Sam Merrill vs. Nate Thurmond Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Nate Thurmond and Sam Merrill that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

Sam Merrill

vs.

Nate Thurmond

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Sam Merrill: 2020-21 to 2023-24
Nate Thurmond: 1963-64 to 1976-77

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Sam Merrill 1 Nate Thurmond 0

NBA Seasons Sam Merrill 4 Nate Thurmond 14

Playoffs Played Sam Merrill 2 Nate Thurmond 9

All-Star Games Sam Merrill 0 Nate Thurmond 7

Honors and Awards

All-Defensive 1st Team Sam Merrill 0 Nate Thurmond 2 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Sam Merrill 0 Nate Thurmond 5

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Sam Merrill 6.1 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Rebounds Per Game Sam Merrill 1.6 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Assists Per Game Sam Merrill 1.4 Nate Thurmond 2.7

Steals Per Game Sam Merrill 0.3 Nate Thurmond 0.5 *

Blocks Per Game Sam Merrill 0.0 Nate Thurmond 2.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Sam Merrill 624 Nate Thurmond 14,437

Total Rebounds Sam Merrill 166 Nate Thurmond 14,464

Total Assists Sam Merrill 138 Nate Thurmond 2,575

Total Steals Sam Merrill 31 Nate Thurmond 125 *

Total Blocks Sam Merrill 5 Nate Thurmond 553 *

Total Games Sam Merrill 102 Nate Thurmond 964

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Sam Merrill .405 Nate Thurmond .421

3-Point Percentage Sam Merrill .398 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Sam Merrill .895 Nate Thurmond .667

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Sam Merrill 8.0 (2024) Nate Thurmond 21.9 (1970)

Rebounds Per Game Sam Merrill 2.0 (2024) Nate Thurmond 22.0 (1968)

Assists Per Game Sam Merrill 1.8 (2024) Nate Thurmond 4.2 (1968)

Steals Per Game Sam Merrill 0.8 (2023) Nate Thurmond 0.7 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Sam Merrill 0.1 (2024) Nate Thurmond 2.9 (1974) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Sam Merrill 2.1 Nate Thurmond 11.9

Rebounds Per Game Sam Merrill 0.9 Nate Thurmond 13.6

Assists Per Game Sam Merrill 0.6 Nate Thurmond 2.8

Steals Per Game Sam Merrill 0.2 Nate Thurmond 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game Sam Merrill 0.0 Nate Thurmond 1.9 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Sam Merrill 38 Nate Thurmond 966

Total Rebounds Sam Merrill 17 Nate Thurmond 1,101

Total Assists Sam Merrill 10 Nate Thurmond 225

Total Steals Sam Merrill 4 Nate Thurmond 11 *

Total Blocks Sam Merrill 0 Nate Thurmond 51 *

Total Games Sam Merrill 18 Nate Thurmond 81

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Sam Merrill .333 Nate Thurmond .416

3-Point Percentage Sam Merrill .344 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Sam Merrill 1.000 Nate Thurmond .621

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Sam Merrill 3.3 (2024) Nate Thurmond 25.4 (1972)

Rebounds Per Game Sam Merrill 1.2 (2024) Nate Thurmond 23.1 (1967)

Assists Per Game Sam Merrill 0.9 (2024) Nate Thurmond 5.2 (1972)

Steals Per Game Sam Merrill 0.5 (2021) Nate Thurmond 0.5 (1976) *

Blocks Per Game Sam Merrill 0.0 (2024) Nate Thurmond 2.2 (1976) *

Notes: * Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. ** Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat.