Moses Malone vs Jerry West
Moses Malone (1976-1994) and Jerry West (1960-1973) 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, Jerry West was the higher-volume scorer (27.0 points per game to 20.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.00× and 2.34× their league average respectively; Moses Malone was the more efficient scorer (56.9% true shooting to 55.0%). Moses Malone holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #15 all-time ranking to Jerry West's #23.
Career averages
| Moses Malone | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|---|---|
| 20.6 | Points / game | 27.0 |
| 12.2 | Rebounds / game | 5.8 |
| 1.3 | Assists / game | 6.7 |
| 0.8 | Steals / game | 0.1 |
| 1.3 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 48.4% | Field goal % | 47.4% |
| 7.3% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 76.8% | Free throw % | 81.4% |
| 56.9% | True shooting % | 55.0% |
| 1,329 | Games played | 932 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Moses Malone | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|---|---|
| 2.00× | Points vs era avg | 2.34× |
| 2.88× | Rebounds vs era avg | 0.99× |
| 0.55× | Assists vs era avg | 2.97× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Moses Malone's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Jerry West's era.
Playoff averages
| Moses Malone | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|---|---|
| 22.1 | Points / game | 29.1 |
| 13.8 | Rebounds / game | 5.6 |
| 1.4 | Assists / game | 6.3 |
| 0.9 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 1.6 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 46.7% | Field goal % | 46.6% |
| 5.3% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 77.7% | Free throw % | 79.1% |
| 94 | Playoff games | 153 |
Accolades
| Moses Malone | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | MVP awards | 0 |
| 1 | Finals MVP | 1 |
| 1 | Championships | 1 |
| 11 | All-Star selections | 12 |
| 4 | All-NBA 1st Team | 10 |
| #15 | All-time GOAT rank | #23 |
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