Cross-era · careers 6 years apart

Kevin McHale vs Dirk Nowitzki

Kevin McHale 1980-1992 · Forward Dirk Nowitzki 1998-2018 · Forward

Kevin McHale (1980-1992) and Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 6 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Dirk Nowitzki was the higher-volume scorer (20.7 points per game to 17.8); adjusted for era they scored at 1.70× and 2.17× their league average respectively; Kevin McHale was the more efficient scorer (60.4% true shooting to 57.7%). Dirk Nowitzki holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #25 all-time ranking to Kevin McHale's #45.

Career averages

Kevin McHaleStatDirk Nowitzki
17.8 Points / game 20.7
7.3 Rebounds / game 7.5
1.7 Assists / game 2.4
0.4 Steals / game 0.8
1.7 Blocks / game 0.8
54.9% Field goal % 46.6%
9.3% 3-point % 37.9%
78.9% Free throw % 87.4%
60.4% True shooting % 57.7%
971 Games played 1,522

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Kevin McHaleStatDirk Nowitzki
1.70× Points vs era avg 2.17×
1.76× Rebounds vs era avg 1.82×
0.71× Assists vs era avg 1.14×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Kevin McHale's era.

Kevin McHaleStatDirk Nowitzki
— Offensive rating 105.9
— Defensive rating 105.4
— Net rating 0.6
— Usage % 0.2%
— Assist % 0.1%
— Rebound % 0.1%

Playoff averages

Kevin McHaleStatDirk Nowitzki
18.8 Points / game 25.3
7.4 Rebounds / game 10.0
1.6 Assists / game 2.5
0.4 Steals / game 1.0
1.7 Blocks / game 0.9
55.7% Field goal % 46.1%
14.6% 3-point % 36.2%
77.0% Free throw % 89.2%
169 Playoff games 145

Accolades

Kevin McHaleStatDirk Nowitzki
0 MVP awards 1
0 Finals MVP 1
3 Championships 1
7 All-Star selections 14
1 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#45 All-time GOAT rank #25

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