Jerry West vs George Mikan
Jerry West (1960-1973) and George Mikan (1948-1955) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 5 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Jerry West was the higher-volume scorer (27.0 points per game to 23.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.34× and 2.71× their league average respectively; Jerry West was the more efficient scorer (55.0% true shooting to 48.3%). Jerry West holds the edge on accolades — 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #23 all-time ranking to George Mikan's #34.
Career averages
| Jerry West | Stat | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| 27.0 | Points / game | 23.1 |
| 5.8 | Rebounds / game | 9.5 |
| 6.7 | Assists / game | 2.8 |
| 0.1 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.0 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 47.4% | Field goal % | 40.2% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 81.4% | Free throw % | 78.1% |
| 55.0% | True shooting % | 48.3% |
| 932 | Games played | 439 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Jerry West | Stat | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| 2.34× | Points vs era avg | 2.71× |
| 0.99× | Rebounds vs era avg | 2.55× |
| 2.97× | Assists vs era avg | 1.37× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Jerry West's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in George Mikan's era.
Playoff averages
| Jerry West | Stat | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| 29.1 | Points / game | 22.9 |
| 5.6 | Rebounds / game | 11.1 |
| 6.3 | Assists / game | 2.2 |
| 0.0 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.0 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 46.6% | Field goal % | 39.8% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 79.1% | Free throw % | 78.3% |
| 153 | Playoff games | 60 |
Accolades
| Jerry West | Stat | George Mikan |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | MVP awards | 0 |
| 1 | Finals MVP | 0 |
| 1 | Championships | 5 |
| 12 | All-Star selections | 4 |
| 10 | All-NBA 1st Team | 6 |
| #23 | All-time GOAT rank | #34 |
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