Cross-era · careers 30 years apart
Dave Cowens vs Damian Lillard
Dave Cowens (1970-1982) and Damian Lillard (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, Damian Lillard was the higher-volume scorer (25.1 points per game to 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.69× and 2.48× their league average respectively; Damian Lillard was the more efficient scorer (59.0% true shooting to 49.5%). Dave Cowens holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 2 championships and the #51 all-time ranking to Damian Lillard's #69.
Career averages
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Damian Lillard |
|---|
| 17.6 |
Points / game |
25.1 |
| 13.6 |
Rebounds / game |
4.3 |
| 3.8 |
Assists / game |
6.8 |
| 0.8 |
Steals / game |
1.0 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
0.3 |
| 45.9% |
Field goal % |
43.8% |
| 0.7% |
3-point % |
37.1% |
| 78.5% |
Free throw % |
89.5% |
| 49.5% |
True shooting % |
59.0% |
| 766 |
Games played |
900 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Damian Lillard |
|---|
| 1.69× |
Points vs era avg |
2.48× |
| 2.82× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.03× |
| 1.63× |
Assists vs era avg |
2.99× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dave Cowens's era.
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Damian Lillard |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
114.2 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
110.3 |
| — |
Net rating |
4.0 |
| — |
Usage % |
0.3% |
| — |
Assist % |
0.3% |
| — |
Rebound % |
0.1% |
Playoff averages
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Damian Lillard |
|---|
| 18.9 |
Points / game |
25.2 |
| 14.4 |
Rebounds / game |
4.4 |
| 3.7 |
Assists / game |
6.1 |
| 0.9 |
Steals / game |
1.2 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
0.3 |
| 45.3% |
Field goal % |
40.5% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
35.5% |
| 76.4% |
Free throw % |
88.9% |
| 89 |
Playoff games |
68 |
Accolades
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Damian Lillard |
|---|
| 1 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 2 |
Championships |
0 |
| 6 |
All-Star selections |
8 |
| 0 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
1 |
| #51 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#69 |