Cross-era · careers 36 years apart

Dave Cowens vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Dave Cowens 1970-1982 · Center Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2018-2025 · Guard · active

Dave Cowens (1970-1982) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2018-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 36 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the higher-volume scorer (25.3 points per game to 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.69× and 2.37× their league average respectively; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the more efficient scorer (70.3% true shooting to 49.5%). Dave Cowens holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 2 championships and the #51 all-time ranking to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's #68.

Career averages

Dave CowensStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
17.6 Points / game 25.3
13.6 Rebounds / game 4.7
3.8 Assists / game 5.3
0.8 Steals / game 1.4
0.6 Blocks / game 0.8
45.9% Field goal % 50.4%
0.7% 3-point % 35.9%
78.5% Free throw % 85.1%
49.5% True shooting % 70.3%
766 Games played 530

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dave CowensStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
1.69× Points vs era avg 2.37×
2.82× Rebounds vs era avg 1.12×
1.63× Assists vs era avg 2.19×

Advanced metrics

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

Dave CowensStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
— Offensive rating 112.7
— Defensive rating 111.4
— Net rating 1.3
— Usage % 33.4%
— Assist % 35.0%
— Rebound % 7.0%

Playoff averages

Dave CowensStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
18.9 Points / game 25.8
14.4 Rebounds / game 5.4
3.7 Assists / game 5.7
0.9 Steals / game 1.4
0.6 Blocks / game 1.0
45.3% Field goal % 46.6%
0.0% 3-point % 36.1%
76.4% Free throw % 86.7%
89 Playoff games 46

Accolades

Dave CowensStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
1 MVP awards 2
0 Finals MVP 1
2 Championships 1
6 All-Star selections 3
0 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#51 All-time GOAT rank #68

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