Cross-era · careers 6 years apart
Kevin McHale vs Paul Pierce
Kevin McHale (1980-1992) and Paul Pierce (1998-2016) 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, Paul Pierce was the higher-volume scorer (19.7 points per game to 17.8); adjusted for era they scored at 1.70× and 2.11× their league average respectively; Kevin McHale was the more efficient scorer (60.4% true shooting to 56.8%). Kevin McHale holds the edge on accolades — 3 championships and the #45 all-time ranking to Paul Pierce's #52.
Career averages
| Kevin McHale | Stat | Paul Pierce |
|---|
| 17.8 |
Points / game |
19.7 |
| 7.3 |
Rebounds / game |
5.6 |
| 1.7 |
Assists / game |
3.5 |
| 0.4 |
Steals / game |
1.3 |
| 1.7 |
Blocks / game |
0.5 |
| 54.9% |
Field goal % |
44.4% |
| 9.3% |
3-point % |
36.8% |
| 78.9% |
Free throw % |
80.8% |
| 60.4% |
True shooting % |
56.8% |
| 971 |
Games played |
1,343 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Kevin McHale | Stat | Paul Pierce |
|---|
| 1.70× |
Points vs era avg |
2.11× |
| 1.76× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.37× |
| 0.71× |
Assists vs era avg |
1.68× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Kevin McHale's era.
| Kevin McHale | Stat | Paul Pierce |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
104.7 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
101.7 |
| — |
Net rating |
3.1 |
| — |
Usage % |
0.2% |
| — |
Assist % |
0.1% |
| — |
Rebound % |
0.1% |
Playoff averages
| Kevin McHale | Stat | Paul Pierce |
|---|
| 18.8 |
Points / game |
18.7 |
| 7.4 |
Rebounds / game |
5.8 |
| 1.6 |
Assists / game |
3.4 |
| 0.4 |
Steals / game |
1.2 |
| 1.7 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 55.7% |
Field goal % |
42.2% |
| 14.6% |
3-point % |
35.1% |
| 77.0% |
Free throw % |
82.4% |
| 169 |
Playoff games |
170 |
Accolades
| Kevin McHale | Stat | Paul Pierce |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
1 |
| 3 |
Championships |
1 |
| 7 |
All-Star selections |
10 |
| 1 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
0 |
| #45 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#52 |