Cross-era · careers 37 years apart

Dirk Nowitzki vs Paul Arizin

Dirk Nowitzki 1998-2018 · Forward Paul Arizin 1950-1961 · Forward

Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) and Paul Arizin (1950-1961) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 37 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Paul Arizin was the higher-volume scorer (22.8 points per game to 20.7); adjusted for era they scored at 2.17× and 2.15× their league average respectively; Dirk Nowitzki was the more efficient scorer (57.7% true shooting to 50.6%). Dirk Nowitzki holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #25 all-time ranking to Paul Arizin's #60.

Career averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatPaul Arizin
20.7 Points / game 22.8
7.5 Rebounds / game 8.6
2.4 Assists / game 2.3
0.8 Steals / game 0.0
0.8 Blocks / game 0.0
46.6% Field goal % 42.1%
37.9% 3-point % 0.0%
87.4% Free throw % 80.9%
57.7% True shooting % 50.6%
1,522 Games played 713

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dirk NowitzkiStatPaul Arizin
2.17× Points vs era avg 2.15×
1.82× Rebounds vs era avg 1.45×
1.14× Assists vs era avg 1.02×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Paul Arizin's era.

Dirk NowitzkiStatPaul Arizin
105.9 Offensive rating —
105.4 Defensive rating —
0.6 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatPaul Arizin
25.3 Points / game 24.2
10.0 Rebounds / game 8.3
2.5 Assists / game 2.6
1.0 Steals / game 0.0
0.9 Blocks / game 0.0
46.1% Field goal % 41.1%
36.2% 3-point % 0.0%
89.2% Free throw % 82.4%
145 Playoff games 49

Accolades

Dirk NowitzkiStatPaul Arizin
1 MVP awards 0
1 Finals MVP 0
1 Championships 1
14 All-Star selections 9
4 All-NBA 1st Team 3
#25 All-time GOAT rank #60

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