Cross-era · careers 4 years apart
Paul Pierce vs Moses Malone
Paul Pierce (1998-2016) and Moses Malone (1976-1994) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 4 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Moses Malone was the higher-volume scorer (20.6 points per game to 19.7); adjusted for era they scored at 2.11× and 2.00× their league average respectively; Paul Pierce created more for others (3.5 assists per game to 1.3). Moses Malone holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #15 all-time ranking to Paul Pierce's #52.
Career averages
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Moses Malone |
|---|
| 19.7 |
Points / game |
20.6 |
| 5.6 |
Rebounds / game |
12.2 |
| 3.5 |
Assists / game |
1.3 |
| 1.3 |
Steals / game |
0.8 |
| 0.5 |
Blocks / game |
1.3 |
| 44.4% |
Field goal % |
48.4% |
| 36.8% |
3-point % |
7.3% |
| 80.8% |
Free throw % |
76.8% |
| 56.8% |
True shooting % |
56.9% |
| 1,343 |
Games played |
1,329 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Moses Malone |
|---|
| 2.11× |
Points vs era avg |
2.00× |
| 1.37× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
2.88× |
| 1.68× |
Assists vs era avg |
0.55× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Moses Malone's era.
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Moses Malone |
|---|
| 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 | Moses Malone |
|---|
| 18.7 |
Points / game |
22.1 |
| 5.8 |
Rebounds / game |
13.8 |
| 3.4 |
Assists / game |
1.4 |
| 1.2 |
Steals / game |
0.9 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
1.6 |
| 42.2% |
Field goal % |
46.7% |
| 35.1% |
3-point % |
5.3% |
| 82.4% |
Free throw % |
77.7% |
| 170 |
Playoff games |
94 |
Accolades
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Moses Malone |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
3 |
| 1 |
Finals MVP |
1 |
| 1 |
Championships |
1 |
| 10 |
All-Star selections |
11 |
| 0 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
4 |
| #52 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#15 |