Julius Erving vs Willis Reed
Julius Erving (1976-1986) and Willis Reed (1964-1973) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 3 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Julius Erving was the higher-volume scorer (22.0 points per game to 18.7); adjusted for era they scored at 2.09× and 1.65× their league average respectively; Julius Erving was the more efficient scorer (55.8% true shooting to 52.3%). Julius Erving holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 3 championships and the #21 all-time ranking to Willis Reed's #29.
Career averages
| Julius Erving | Stat | Willis Reed |
|---|---|---|
| 22.0 | Points / game | 18.7 |
| 6.7 | Rebounds / game | 12.9 |
| 3.9 | Assists / game | 1.8 |
| 1.8 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 1.5 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 50.6% | Field goal % | 47.6% |
| 18.6% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 77.9% | Free throw % | 74.8% |
| 55.8% | True shooting % | 52.3% |
| 836 | Games played | 650 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Julius Erving | Stat | Willis Reed |
|---|---|---|
| 2.09× | Points vs era avg | 1.65× |
| 1.53× | Rebounds vs era avg | 2.28× |
| 1.55× | Assists vs era avg | 0.83× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Julius Erving's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Willis Reed's era.
Playoff averages
| Julius Erving | Stat | Willis Reed |
|---|---|---|
| 21.9 | Points / game | 17.4 |
| 7.0 | Rebounds / game | 10.3 |
| 4.2 | Assists / game | 1.9 |
| 1.7 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 1.7 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 48.4% | Field goal % | 46.1% |
| 8.0% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 78.1% | Free throw % | 75.1% |
| 141 | Playoff games | 78 |
Accolades
| Julius Erving | Stat | Willis Reed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MVP awards | 1 |
| 0 | Finals MVP | 2 |
| 3 | Championships | 2 |
| 11 | All-Star selections | 7 |
| 9 | All-NBA 1st Team | 1 |
| #21 | All-time GOAT rank | #29 |
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