Cross-era · careers 2 years apart

Tim Duncan vs Magic Johnson

Tim Duncan 1997-2015 · Center-Forward Magic Johnson 1979-1995 · Forward-Guard

Tim Duncan (1997-2015) and Magic Johnson (1979-1995) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 2 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Magic Johnson was the higher-volume scorer (19.6 points per game to 19.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.00× and 1.86× their league average respectively; Magic Johnson was the more efficient scorer (61.0% true shooting to 55.1%). Tim Duncan holds the edge on accolades — 2 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #4 all-time ranking to Magic Johnson's #7.

Career averages

Tim DuncanStatMagic Johnson
19.0 Points / game 19.6
10.8 Rebounds / game 7.2
3.0 Assists / game 11.2
0.7 Steals / game 1.9
2.2 Blocks / game 0.4
50.5% Field goal % 52.0%
14.1% 3-point % 22.9%
70.1% Free throw % 84.3%
55.1% True shooting % 61.0%
1,392 Games played 906

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Tim DuncanStatMagic Johnson
2.00× Points vs era avg 1.86×
2.61× Rebounds vs era avg 1.72×
1.44× Assists vs era avg 4.52×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Magic Johnson's era.

Tim DuncanStatMagic Johnson
107.4 Offensive rating —
97.7 Defensive rating —
9.8 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.2% Assist % —
0.2% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Tim DuncanStatMagic Johnson
20.6 Points / game 19.5
11.4 Rebounds / game 7.7
3.1 Assists / game 12.3
0.7 Steals / game 1.9
2.3 Blocks / game 0.3
50.1% Field goal % 50.6%
11.5% 3-point % 18.5%
69.1% Free throw % 83.6%
251 Playoff games 190

Accolades

Tim DuncanStatMagic Johnson
2 MVP awards 3
3 Finals MVP 3
5 Championships 5
15 All-Star selections 11
10 All-NBA 1st Team 9
#4 All-time GOAT rank #7

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