Cross-era · careers 15 years apart

Dirk Nowitzki vs Elvin Hayes

Dirk Nowitzki 1998-2018 · Forward Elvin Hayes 1968-1983 · Forward

Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) and Elvin Hayes (1968-1983) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 15 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Elvin Hayes was the higher-volume scorer (21.0 points per game to 20.7); adjusted for era they scored at 2.17× and 1.97× their league average respectively; Dirk Nowitzki was the more efficient scorer (57.7% true shooting to 49.2%). Dirk Nowitzki holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #25 all-time ranking to Elvin Hayes's #42.

Career averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatElvin Hayes
20.7 Points / game 21.0
7.5 Rebounds / game 12.5
2.4 Assists / game 1.8
0.8 Steals / game 0.7
0.8 Blocks / game 1.4
46.6% Field goal % 45.2%
37.9% 3-point % 4.5%
87.4% Free throw % 67.0%
57.7% True shooting % 49.2%
1,522 Games played 1,303

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dirk NowitzkiStatElvin Hayes
2.17× Points vs era avg 1.97×
1.82× Rebounds vs era avg 2.57×
1.14× Assists vs era avg 0.78×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Elvin Hayes's era.

Dirk NowitzkiStatElvin Hayes
105.9 Offensive rating —
105.4 Defensive rating —
0.6 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatElvin Hayes
25.3 Points / game 22.9
10.0 Rebounds / game 13.0
2.5 Assists / game 1.9
1.0 Steals / game 1.0
0.9 Blocks / game 2.3
46.1% Field goal % 46.4%
36.2% 3-point % 0.0%
89.2% Free throw % 65.2%
145 Playoff games 96

Accolades

Dirk NowitzkiStatElvin Hayes
1 MVP awards 0
1 Finals MVP 0
1 Championships 1
14 All-Star selections 12
4 All-NBA 1st Team 3
#25 All-time GOAT rank #42

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