Cross-era · careers 22 years apart

James Worthy vs Nikola Jokic

James Worthy 1982-1993 · Forward Nikola Jokic 2015-2025 · Center · active

James Worthy (1982-1993) and Nikola Jokic (2015-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 22 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Nikola Jokic was the higher-volume scorer (22.2 points per game to 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.70× and 2.11× their league average respectively; Nikola Jokic was the more efficient scorer (70.3% true shooting to 55.9%). Nikola Jokic holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #35 all-time ranking to James Worthy's #53.

Career averages

James WorthyStatNikola Jokic
17.6 Points / game 22.2
5.1 Rebounds / game 11.1
3.0 Assists / game 7.5
1.1 Steals / game 1.3
0.7 Blocks / game 0.7
52.1% Field goal % 55.7%
24.1% 3-point % 35.7%
76.9% Free throw % 82.5%
55.9% True shooting % 70.3%
926 Games played 810

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

James WorthyStatNikola Jokic
1.70× Points vs era avg 2.11×
1.23× Rebounds vs era avg 2.65×
1.23× Assists vs era avg 3.17×

Advanced metrics

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

James WorthyStatNikola Jokic
— Offensive rating 116.1
— Defensive rating 108.9
— Net rating 7.3
— Usage % 30.4%
— Assist % 50.3%
— Rebound % 20.7%

Playoff averages

James WorthyStatNikola Jokic
21.1 Points / game 27.4
5.2 Rebounds / game 12.3
3.2 Assists / game 7.6
1.3 Steals / game 1.2
0.7 Blocks / game 0.9
55.0% Field goal % 52.5%
24.3% 3-point % 38.9%
71.6% Free throw % 82.9%
143 Playoff games 94

Accolades

James WorthyStatNikola Jokic
0 MVP awards 3
1 Finals MVP 1
3 Championships 1
7 All-Star selections 7
0 All-NBA 1st Team 6
#53 All-time GOAT rank #35

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