James Worthy vs Nate Thurmond
James Worthy (1982-1993) and Nate Thurmond (1963-1976) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 6 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, James Worthy was the higher-volume scorer (17.6 points per game to 15.0); adjusted for era they scored at 1.70× and 1.36× their league average respectively; James Worthy was the more efficient scorer (55.9% true shooting to 47.0%). James Worthy holds the edge on accolades — 3 championships, 1 Finals MVP and the #53 all-time ranking to Nate Thurmond's #75.
Career averages
| James Worthy | Stat | Nate Thurmond |
|---|---|---|
| 17.6 | Points / game | 15.0 |
| 5.1 | Rebounds / game | 15.0 |
| 3.0 | Assists / game | 2.7 |
| 1.1 | Steals / game | 0.1 |
| 0.7 | Blocks / game | 0.6 |
| 52.1% | Field goal % | 42.1% |
| 24.1% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 76.9% | Free throw % | 66.7% |
| 55.9% | True shooting % | 47.0% |
| 926 | Games played | 964 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| James Worthy | Stat | Nate Thurmond |
|---|---|---|
| 1.70× | Points vs era avg | 1.36× |
| 1.23× | Rebounds vs era avg | 2.76× |
| 1.23× | Assists vs era avg | 1.22× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in James Worthy's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Nate Thurmond's era.
Playoff averages
| James Worthy | Stat | Nate Thurmond |
|---|---|---|
| 21.1 | Points / game | 11.9 |
| 5.2 | Rebounds / game | 13.6 |
| 3.2 | Assists / game | 2.8 |
| 1.3 | Steals / game | 0.1 |
| 0.7 | Blocks / game | 0.6 |
| 55.0% | Field goal % | 41.2% |
| 24.3% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 71.6% | Free throw % | 59.7% |
| 143 | Playoff games | 81 |
Accolades
| James Worthy | Stat | Nate Thurmond |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | MVP awards | 0 |
| 1 | Finals MVP | 0 |
| 3 | Championships | 0 |
| 7 | All-Star selections | 5 |
| 0 | All-NBA 1st Team | 0 |
| #53 | All-time GOAT rank | #75 |
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