ranking to Dave Cowens's #51.

Career averages

Dave CowensStatBob Pettit
17.6 Points / game 26.4
13.6 Rebounds / game 16.2
3.8 Assists / game 3.0
0.8 Steals / game 0.0
0.6 Blocks / game 0.0
45.9% Field goal % 43.5%
0.7% 3-point % 0.0%
78.5% Free throw % 76.2%
49.5% True shooting % 51.1%
766 Games played 792

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dave CowensStatBob Pettit
1.69× Points vs era avg 2.33×
2.82× Rebounds vs era avg 2.61×
1.63× Assists vs era avg 1.32×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dave Cowens's era.

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bob Pettit's era.

Playoff averages

Dave CowensStatBob Pettit
18.9 Points / game 25.5
14.4 Rebounds / game 14.8
3.7 Assists / game 2.7
0.9 Steals / game 0.0
0.6 Blocks / game 0.0
45.3% Field goal % 41.4%
0.0% 3-point % 0.0%
76.4% Free throw % 77.9%
89 Playoff games 88

Accolades

Dave CowensStatBob Pettit
1 MVP awards 2
0 Finals MVP 0
2 Championships 1
6 All-Star selections 11
0 All-NBA 1st Team 10
#51 All-time GOAT rank #22

More comparisons

Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.