The Tape
Was Giannis Antetokounmpo better than Jayson Tatum?
Giannis Antetokounmpo, 2013-present, against Jayson Tatum, 2017-present. The numbers levelled to one league, then the call.
Method, stated plainly: scoring is adjusted to a league averaging 114 points per team per game. Rebounds and assists are printed as they were recorded, with the league scoring rate beside them, because a rebound in 1962 came out of a different number of missed shots and we will not pretend one multiplier fixes that. Career lines for active players run through 2024-25.
What the numbers say
Adjusted to a league averaging 114 points a game, their best seasons score the same: Giannis Antetokounmpo at 30.1 a game in 2019-20, Jayson Tatum at 29.9 in 2022-23. The scoring argument is a tie and anyone who claims otherwise is quoting raw numbers from different leagues.
Giannis Antetokounmpo wins the glass by 4.8 rebounds a game (13.6 to 8.8), which in his era meant standing in traffic rather than waiting for a long one.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Two MVPs and a Defensive Player of the Year, on a first step no defensive scheme has solved. Jayson Tatum: A title, 7 straight conference finals appearances, and a 3-point volume no forward of the 1990s could have imagined.
The numbers are free. The verdict is in the Vault.
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