Dave Cowens vs. Christian Laettner Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Christian Laettner and Dave Cowens, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Dave Cowens played 11 years in the NBA, 2 less than Christian Laettner, who played 13. Dave Cowens had the first of his seasons in 1970-71, while Christian Laettner had his rookie season in 1992-93. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Dave Cowens 11 7 1970-71 to 1982-83
Christian Laettner 13 6 1992-93 to 2004-05

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13

Rookie Season

Dave Cowens Christian Laettner
Season 1970-711992-93
Team Boston CelticsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 81 38.0 17.0 - - 15.0 2.8 - - - 4.3 6.8 16.1 .422 - - - 3.4 4.6 .732
Christian Laettner 81 34.9 18.2 2.1 6.6 8.7 2.8 1.3 1.0 3.4 3.6 6.2 13.1 .474 0.0 0.5 .100 5.7 6.8 .835
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens ------- --- ----------
Christian Laettner ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Dave Cowens Christian Laettner
Season 1971-721993-94
Team Boston CelticsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 79 40.3 18.8 - - 15.2 3.1 - - - 4.0 8.3 17.2 .484 - - - 2.2 3.1 .720
Christian Laettner 70 34.7 16.8 2.3 6.3 8.6 4.4 1.2 1.2 3.7 3.8 5.7 12.6 .448 0.1 0.4 .240 5.4 6.8 .783
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 11 40.1 15.5 - - 13.8 3.0 - - - 4.5 6.5 14.2 .455 - - - 2.5 4.3 .596
Christian Laettner ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Dave Cowens Christian Laettner
Season 1972-731994-95
Team Boston CelticsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 82 41.8 20.5 - - 16.2 4.1 - - - 3.8 9.0 20.0 .452 - - - 2.5 3.2 .779
Christian Laettner 81 34.2 16.3 2.0 5.5 7.6 2.9 1.2 1.1 2.8 3.7 5.6 11.4 .489 0.2 0.5 .325 5.0 6.2 .818
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 13 46.0 21.9 - - 16.6 3.7 - - - 4.2 9.9 21.0 .473 - - - 2.1 3.2 .659
Christian Laettner ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Dave Cowens Christian Laettner
Season 1973-741995-96
Team Boston CelticsMinnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionHawks Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 80 41.9 19.0 3.3 12.4 15.7 4.4 1.2 1.3 - 3.7 8.1 18.4 .437 - - - 2.9 3.4 .832
Christian Laettner 74 33.7 16.4 2.5 4.8 7.3 2.7 1.0 1.0 2.5 3.7 6.0 12.3 .487 0.1 0.5 .231 4.4 5.4 .818
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 18 42.9 20.5 3.3 10.0 13.3 3.7 1.2 0.9 - 4.7 8.9 20.6 .435 - - - 2.6 3.3 .797
Christian Laettner 10 33.4 15.7 2.7 4.2 6.9 1.5 1.2 1.0 2.1 4.1 5.9 12.2 .484 0.1 0.3 .333 3.8 5.4 .704

Season 5

Dave Cowens Christian Laettner
Season 1974-751996-97
Team Boston CelticsAtlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsHawks Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 65 40.5 20.4 3.5 11.2 14.7 4.6 1.3 1.1 - 3.7 8.8 18.4 .475 - - - 2.9 3.8 .783
Christian Laettner 82 38.3 18.1 2.6 6.2 8.8 2.7 1.2 0.8 2.7 3.4 6.7 13.8 .486 0.4 1.1 .352 4.4 5.4 .816
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 11 43.5 20.5 4.5 12.0 16.5 4.2 1.6 0.5 - 4.5 9.2 21.5 .428 - - - 2.1 2.4 .885
Christian Laettner 10 40.2 17.6 1.9 5.3 7.2 2.6 1.0 0.8 3.1 3.2 6.2 15.3 .405 0.4 2.1 .190 4.8 5.6 .857

Season 6

Dave Cowens Christian Laettner
Season 1975-761997-98
Team Boston CelticsAtlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionHawks Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 78 39.8 19.0 4.3 11.7 16.0 4.2 1.2 0.9 - 4.0 7.8 16.7 .468 - - - 3.3 4.4 .756
Christian Laettner 74 30.8 13.8 1.9 4.7 6.6 2.6 1.0 1.0 2.5 3.3 4.8 9.9 .485 0.1 0.4 .222 4.1 4.8 .864
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 18 44.3 21.0 4.8 11.6 16.4 4.6 1.2 0.7 - 4.7 8.7 18.9 .457 - - - 3.7 4.8 .759
Christian Laettner 4 22.0 9.8 0.8 3.5 4.3 1.0 1.5 0.3 2.0 4.0 3.0 8.8 .343 0.0 0.8 .000 3.8 4.3 .882

