Cross-era · careers 25 years apart

Dirk Nowitzki vs Dave DeBusschere

Dirk Nowitzki 1998-2018 · Forward Dave DeBusschere 1962-1973 · Forward

Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) and Dave DeBusschere (1962-1973) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 25 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Dirk Nowitzki was the higher-volume scorer (20.7 points per game to 16.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.17× and 1.43× their league average respectively; Dirk Nowitzki was the more efficient scorer (57.7% true shooting to 47.1%). Dirk Nowitzki holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #25 all-time ranking to Dave DeBusschere's #56.

Career averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatDave DeBusschere
20.7 Points / game 16.0
7.5 Rebounds / game 11.0
2.4 Assists / game 2.9
0.8 Steals / game 0.1
0.8 Blocks / game 0.0
46.6% Field goal % 43.2%
37.9% 3-point % 0.0%
87.4% Free throw % 70.3%
57.7% True shooting % 47.1%
1,522 Games played 875

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dirk NowitzkiStatDave DeBusschere
2.17× Points vs era avg 1.43×
1.82× Rebounds vs era avg 1.98×
1.14× Assists vs era avg 1.29×

Advanced metrics

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

Dirk NowitzkiStatDave DeBusschere
105.9 Offensive rating —
105.4 Defensive rating —
0.6 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatDave DeBusschere
25.3 Points / game 16.0
10.0 Rebounds / game 12.0
2.5 Assists / game 2.6
1.0 Steals / game 0.1
0.9 Blocks / game 0.0
46.1% Field goal % 41.7%
36.2% 3-point % 0.0%
89.2% Free throw % 70.3%
145 Playoff games 96

Accolades

Dirk NowitzkiStatDave DeBusschere
1 MVP awards 0
1 Finals MVP 0
1 Championships 2
14 All-Star selections 8
4 All-NBA 1st Team 0
#25 All-time GOAT rank #56

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