Cross-era · careers 15 years apart

Tim Duncan vs Dave Cowens

Tim Duncan 1997-2015 · Center-Forward Dave Cowens 1970-1982 · Center

Tim Duncan (1997-2015) and Dave Cowens (1970-1982) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 15 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 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.00× and 1.69× their league average respectively; Tim Duncan was the more efficient scorer (55.1% true shooting to 49.5%). Tim Duncan holds the edge on accolades — 2 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #4 all-time ranking to Dave Cowens's #51.

Career averages

Tim DuncanStatDave Cowens
19.0 Points / game 17.6
10.8 Rebounds / game 13.6
3.0 Assists / game 3.8
0.7 Steals / game 0.8
2.2 Blocks / game 0.6
50.5% Field goal % 45.9%
14.1% 3-point % 0.7%
70.1% Free throw % 78.5%
55.1% True shooting % 49.5%
1,392 Games played 766

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Tim DuncanStatDave Cowens
2.00× Points vs era avg 1.69×
2.61× Rebounds vs era avg 2.82×
1.44× Assists vs era avg 1.63×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dave Cowens's era.

Tim DuncanStatDave Cowens
107.4 Offensive rating —
97.7 Defensive rating —
9.8 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.2% Assist % —
0.2% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Tim DuncanStatDave Cowens
20.6 Points / game 18.9
11.4 Rebounds / game 14.4
3.1 Assists / game 3.7
0.7 Steals / game 0.9
2.3 Blocks / game 0.6
50.1% Field goal % 45.3%
11.5% 3-point % 0.0%
69.1% Free throw % 76.4%
251 Playoff games 89

Accolades

Tim DuncanStatDave Cowens
2 MVP awards 1
3 Finals MVP 0
5 Championships 2
15 All-Star selections 6
10 All-NBA 1st Team 0
#4 All-time GOAT rank #51

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