Season 7

Dave Cowens Christian Laettner
Season 1976-771998-99
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisPistons Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 50 37.8 16.4 2.9 11.0 13.9 5.0 0.9 1.0 - 3.6 6.6 15.1 .434 - - - 3.2 4.0 .818
Christian Laettner 16 21.1 7.6 1.3 2.1 3.4 1.5 0.9 0.8 1.2 1.9 2.4 6.6 .358 0.1 0.2 .333 2.8 3.6 .772
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 9 42.1 16.6 3.2 11.7 14.9 4.0 0.9 1.4 - 4.1 7.3 16.4 .446 - - - 1.9 2.4 .773
Christian Laettner 5 24.6 10.2 1.2 1.6 2.8 2.2 0.8 0.2 0.6 2.8 4.0 9.4 .426 0.0 0.0 - 2.2 2.8 .786

Season 8

Dave Cowens Christian Laettner
Season 1977-781999-00
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayPistons Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 77 41.8 18.6 3.2 10.8 14.0 4.6 1.3 0.9 2.8 3.9 7.8 15.8 .490 - - - 3.1 3.7 .842
Christian Laettner 82 29.8 12.2 2.1 4.6 6.7 2.3 1.0 0.5 2.3 4.0 4.6 9.8 .473 0.1 0.3 .292 2.9 3.6 .812
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens ------- --- ----------
Christian Laettner 3 25.0 6.7 0.7 4.3 5.0 2.0 0.0 0.3 1.0 4.7 2.3 5.7 .412 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 2.7 .750

Season 9

Dave Cowens Christian Laettner
Season 1978-792000-01
Team Boston CelticsDallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 68 37.0 16.6 2.2 7.4 9.6 3.6 1.1 0.8 2.6 3.9 7.2 14.9 .483 - - - 2.2 2.8 .807
Christian Laettner 78 21.3 9.3 1.5 3.2 4.7 1.6 0.9 0.6 1.8 3.1 3.6 7.1 .503 0.1 0.2 .308 2.2 2.6 .833
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens ------- --- ----------
Christian Laettner ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Dave Cowens Christian Laettner
Season 1979-802001-02
Team Boston CelticsWashington Wizards
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 66 32.7 14.2 1.9 6.2 8.1 3.1 1.0 0.9 1.6 3.3 6.4 14.1 .453 0.0 0.2 .083 1.4 1.8 .779
Christian Laettner 57 25.3 7.1 1.3 4.0 5.3 2.6 1.1 0.4 1.5 2.3 2.9 6.4 .464 0.0 0.2 .200 1.2 1.3 .868
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 9 33.4 12.0 2.0 5.3 7.3 2.3 1.0 0.8 0.9 4.1 5.4 11.4 .476 0.0 0.2 .000 1.1 1.2 .909
Christian Laettner ------- --- ----------

Note: Dave Cowens didn't play in 1980-81 and 1981-82.

Season 11

Dave Cowens Christian Laettner
Season 1982-832002-03
Team Milwaukee BucksWashington Wizards
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 40 25.4 8.1 1.8 5.0 6.9 2.1 0.8 0.4 1.1 3.4 3.4 7.7 .444 0.0 0.1 .000 1.3 1.6 .825
Christian Laettner 76 29.1 8.3 1.5 5.1 6.6 3.1 1.1 0.5 1.1 2.7 3.4 6.8 .494 0.0 0.2 .125 1.6 1.9 .833
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens ------- --- ----------
Christian Laettner ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Dave Cowens Christian Laettner
Season -2003-04
Team -Washington Wizards
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Did Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens ------- --- ----------
Christian Laettner 48 20.5 5.9 1.0 3.8 4.8 1.9 0.8 0.6 0.9 2.1 2.5 5.3 .465 0.1 0.4 .286 0.8 1.0 .800
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens ------- --- ----------
Christian Laettner ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Dave Cowens Christian Laettner
Season -2004-05
Team -Miami Heat
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Heat Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens ------- --- ----------
Christian Laettner 49 15.1 5.3 0.7 1.9 2.7 0.8 0.7 0.3 0.6 1.6 2.2 3.8 .582 0.0 0.1 .143 0.9 1.2 .763
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens ------- --- ----------
Christian Laettner 13 10.2 2.2 0.2 1.7 1.9 0.5 0.3 0.0 0.5 1.3 0.9 1.8 .500 0.0 0.1 .000 0.4 0.5 .833