Cross-era · careers 19 years apart

Isiah Thomas vs Damian Lillard

Isiah Thomas 1981-1993 · Guard Damian Lillard 2012-2025 · Guard · active

Isiah Thomas (1981-1993) and Damian Lillard (2012-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 19 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Damian Lillard was the higher-volume scorer (25.1 points per game to 19.2); adjusted for era they scored at 1.85× and 2.48× their league average respectively; Damian Lillard was the more efficient scorer (59.0% true shooting to 51.6%). Isiah Thomas holds the edge on accolades — 2 championships, 1 Finals MVP and the #36 all-time ranking to Damian Lillard's #69.

Career averages

Isiah ThomasStatDamian Lillard
19.2 Points / game 25.1
3.6 Rebounds / game 4.3
9.3 Assists / game 6.8
1.9 Steals / game 1.0
0.3 Blocks / game 0.3
45.2% Field goal % 43.8%
29.0% 3-point % 37.1%
75.9% Free throw % 89.5%
51.6% True shooting % 59.0%
979 Games played 900

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Isiah ThomasStatDamian Lillard
1.85× Points vs era avg 2.48×
0.86× Rebounds vs era avg 1.03×
3.80× Assists vs era avg 2.99×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Isiah Thomas's era.

Isiah ThomasStatDamian Lillard
— Offensive rating 114.2
— Defensive rating 110.3
— Net rating 4.0
— Usage % 0.3%
— Assist % 0.3%
— Rebound % 0.1%

Playoff averages

Isiah ThomasStatDamian Lillard
20.4 Points / game 25.2
4.7 Rebounds / game 4.4
8.9 Assists / game 6.1
2.1 Steals / game 1.2
0.3 Blocks / game 0.3
43.8% Field goal % 40.5%
32.3% 3-point % 35.5%
77.0% Free throw % 88.9%
111 Playoff games 68

Accolades

Isiah ThomasStatDamian Lillard
0 MVP awards 0
1 Finals MVP 0
2 Championships 0
11 All-Star selections 8
3 All-NBA 1st Team 1
#36 All-time GOAT rank #69

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