Cross-era · careers 9 years apart

Paul Pierce vs Michael Cooper

Paul Pierce 1998-2016 · Forward Michael Cooper 1978-1989 · Guard

Paul Pierce (1998-2016) and Michael Cooper (1978-1989) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 9 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 8.8); adjusted for era they scored at 2.11× and 0.84× their league average respectively; Paul Pierce was the more efficient scorer (56.8% true shooting to 54.3%). Paul Pierce holds the edge on accolades — 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #52 all-time ranking to Michael Cooper's #65.

Career averages

Paul PierceStatMichael Cooper
19.7 Points / game 8.8
5.6 Rebounds / game 3.2
3.5 Assists / game 4.2
1.3 Steals / game 1.2
0.5 Blocks / game 0.6
44.4% Field goal % 46.8%
36.8% 3-point % 29.1%
80.8% Free throw % 83.2%
56.8% True shooting % 54.3%
1,343 Games played 873

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Paul PierceStatMichael Cooper
2.11× Points vs era avg 0.84×
1.37× Rebounds vs era avg 0.75×
1.68× Assists vs era avg 1.67×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Michael Cooper's era.

Paul PierceStatMichael Cooper
104.7 Offensive rating —
101.7 Defensive rating —
3.1 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Paul PierceStatMichael Cooper
18.7 Points / game 9.4
5.8 Rebounds / game 3.4
3.4 Assists / game 4.2
1.2 Steals / game 1.2
0.6 Blocks / game 0.6
42.2% Field goal % 46.1%
35.1% 3-point % 32.6%
82.4% Free throw % 77.6%
170 Playoff games 168

Accolades

Paul PierceStatMichael Cooper
0 MVP awards 0
1 Finals MVP 0
1 Championships 5
10 All-Star selections 0
0 All-NBA 1st Team 0
#52 All-time GOAT rank #65

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