Cross-era · careers 29 years apart

Tim Duncan vs Bill Russell

Tim Duncan 1997-2015 · Center-Forward Bill Russell 1956-1968 · Center

Tim Duncan (1997-2015) and Bill Russell (1956-1968) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 29 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Tim Duncan was the higher-volume scorer (19.0 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.00× and 1.32× their league average respectively; Tim Duncan was the more efficient scorer (55.1% true shooting to 47.1%). Tim Duncan holds the edge on accolades — 2 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #4 all-time ranking to Bill Russell's #5.

Career averages

Tim DuncanStatBill Russell
19.0 Points / game 15.1
10.8 Rebounds / game 22.5
3.0 Assists / game 4.3
0.7 Steals / game 0.0
2.2 Blocks / game 0.0
50.5% Field goal % 44.0%
14.1% 3-point % 0.0%
70.1% Free throw % 56.1%
55.1% True shooting % 47.1%
1,392 Games played 963

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Tim DuncanStatBill Russell
2.00× Points vs era avg 1.32×
2.61× Rebounds vs era avg 3.67×
1.44× Assists vs era avg 1.96×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bill Russell's era.

Tim DuncanStatBill Russell
107.4 Offensive rating —
97.7 Defensive rating —
9.8 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.2% Assist % —
0.2% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Tim DuncanStatBill Russell
20.6 Points / game 16.2
11.4 Rebounds / game 24.9
3.1 Assists / game 4.7
0.7 Steals / game 0.0
2.3 Blocks / game 0.0
50.1% Field goal % 42.7%
11.5% 3-point % 0.0%
69.1% Free throw % 59.9%
251 Playoff games 165

Accolades

Tim DuncanStatBill Russell
2 MVP awards 5
3 Finals MVP 0
5 Championships 11
15 All-Star selections 12
10 All-NBA 1st Team 3
#4 All-time GOAT rank #5

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