Cross-era · careers 5 years apart
Paul Pierce vs Isiah Thomas
Paul Pierce (1998-2016) and Isiah Thomas (1981-1993) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 5 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 19.2); adjusted for era they scored at 2.11× and 1.85× their league average respectively; Paul Pierce was the more efficient scorer (56.8% true shooting to 51.6%). Isiah Thomas holds the edge on accolades — 2 championships, 1 Finals MVP and the #36 all-time ranking to Paul Pierce's #52.
Career averages
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|
| 19.7 |
Points / game |
19.2 |
| 5.6 |
Rebounds / game |
3.6 |
| 3.5 |
Assists / game |
9.3 |
| 1.3 |
Steals / game |
1.9 |
| 0.5 |
Blocks / game |
0.3 |
| 44.4% |
Field goal % |
45.2% |
| 36.8% |
3-point % |
29.0% |
| 80.8% |
Free throw % |
75.9% |
| 56.8% |
True shooting % |
51.6% |
| 1,343 |
Games played |
979 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|
| 2.11× |
Points vs era avg |
1.85× |
| 1.37× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
0.86× |
| 1.68× |
Assists vs era avg |
3.80× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Isiah Thomas's era.
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|
| 104.7 |
Offensive rating |
— |
| 101.7 |
Defensive rating |
— |
| 3.1 |
Net rating |
— |
| 0.2% |
Usage % |
— |
| 0.1% |
Assist % |
— |
| 0.1% |
Rebound % |
— |
Playoff averages
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|
| 18.7 |
Points / game |
20.4 |
| 5.8 |
Rebounds / game |
4.7 |
| 3.4 |
Assists / game |
8.9 |
| 1.2 |
Steals / game |
2.1 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
0.3 |
| 42.2% |
Field goal % |
43.8% |
| 35.1% |
3-point % |
32.3% |
| 82.4% |
Free throw % |
77.0% |
| 170 |
Playoff games |
111 |
Accolades
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 1 |
Finals MVP |
1 |
| 1 |
Championships |
2 |
| 10 |
All-Star selections |
11 |
| 0 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
3 |
| #52 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#36 |