Vern Mikkelsen vs Nate Thurmond
Vern Mikkelsen (1949-1958) and Nate Thurmond (1963-1976) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 5 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Nate Thurmond was the higher-volume scorer (15.0 points per game to 14.4); adjusted for era they scored at 1.50× and 1.36× their league average respectively; Vern Mikkelsen was the more efficient scorer (47.9% true shooting to 47.0%). Vern Mikkelsen holds the edge on accolades — 4 championships and the #74 all-time ranking to Nate Thurmond's #75.
Career averages
| Vern Mikkelsen | Stat | Nate Thurmond |
|---|---|---|
| 14.4 | Points / game | 15.0 |
| 8.5 | Rebounds / game | 15.0 |
| 2.2 | Assists / game | 2.7 |
| 0.0 | Steals / game | 0.1 |
| 0.0 | Blocks / game | 0.6 |
| 40.1% | Field goal % | 42.1% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 76.4% | Free throw % | 66.7% |
| 47.9% | True shooting % | 47.0% |
| 699 | Games played | 964 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Vern Mikkelsen | Stat | Nate Thurmond |
|---|---|---|
| 1.50× | Points vs era avg | 1.36× |
| 1.67× | Rebounds vs era avg | 2.76× |
| 0.99× | Assists vs era avg | 1.22× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Vern Mikkelsen's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Nate Thurmond's era.
Playoff averages
| Vern Mikkelsen | Stat | Nate Thurmond |
|---|---|---|
| 13.4 | Points / game | 11.9 |
| 6.9 | Rebounds / game | 13.6 |
| 1.8 | Assists / game | 2.8 |
| 0.0 | Steals / game | 0.1 |
| 0.0 | Blocks / game | 0.6 |
| 39.8% | Field goal % | 41.2% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 79.2% | Free throw % | 59.7% |
| 85 | Playoff games | 81 |
Accolades
| Vern Mikkelsen | Stat | Nate Thurmond |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | MVP awards | 0 |
| 0 | Finals MVP | 0 |
| 4 | Championships | 0 |
| 6 | All-Star selections | 5 |
| 0 | All-NBA 1st Team | 0 |
| #74 | All-time GOAT rank | #75 |
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