Cross-era · careers 33 years apart
Dave Cowens vs Nikola Jokic
Dave Cowens (1970-1982) and Nikola Jokic (2015-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 33 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Nikola Jokic was the higher-volume scorer (22.2 points per game to 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.69× and 2.11× their league average respectively; Nikola Jokic was the more efficient scorer (70.3% true shooting to 49.5%). Nikola Jokic holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #35 all-time ranking to Dave Cowens's #51.
Career averages
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Nikola Jokic |
|---|
| 17.6 |
Points / game |
22.2 |
| 13.6 |
Rebounds / game |
11.1 |
| 3.8 |
Assists / game |
7.5 |
| 0.8 |
Steals / game |
1.3 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
0.7 |
| 45.9% |
Field goal % |
55.7% |
| 0.7% |
3-point % |
35.7% |
| 78.5% |
Free throw % |
82.5% |
| 49.5% |
True shooting % |
70.3% |
| 766 |
Games played |
810 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Nikola Jokic |
|---|
| 1.69× |
Points vs era avg |
2.11× |
| 2.82× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
2.65× |
| 1.63× |
Assists vs era avg |
3.17× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dave Cowens's era.
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Nikola Jokic |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
116.1 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
108.9 |
| — |
Net rating |
7.3 |
| — |
Usage % |
30.4% |
| — |
Assist % |
50.3% |
| — |
Rebound % |
20.7% |
Playoff averages
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Nikola Jokic |
|---|
| 18.9 |
Points / game |
27.4 |
| 14.4 |
Rebounds / game |
12.3 |
| 3.7 |
Assists / game |
7.6 |
| 0.9 |
Steals / game |
1.2 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
0.9 |
| 45.3% |
Field goal % |
52.5% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
38.9% |
| 76.4% |
Free throw % |
82.9% |
| 89 |
Playoff games |
94 |
Accolades
| Dave Cowens | Stat | Nikola Jokic |
|---|
| 1 |
MVP awards |
3 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
1 |
| 2 |
Championships |
1 |
| 6 |
All-Star selections |
7 |
| 0 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
6 |
| #51 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#35 |