Cross-era · careers 18 years apart

Isiah Thomas vs Kawhi Leonard

Isiah Thomas 1981-1993 · Guard Kawhi Leonard 2011-2025 · Forward · active

Isiah Thomas (1981-1993) and Kawhi Leonard (2011-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 18 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Kawhi Leonard was the higher-volume scorer (20.7 points per game to 19.2); adjusted for era they scored at 1.85× and 2.03× their league average respectively; Kawhi Leonard was the more efficient scorer (67.2% true shooting to 51.6%). Kawhi Leonard holds the edge on accolades — 2 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #27 all-time ranking to Isiah Thomas's #36.

Career averages

Isiah ThomasStatKawhi Leonard
19.2 Points / game 20.7
3.6 Rebounds / game 6.4
9.3 Assists / game 3.1
1.9 Steals / game 1.7
0.3 Blocks / game 0.6
45.2% Field goal % 49.9%
29.0% 3-point % 38.9%
75.9% Free throw % 85.0%
51.6% True shooting % 67.2%
979 Games played 798

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Isiah ThomasStatKawhi Leonard
1.85× Points vs era avg 2.03×
0.86× Rebounds vs era avg 1.55×
3.80× Assists vs era avg 1.36×

Advanced metrics

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

Isiah ThomasStatKawhi Leonard
— Offensive rating 115.0
— Defensive rating 105.0
— Net rating 10.0
— Usage % 33.5%
— Assist % 21.0%
— Rebound % 11.5%

Playoff averages

Isiah ThomasStatKawhi Leonard
20.4 Points / game 21.5
4.7 Rebounds / game 7.8
8.9 Assists / game 3.0
2.1 Steals / game 1.8
0.3 Blocks / game 0.7
43.8% Field goal % 51.3%
32.3% 3-point % 40.2%
77.0% Free throw % 80.2%
111 Playoff games 146

Accolades

Isiah ThomasStatKawhi Leonard
0 MVP awards 0
1 Finals MVP 2
2 Championships 2
11 All-Star selections 7
3 All-NBA 1st Team 3
#36 All-time GOAT rank #27

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