Cross-era · careers 22 years apart

Dirk Nowitzki vs Nate Thurmond

Dirk Nowitzki 1998-2018 · Forward Nate Thurmond 1963-1976 · Center

Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) and Nate Thurmond (1963-1976) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 22 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 15.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.17× and 1.36× their league average respectively; Dirk Nowitzki was the more efficient scorer (57.7% true shooting to 47.0%). Dirk Nowitzki holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #25 all-time ranking to Nate Thurmond's #75.

Career averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatNate Thurmond
20.7 Points / game 15.0
7.5 Rebounds / game 15.0
2.4 Assists / game 2.7
0.8 Steals / game 0.1
0.8 Blocks / game 0.6
46.6% Field goal % 42.1%
37.9% 3-point % 0.0%
87.4% Free throw % 66.7%
57.7% True shooting % 47.0%
1,522 Games played 964

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dirk NowitzkiStatNate Thurmond
2.17× Points vs era avg 1.36×
1.82× Rebounds vs era avg 2.76×
1.14× Assists vs era avg 1.22×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Nate Thurmond's era.

Dirk NowitzkiStatNate Thurmond
105.9 Offensive rating —
105.4 Defensive rating —
0.6 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatNate Thurmond
25.3 Points / game 11.9
10.0 Rebounds / game 13.6
2.5 Assists / game 2.8
1.0 Steals / game 0.1
0.9 Blocks / game 0.6
46.1% Field goal % 41.2%
36.2% 3-point % 0.0%
89.2% Free throw % 59.7%
145 Playoff games 81

Accolades

Dirk NowitzkiStatNate Thurmond
1 MVP awards 0
1 Finals MVP 0
1 Championships 0
14 All-Star selections 5
4 All-NBA 1st Team 0
#25 All-time GOAT rank #75

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