Cross-era · careers 25 years apart
Paul Pierce vs Jerry West
Paul Pierce (1998-2016) and Jerry West (1960-1973) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 25 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 19.7); adjusted for era they scored at 2.11× and 2.34× their league average respectively; Paul Pierce was the more efficient scorer (56.8% true shooting to 55.0%). Jerry West holds the edge on accolades — 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #23 all-time ranking to Paul Pierce's #52.
Career averages
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|
| 19.7 |
Points / game |
27.0 |
| 5.6 |
Rebounds / game |
5.8 |
| 3.5 |
Assists / game |
6.7 |
| 1.3 |
Steals / game |
0.1 |
| 0.5 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 44.4% |
Field goal % |
47.4% |
| 36.8% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 80.8% |
Free throw % |
81.4% |
| 56.8% |
True shooting % |
55.0% |
| 1,343 |
Games played |
932 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|
| 2.11× |
Points vs era avg |
2.34× |
| 1.37× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
0.99× |
| 1.68× |
Assists vs era avg |
2.97× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Jerry West's era.
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|
| 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 | Jerry West |
|---|
| 18.7 |
Points / game |
29.1 |
| 5.8 |
Rebounds / game |
5.6 |
| 3.4 |
Assists / game |
6.3 |
| 1.2 |
Steals / game |
0.0 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 42.2% |
Field goal % |
46.6% |
| 35.1% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 82.4% |
Free throw % |
79.1% |
| 170 |
Playoff games |
153 |
Accolades
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Jerry West |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 1 |
Finals MVP |
1 |
| 1 |
Championships |
1 |
| 10 |
All-Star selections |
12 |
| 0 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
10 |
| #52 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#23 |