Cross-era · careers 22 years apart
Kevin Garnett vs Jerry West
Kevin Garnett (1995-2015) and Jerry West (1960-1973) 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, Jerry West was the higher-volume scorer (27.0 points per game to 17.8); adjusted for era they scored at 1.87× and 2.34× their league average respectively; Jerry West created more for others (6.7 assists per game to 3.7). Kevin Garnett holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 1 championship and the #18 all-time ranking to Jerry West's #23.
Career averages
| Kevin Garnett | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|
| 17.8 |
Points / game |
27.0 |
| 10.0 |
Rebounds / game |
5.8 |
| 3.7 |
Assists / game |
6.7 |
| 1.3 |
Steals / game |
0.1 |
| 1.4 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 49.6% |
Field goal % |
47.4% |
| 22.6% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 78.7% |
Free throw % |
81.4% |
| 54.6% |
True shooting % |
55.0% |
| 1,462 |
Games played |
932 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Kevin Garnett | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|
| 1.87× |
Points vs era avg |
2.34× |
| 2.42× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
0.99× |
| 1.74× |
Assists vs era avg |
2.97× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Jerry West's era.
| Kevin Garnett | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|
| 101.9 |
Offensive rating |
— |
| 100.3 |
Defensive rating |
— |
| 1.7 |
Net rating |
— |
| 0.2% |
Usage % |
— |
| 0.1% |
Assist % |
— |
| 0.2% |
Rebound % |
— |
Playoff averages
| Kevin Garnett | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|
| 18.2 |
Points / game |
29.1 |
| 10.7 |
Rebounds / game |
5.6 |
| 3.3 |
Assists / game |
6.3 |
| 1.2 |
Steals / game |
0.0 |
| 1.3 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 48.3% |
Field goal % |
46.6% |
| 18.4% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 79.9% |
Free throw % |
79.1% |
| 143 |
Playoff games |
153 |
Accolades
| Kevin Garnett | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|
| 1 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
1 |
| 1 |
Championships |
1 |
| 14 |
All-Star selections |
12 |
| 4 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
10 |
| #18 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#23 |