Cross-era · careers 23 years apart
Dave Cowens vs Chris Paul
Dave Cowens (1970-1982) and Chris Paul (2005-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 23 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Dave Cowens was the higher-volume scorer (17.6 points per game to 16.8); adjusted for era they scored at 1.69× and 1.71× their league average respectively; Chris Paul was the more efficient scorer (58.1% true shooting to 49.5%). Chris Paul holds the edge on accolades — 11 All-Star selections and the #33 all-time ranking to Dave Cowens's #51.
Career averages
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| 17.6 |
Points / game |
16.8 |
| 13.6 |
Rebounds / game |
4.4 |
| 3.8 |
Assists / game |
9.2 |
| 0.8 |
Steals / game |
2.0 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
0.2 |
| 45.9% |
Field goal % |
46.5% |
| 0.7% |
3-point % |
36.6% |
| 78.5% |
Free throw % |
86.9% |
| 49.5% |
True shooting % |
58.1% |
| 766 |
Games played |
1,370 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| 1.69× |
Points vs era avg |
1.71× |
| 2.82× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.06× |
| 1.63× |
Assists vs era avg |
4.23× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dave Cowens's era.
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
114.9 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
105.9 |
| — |
Net rating |
9.0 |
| — |
Usage % |
14.2% |
| — |
Assist % |
30.6% |
| — |
Rebound % |
7.1% |
Playoff averages
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| 18.9 |
Points / game |
20.0 |
| 14.4 |
Rebounds / game |
4.9 |
| 3.7 |
Assists / game |
8.3 |
| 0.9 |
Steals / game |
1.9 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
0.2 |
| 45.3% |
Field goal % |
48.4% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
36.9% |
| 76.4% |
Free throw % |
84.6% |
| 89 |
Playoff games |
149 |
Accolades
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| 1 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 2 |
Championships |
0 |
| 6 |
All-Star selections |
11 |
| 0 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
4 |
| #51 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#33 |