Elgin Baylor vs Michael Cooper
Elgin Baylor (1958-1971) and Michael Cooper (1978-1989) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 7 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 8.8); adjusted for era they scored at 2.34× and 0.84× their league average respectively; Michael Cooper was the more efficient scorer (54.3% true shooting to 49.4%). Elgin Baylor holds the edge on accolades — 1 championship and the #30 all-time ranking to Michael Cooper's #65.
Career averages
| Elgin Baylor | Stat | Michael Cooper |
|---|---|---|
| 27.4 | Points / game | 8.8 |
| 13.5 | Rebounds / game | 3.2 |
| 4.3 | Assists / game | 4.2 |
| 0.0 | Steals / game | 1.2 |
| 0.0 | Blocks / game | 0.6 |
| 43.1% | Field goal % | 46.8% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 29.1% |
| 78.0% | Free throw % | 83.2% |
| 49.4% | True shooting % | 54.3% |
| 846 | Games played | 873 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Elgin Baylor | Stat | Michael Cooper |
|---|---|---|
| 2.34× | Points vs era avg | 0.84× |
| 2.21× | Rebounds vs era avg | 0.75× |
| 1.97× | Assists vs era avg | 1.67× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Elgin Baylor's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Michael Cooper's era.
Playoff averages
| Elgin Baylor | Stat | Michael Cooper |
|---|---|---|
| 27.0 | Points / game | 9.4 |
| 12.9 | Rebounds / game | 3.4 |
| 4.0 | Assists / game | 4.2 |
| 0.0 | Steals / game | 1.2 |
| 0.0 | Blocks / game | 0.6 |
| 43.4% | Field goal % | 46.1% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 32.6% |
| 75.3% | Free throw % | 77.6% |
| 134 | Playoff games | 168 |
Accolades
| Elgin Baylor | Stat | Michael Cooper |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | MVP awards | 0 |
| 0 | Finals MVP | 0 |
| 1 | Championships | 5 |
| 11 | All-Star selections | 0 |
| 10 | All-NBA 1st Team | 0 |
| #30 | All-time GOAT rank | #65 |
More comparisons
Compare Elgin Baylor with…
Compare Michael Cooper with…
Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.