Cross-era · careers 41 years apart
Tom Heinsohn vs Chris Paul
Tom Heinsohn (1956-1964) and Chris Paul (2005-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 41 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Tom Heinsohn was the higher-volume scorer (18.6 points per game to 16.8); adjusted for era they scored at 1.61× and 1.71× their league average respectively; Chris Paul was the more efficient scorer (58.1% true shooting to 45.9%). Chris Paul holds the edge on accolades — 11 All-Star selections and the #33 all-time ranking to Tom Heinsohn's #47.
Career averages
| Tom Heinsohn | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| 18.6 |
Points / game |
16.8 |
| 8.8 |
Rebounds / game |
4.4 |
| 2.0 |
Assists / game |
9.2 |
| 0.0 |
Steals / game |
2.0 |
| 0.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.2 |
| 40.4% |
Field goal % |
46.5% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
36.6% |
| 79.1% |
Free throw % |
86.9% |
| 45.9% |
True shooting % |
58.1% |
| 654 |
Games played |
1,370 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Tom Heinsohn | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| 1.61× |
Points vs era avg |
1.71× |
| 1.40× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.06× |
| 0.91× |
Assists vs era avg |
4.23× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Tom Heinsohn's era.
| Tom Heinsohn | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
114.9 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
105.9 |
| — |
Net rating |
9.0 |
| — |
Usage % |
14.2% |
| — |
Assist % |
30.6% |
| — |
Rebound % |
7.1% |
Playoff averages
| Tom Heinsohn | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| 19.8 |
Points / game |
20.0 |
| 9.2 |
Rebounds / game |
4.9 |
| 2.1 |
Assists / game |
8.3 |
| 0.0 |
Steals / game |
1.9 |
| 0.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.2 |
| 39.9% |
Field goal % |
48.4% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
36.9% |
| 73.6% |
Free throw % |
84.6% |
| 104 |
Playoff games |
149 |
Accolades
| Tom Heinsohn | Stat | Chris Paul |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
0 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 8 |
Championships |
0 |
| 5 |
All-Star selections |
11 |
| 0 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
4 |
| #47 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#33 |