Kevin McHale vs Jerry West
Kevin McHale (1980-1992) and Jerry West (1960-1973) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 7 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 1.70× and 2.34× their league average respectively; Kevin McHale was the more efficient scorer (60.4% true shooting to 55.0%). Jerry West holds the edge on accolades — 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #23 all-time ranking to Kevin McHale's #45.
Career averages
| Kevin McHale | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|---|---|
| 17.8 | Points / game | 27.0 |
| 7.3 | Rebounds / game | 5.8 |
| 1.7 | Assists / game | 6.7 |
| 0.4 | Steals / game | 0.1 |
| 1.7 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 54.9% | Field goal % | 47.4% |
| 9.3% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 78.9% | Free throw % | 81.4% |
| 60.4% | True shooting % | 55.0% |
| 971 | Games played | 932 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Kevin McHale | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|---|---|
| 1.70× | Points vs era avg | 2.34× |
| 1.76× | Rebounds vs era avg | 0.99× |
| 0.71× | Assists vs era avg | 2.97× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Kevin McHale's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Jerry West's era.
Playoff averages
| Kevin McHale | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|---|---|
| 18.8 | Points / game | 29.1 |
| 7.4 | Rebounds / game | 5.6 |
| 1.6 | Assists / game | 6.3 |
| 0.4 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 1.7 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 55.7% | Field goal % | 46.6% |
| 14.6% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 77.0% | Free throw % | 79.1% |
| 169 | Playoff games | 153 |
Accolades
| Kevin McHale | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | MVP awards | 0 |
| 0 | Finals MVP | 1 |
| 3 | Championships | 1 |
| 7 | All-Star selections | 12 |
| 1 | All-NBA 1st Team | 10 |
| #45 | All-time GOAT rank | #23 |
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