Cross-era · careers 25 years apart

Isiah Thomas vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Isiah Thomas 1981-1993 · Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2018-2025 · Guard · active

Isiah Thomas (1981-1993) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2018-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 25 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 19.2); adjusted for era they scored at 1.85× and 2.37× their league average respectively; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the more efficient scorer (70.3% true shooting to 51.6%). Isiah Thomas holds the edge on accolades — 2 championships, 1 Finals MVP and the #36 all-time ranking to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's #68.

Career averages

Isiah ThomasStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
19.2 Points / game 25.3
3.6 Rebounds / game 4.7
9.3 Assists / game 5.3
1.9 Steals / game 1.4
0.3 Blocks / game 0.8
45.2% Field goal % 50.4%
29.0% 3-point % 35.9%
75.9% Free throw % 85.1%
51.6% True shooting % 70.3%
979 Games played 530

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Isiah ThomasStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
1.85× Points vs era avg 2.37×
0.86× Rebounds vs era avg 1.12×
3.80× Assists vs era avg 2.19×

Advanced metrics

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

Isiah ThomasStatShai 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

Isiah ThomasStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
20.4 Points / game 25.8
4.7 Rebounds / game 5.4
8.9 Assists / game 5.7
2.1 Steals / game 1.4
0.3 Blocks / game 1.0
43.8% Field goal % 46.6%
32.3% 3-point % 36.1%
77.0% Free throw % 86.7%
111 Playoff games 46

Accolades

Isiah ThomasStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
0 MVP awards 2
1 Finals MVP 1
2 Championships 1
11 All-Star selections 3
3 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#36 All-time GOAT rank #68

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