Elgin Baylor vs Isiah Thomas
Elgin Baylor (1958-1971) and Isiah Thomas (1981-1993) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 10 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 19.2); adjusted for era they scored at 2.34× and 1.85× their league average respectively; Isiah Thomas was the more efficient scorer (51.6% true shooting to 49.4%). Elgin Baylor holds the edge on accolades — 1 championship and the #30 all-time ranking to Isiah Thomas's #36.
Career averages
| Elgin Baylor | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| 27.4 | Points / game | 19.2 |
| 13.5 | Rebounds / game | 3.6 |
| 4.3 | Assists / game | 9.3 |
| 0.0 | Steals / game | 1.9 |
| 0.0 | Blocks / game | 0.3 |
| 43.1% | Field goal % | 45.2% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 29.0% |
| 78.0% | Free throw % | 75.9% |
| 49.4% | True shooting % | 51.6% |
| 846 | Games played | 979 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Elgin Baylor | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| 2.34× | Points vs era avg | 1.85× |
| 2.21× | Rebounds vs era avg | 0.86× |
| 1.97× | Assists vs era avg | 3.80× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Elgin Baylor's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Isiah Thomas's era.
Playoff averages
| Elgin Baylor | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| 27.0 | Points / game | 20.4 |
| 12.9 | Rebounds / game | 4.7 |
| 4.0 | Assists / game | 8.9 |
| 0.0 | Steals / game | 2.1 |
| 0.0 | Blocks / game | 0.3 |
| 43.4% | Field goal % | 43.8% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 32.3% |
| 75.3% | Free throw % | 77.0% |
| 134 | Playoff games | 111 |
Accolades
| Elgin Baylor | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | MVP awards | 0 |
| 0 | Finals MVP | 1 |
| 1 | Championships | 2 |
| 11 | All-Star selections | 11 |
| 10 | All-NBA 1st Team | 3 |
| #30 | All-time GOAT rank | #36 |
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