Cross-era · careers 4 years apart
Tim Duncan vs Isiah Thomas
Tim Duncan (1997-2015) and Isiah Thomas (1981-1993) 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, Isiah Thomas was the higher-volume scorer (19.2 points per game to 19.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.00× and 1.85× their league average respectively; Tim Duncan was the more efficient scorer (55.1% true shooting to 51.6%). Tim Duncan holds the edge on accolades — 2 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #4 all-time ranking to Isiah Thomas's #36.
Career averages
| Tim Duncan | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|
| 19.0 |
Points / game |
19.2 |
| 10.8 |
Rebounds / game |
3.6 |
| 3.0 |
Assists / game |
9.3 |
| 0.7 |
Steals / game |
1.9 |
| 2.2 |
Blocks / game |
0.3 |
| 50.5% |
Field goal % |
45.2% |
| 14.1% |
3-point % |
29.0% |
| 70.1% |
Free throw % |
75.9% |
| 55.1% |
True shooting % |
51.6% |
| 1,392 |
Games played |
979 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Tim Duncan | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|
| 2.00× |
Points vs era avg |
1.85× |
| 2.61× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
0.86× |
| 1.44× |
Assists vs era avg |
3.80× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Isiah Thomas's era.
| Tim Duncan | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|
| 107.4 |
Offensive rating |
— |
| 97.7 |
Defensive rating |
— |
| 9.8 |
Net rating |
— |
| 0.2% |
Usage % |
— |
| 0.2% |
Assist % |
— |
| 0.2% |
Rebound % |
— |
Playoff averages
| Tim Duncan | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|
| 20.6 |
Points / game |
20.4 |
| 11.4 |
Rebounds / game |
4.7 |
| 3.1 |
Assists / game |
8.9 |
| 0.7 |
Steals / game |
2.1 |
| 2.3 |
Blocks / game |
0.3 |
| 50.1% |
Field goal % |
43.8% |
| 11.5% |
3-point % |
32.3% |
| 69.1% |
Free throw % |
77.0% |
| 251 |
Playoff games |
111 |
Accolades
| Tim Duncan | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|
| 2 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 3 |
Finals MVP |
1 |
| 5 |
Championships |
2 |
| 15 |
All-Star selections |
11 |
| 10 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
3 |
| #4 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#36 |