Cross-era · careers 32 years apart
Elvin Hayes vs Nikola Jokic
Elvin Hayes (1968-1983) and Nikola Jokic (2015-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 32 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Nikola Jokic was the higher-volume scorer (22.2 points per game to 21.0); adjusted for era they scored at 1.97× and 2.11× their league average respectively; Nikola Jokic was the more efficient scorer (70.3% true shooting to 49.2%). Nikola Jokic holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #35 all-time ranking to Elvin Hayes's #42.
Career averages
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | Nikola Jokic |
|---|
| 21.0 |
Points / game |
22.2 |
| 12.5 |
Rebounds / game |
11.1 |
| 1.8 |
Assists / game |
7.5 |
| 0.7 |
Steals / game |
1.3 |
| 1.4 |
Blocks / game |
0.7 |
| 45.2% |
Field goal % |
55.7% |
| 4.5% |
3-point % |
35.7% |
| 67.0% |
Free throw % |
82.5% |
| 49.2% |
True shooting % |
70.3% |
| 1,303 |
Games played |
810 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | Nikola Jokic |
|---|
| 1.97× |
Points vs era avg |
2.11× |
| 2.57× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
2.65× |
| 0.78× |
Assists vs era avg |
3.17× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Elvin Hayes's era.
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | Nikola Jokic |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
116.1 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
108.9 |
| — |
Net rating |
7.3 |
| — |
Usage % |
30.4% |
| — |
Assist % |
50.3% |
| — |
Rebound % |
20.7% |
Playoff averages
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | Nikola Jokic |
|---|
| 22.9 |
Points / game |
27.4 |
| 13.0 |
Rebounds / game |
12.3 |
| 1.9 |
Assists / game |
7.6 |
| 1.0 |
Steals / game |
1.2 |
| 2.3 |
Blocks / game |
0.9 |
| 46.4% |
Field goal % |
52.5% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
38.9% |
| 65.2% |
Free throw % |
82.9% |
| 96 |
Playoff games |
94 |
Accolades
| Elvin Hayes | Stat | Nikola Jokic |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
3 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
1 |
| 1 |
Championships |
1 |
| 12 |
All-Star selections |
7 |
| 3 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
6 |
| #42 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#35 |