Cross-era · careers 28 years apart

Dwight Howard vs Nate Thurmond

Dwight Howard 2004-2021 · Center-Forward Nate Thurmond 1963-1976 · Center

Dwight Howard (2004-2021) and Nate Thurmond (1963-1976) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 28 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Dwight Howard was the higher-volume scorer (15.7 points per game to 15.0); adjusted for era they scored at 1.61× and 1.36× their league average respectively; Dwight Howard was the more efficient scorer (60.3% true shooting to 47.0%). Dwight Howard holds the edge on accolades — 1 championship and the #48 all-time ranking to Nate Thurmond's #75.

Career averages

Dwight HowardStatNate Thurmond
15.7 Points / game 15.0
11.8 Rebounds / game 15.0
1.3 Assists / game 2.7
0.9 Steals / game 0.1
1.8 Blocks / game 0.6
59.3% Field goal % 42.1%
15.8% 3-point % 0.0%
57.0% Free throw % 66.7%
60.3% True shooting % 47.0%
1,242 Games played 964

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dwight HowardStatNate Thurmond
1.61× Points vs era avg 1.36×
2.85× Rebounds vs era avg 2.76×
0.64× Assists vs era avg 1.22×

Advanced metrics

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

Dwight HowardStatNate Thurmond
107.3 Offensive rating —
106.8 Defensive rating —
0.5 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.2% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dwight HowardStatNate Thurmond
15.3 Points / game 11.9
11.8 Rebounds / game 13.6
1.2 Assists / game 2.8
0.8 Steals / game 0.1
2.0 Blocks / game 0.6
59.3% Field goal % 41.2%
7.2% 3-point % 0.0%
54.8% Free throw % 59.7%
125 Playoff games 81

Accolades

Dwight HowardStatNate Thurmond
0 MVP awards 0
0 Finals MVP 0
1 Championships 0
8 All-Star selections 5
5 All-NBA 1st Team 0
#48 All-time GOAT rank #75

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