Cross-era · careers 31 years apart
Dwight Howard vs Jerry West
Dwight Howard (2004-2021) and Jerry West (1960-1973) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 31 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Jerry West was the higher-volume scorer (27.0 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 55.0%). Jerry West holds the edge on accolades — 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #23 all-time ranking to Dwight Howard's #48.
Career averages
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|
| 15.7 |
Points / game |
27.0 |
| 11.8 |
Rebounds / game |
5.8 |
| 1.3 |
Assists / game |
6.7 |
| 0.9 |
Steals / game |
0.1 |
| 1.8 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 59.3% |
Field goal % |
47.4% |
| 15.8% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 57.0% |
Free throw % |
81.4% |
| 60.3% |
True shooting % |
55.0% |
| 1,242 |
Games played |
932 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|
| 1.61× |
Points vs era avg |
2.34× |
| 2.85× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
0.99× |
| 0.64× |
Assists vs era avg |
2.97× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Jerry West's era.
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|
| 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 | Jerry West |
|---|
| 15.3 |
Points / game |
29.1 |
| 11.8 |
Rebounds / game |
5.6 |
| 1.2 |
Assists / game |
6.3 |
| 0.8 |
Steals / game |
0.0 |
| 2.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 59.3% |
Field goal % |
46.6% |
| 7.2% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 54.8% |
Free throw % |
79.1% |
| 125 |
Playoff games |
153 |
Accolades
| Dwight Howard | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
1 |
| 1 |
Championships |
1 |
| 8 |
All-Star selections |
12 |
| 5 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
10 |
| #48 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#23 |