Cross-era · careers 35 years apart

Elvin Hayes vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Elvin Hayes 1968-1983 · Forward Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2018-2025 · Guard · active

Elvin Hayes (1968-1983) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2018-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 35 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the higher-volume scorer (25.3 points per game to 21.0); adjusted for era they scored at 1.97× and 2.37× their league average respectively; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the more efficient scorer (70.3% true shooting to 49.2%). Elvin Hayes holds the edge on accolades — 1 championship and the #42 all-time ranking to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's #68.

Career averages

Elvin HayesStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
21.0 Points / game 25.3
12.5 Rebounds / game 4.7
1.8 Assists / game 5.3
0.7 Steals / game 1.4
1.4 Blocks / game 0.8
45.2% Field goal % 50.4%
4.5% 3-point % 35.9%
67.0% Free throw % 85.1%
49.2% True shooting % 70.3%
1,303 Games played 530

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Elvin HayesStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
1.97× Points vs era avg 2.37×
2.57× Rebounds vs era avg 1.12×
0.78× Assists vs era avg 2.19×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Elvin Hayes's era.

Elvin HayesStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
— Offensive rating 112.7
— Defensive rating 111.4
— Net rating 1.3
— Usage % 33.4%
— Assist % 35.0%
— Rebound % 7.0%

Playoff averages

Elvin HayesStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
22.9 Points / game 25.8
13.0 Rebounds / game 5.4
1.9 Assists / game 5.7
1.0 Steals / game 1.4
2.3 Blocks / game 1.0
46.4% Field goal % 46.6%
0.0% 3-point % 36.1%
65.2% Free throw % 86.7%
96 Playoff games 46

Accolades

Elvin HayesStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
0 MVP awards 2
0 Finals MVP 1
1 Championships 1
12 All-Star selections 3
3 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#42 All-time GOAT rank #68

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