Cross-era · careers 5 years apart

Dirk Nowitzki vs Isiah Thomas

Dirk Nowitzki 1998-2018 · Forward Isiah Thomas 1981-1993 · Guard

Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) and Isiah Thomas (1981-1993) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 5 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 19.2); adjusted for era they scored at 2.17× and 1.85× their league average respectively; Dirk Nowitzki was the more efficient scorer (57.7% true shooting to 51.6%). Dirk Nowitzki holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #25 all-time ranking to Isiah Thomas's #36.

Career averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatIsiah Thomas
20.7 Points / game 19.2
7.5 Rebounds / game 3.6
2.4 Assists / game 9.3
0.8 Steals / game 1.9
0.8 Blocks / game 0.3
46.6% Field goal % 45.2%
37.9% 3-point % 29.0%
87.4% Free throw % 75.9%
57.7% True shooting % 51.6%
1,522 Games played 979

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dirk NowitzkiStatIsiah Thomas
2.17× Points vs era avg 1.85×
1.82× Rebounds vs era avg 0.86×
1.14× Assists vs era avg 3.80×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Isiah Thomas's era.

Dirk NowitzkiStatIsiah Thomas
105.9 Offensive rating —
105.4 Defensive rating —
0.6 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatIsiah Thomas
25.3 Points / game 20.4
10.0 Rebounds / game 4.7
2.5 Assists / game 8.9
1.0 Steals / game 2.1
0.9 Blocks / game 0.3
46.1% Field goal % 43.8%
36.2% 3-point % 32.3%
89.2% Free throw % 77.0%
145 Playoff games 111

Accolades

Dirk NowitzkiStatIsiah Thomas
1 MVP awards 0
1 Finals MVP 1
1 Championships 2
14 All-Star selections 11
4 All-NBA 1st Team 3
#25 All-time GOAT rank #36

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