The Tape
Was Oscar Robertson better than Patrick Ewing?
Oscar Robertson, 1960-1974, against Patrick Ewing, 1985-2002. 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: Oscar Robertson at 29.6 a game in 1961-62, Patrick Ewing at 30.5 in 1989-90. The scoring argument is a tie and anyone who claims otherwise is quoting raw numbers from different leagues.
Oscar Robertson is the passer: 11.4 assists a game to 2.2, and that is the difference between running an offense and finishing one.
Oscar Robertson: Averaged a triple double for a full season in 1961-62, then averaged one across his first 5 seasons combined. Patrick Ewing: A 21-and-10 center for 15 years who was the second-best player in almost every series that mattered.
The numbers are free. The verdict is in the Vault.
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