Cross-era · careers 33 years apart
Dwight Howard vs Elgin Baylor
Dwight Howard (2004-2021) and Elgin Baylor (1958-1971) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 33 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Elgin Baylor was the higher-volume scorer (27.4 points per game to 15.7); adjusted for era they scored at 1.61× and 2.34× their league average respectively; Dwight Howard was the more efficient scorer (60.3% true shooting to 49.4%). Elgin Baylor holds the edge on accolades — 1 championship and the #30 all-time ranking to Dwight Howard's #48.
Career averages
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Elgin Baylor |
|---|
| 15.7 |
Points / game |
27.4 |
| 11.8 |
Rebounds / game |
13.5 |
| 1.3 |
Assists / game |
4.3 |
| 0.9 |
Steals / game |
0.0 |
| 1.8 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 59.3% |
Field goal % |
43.1% |
| 15.8% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 57.0% |
Free throw % |
78.0% |
| 60.3% |
True shooting % |
49.4% |
| 1,242 |
Games played |
846 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Elgin Baylor |
|---|
| 1.61× |
Points vs era avg |
2.34× |
| 2.85× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
2.21× |
| 0.64× |
Assists vs era avg |
1.97× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Elgin Baylor's era.
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Elgin Baylor |
|---|
| 107.3 |
Offensive rating |
— |
| 106.8 |
Defensive rating |
— |
| 0.5 |
Net rating |
— |
| 0.2% |
Usage % |
— |
| 0.1% |
Assist % |
— |
| 0.2% |
Rebound % |
— |
Playoff averages
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Elgin Baylor |
|---|
| 15.3 |
Points / game |
27.0 |
| 11.8 |
Rebounds / game |
12.9 |
| 1.2 |
Assists / game |
4.0 |
| 0.8 |
Steals / game |
0.0 |
| 2.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 59.3% |
Field goal % |
43.4% |
| 7.2% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 54.8% |
Free throw % |
75.3% |
| 125 |
Playoff games |
134 |
Accolades
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Elgin Baylor |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 1 |
Championships |
1 |
| 8 |
All-Star selections |
11 |
| 5 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
10 |
| #48 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#30 |