The Tape
Was Jerry West better than Tim Duncan?
Jerry West, 1960-1974, against Tim Duncan, 1997-2016. 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: Jerry West at 30.9 a game in 1965-66, Tim Duncan at 30.4 in 2001-02. The scoring argument is a tie and anyone who claims otherwise is quoting raw numbers from different leagues.
Tim Duncan wins the glass by 5.6 rebounds a game (12.7 to 7.1), which in his era meant standing in traffic rather than waiting for a long one.
Jerry West is the passer: 6.1 assists a game to 3.7, and that is the difference between running an offense and finishing one.
Jerry West: Lost 8 Finals and won 1, and is the only Finals MVP ever chosen from a losing team. Tim Duncan: Five titles across 15 years with the same bank shot and no visible change in expression.
The numbers are free. The verdict is in the Vault.
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