Cross-era · careers 18 years apart

James Worthy vs Kawhi Leonard

James Worthy 1982-1993 · Forward Kawhi Leonard 2011-2025 · Forward · active

James Worthy (1982-1993) 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 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.70× and 2.03× their league average respectively; Kawhi Leonard was the more efficient scorer (67.2% true shooting to 55.9%). Kawhi Leonard holds the edge on accolades — 2 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #27 all-time ranking to James Worthy's #53.

Career averages

James WorthyStatKawhi Leonard
17.6 Points / game 20.7
5.1 Rebounds / game 6.4
3.0 Assists / game 3.1
1.1 Steals / game 1.7
0.7 Blocks / game 0.6
52.1% Field goal % 49.9%
24.1% 3-point % 38.9%
76.9% Free throw % 85.0%
55.9% True shooting % 67.2%
926 Games played 798

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

James WorthyStatKawhi Leonard
1.70× Points vs era avg 2.03×
1.23× Rebounds vs era avg 1.55×
1.23× Assists vs era avg 1.36×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in James Worthy's era.

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

Playoff averages

James WorthyStatKawhi Leonard
21.1 Points / game 21.5
5.2 Rebounds / game 7.8
3.2 Assists / game 3.0
1.3 Steals / game 1.8
0.7 Blocks / game 0.7
55.0% Field goal % 51.3%
24.3% 3-point % 40.2%
71.6% Free throw % 80.2%
143 Playoff games 146

Accolades

James WorthyStatKawhi Leonard
0 MVP awards 0
1 Finals MVP 2
3 Championships 2
7 All-Star selections 7
0 All-NBA 1st Team 3
#53 All-time GOAT rank #27

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