James Worthy vs Willis Reed
James Worthy (1982-1993) and Willis Reed (1964-1973) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 9 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Willis Reed was the higher-volume scorer (18.7 points per game to 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 1.70× and 1.65× their league average respectively; James Worthy was the more efficient scorer (55.9% true shooting to 52.3%). Willis Reed holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 2 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #29 all-time ranking to James Worthy's #53.
Career averages
| James Worthy | Stat | Willis Reed |
|---|---|---|
| 17.6 | Points / game | 18.7 |
| 5.1 | Rebounds / game | 12.9 |
| 3.0 | Assists / game | 1.8 |
| 1.1 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.7 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 52.1% | Field goal % | 47.6% |
| 24.1% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 76.9% | Free throw % | 74.8% |
| 55.9% | True shooting % | 52.3% |
| 926 | Games played | 650 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| James Worthy | Stat | Willis Reed |
|---|---|---|
| 1.70× | Points vs era avg | 1.65× |
| 1.23× | Rebounds vs era avg | 2.28× |
| 1.23× | Assists vs era avg | 0.83× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in James Worthy's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Willis Reed's era.
Playoff averages
| James Worthy | Stat | Willis Reed |
|---|---|---|
| 21.1 | Points / game | 17.4 |
| 5.2 | Rebounds / game | 10.3 |
| 3.2 | Assists / game | 1.9 |
| 1.3 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.7 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 55.0% | Field goal % | 46.1% |
| 24.3% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 71.6% | Free throw % | 75.1% |
| 143 | Playoff games | 78 |
Accolades
| James Worthy | Stat | Willis Reed |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | MVP awards | 1 |
| 1 | Finals MVP | 2 |
| 3 | Championships | 2 |
| 7 | All-Star selections | 7 |
| 0 | All-NBA 1st Team | 1 |
| #53 | All-time GOAT rank | #29 |
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