Cross-era · careers 22 years apart
Paul Pierce vs Nate Thurmond
Paul Pierce (1998-2016) and Nate Thurmond (1963-1976) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 22 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 15.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.11× and 1.36× their league average respectively; Paul Pierce was the more efficient scorer (56.8% true shooting to 47.0%). Paul Pierce holds the edge on accolades — 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #52 all-time ranking to Nate Thurmond's #75.
Career averages
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Nate Thurmond |
|---|
| 19.7 |
Points / game |
15.0 |
| 5.6 |
Rebounds / game |
15.0 |
| 3.5 |
Assists / game |
2.7 |
| 1.3 |
Steals / game |
0.1 |
| 0.5 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 44.4% |
Field goal % |
42.1% |
| 36.8% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 80.8% |
Free throw % |
66.7% |
| 56.8% |
True shooting % |
47.0% |
| 1,343 |
Games played |
964 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Nate Thurmond |
|---|
| 2.11× |
Points vs era avg |
1.36× |
| 1.37× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
2.76× |
| 1.68× |
Assists vs era avg |
1.22× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Nate Thurmond's era.
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Nate Thurmond |
|---|
| 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 | Nate Thurmond |
|---|
| 18.7 |
Points / game |
11.9 |
| 5.8 |
Rebounds / game |
13.6 |
| 3.4 |
Assists / game |
2.8 |
| 1.2 |
Steals / game |
0.1 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 42.2% |
Field goal % |
41.2% |
| 35.1% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 82.4% |
Free throw % |
59.7% |
| 170 |
Playoff games |
81 |
Accolades
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Nate Thurmond |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 1 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 1 |
Championships |
0 |
| 10 |
All-Star selections |
5 |
| 0 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
0 |
| #52 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#75 |