Paul Arizin vs Isiah Thomas
Paul Arizin (1950-1961) and Isiah Thomas (1981-1993) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 20 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Paul Arizin was the higher-volume scorer (22.8 points per game to 19.2); adjusted for era they scored at 2.15× and 1.85× their league average respectively; Isiah Thomas was the more efficient scorer (51.6% true shooting to 50.6%). Isiah Thomas holds the edge on accolades — 2 championships, 1 Finals MVP and the #36 all-time ranking to Paul Arizin's #60.
Career averages
| Paul Arizin | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| 22.8 | Points / game | 19.2 |
| 8.6 | Rebounds / game | 3.6 |
| 2.3 | Assists / game | 9.3 |
| 0.0 | Steals / game | 1.9 |
| 0.0 | Blocks / game | 0.3 |
| 42.1% | Field goal % | 45.2% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 29.0% |
| 80.9% | Free throw % | 75.9% |
| 50.6% | True shooting % | 51.6% |
| 713 | Games played | 979 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Paul Arizin | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| 2.15× | Points vs era avg | 1.85× |
| 1.45× | Rebounds vs era avg | 0.86× |
| 1.02× | Assists vs era avg | 3.80× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Paul Arizin's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Isiah Thomas's era.
Playoff averages
| Paul Arizin | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| 24.2 | Points / game | 20.4 |
| 8.3 | Rebounds / game | 4.7 |
| 2.6 | Assists / game | 8.9 |
| 0.0 | Steals / game | 2.1 |
| 0.0 | Blocks / game | 0.3 |
| 41.1% | Field goal % | 43.8% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 32.3% |
| 82.4% | Free throw % | 77.0% |
| 49 | Playoff games | 111 |
Accolades
| Paul Arizin | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | MVP awards | 0 |
| 0 | Finals MVP | 1 |
| 1 | Championships | 2 |
| 9 | All-Star selections | 11 |
| 3 | All-NBA 1st Team | 3 |
| #60 | All-time GOAT rank | #36 |
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