Don Nelson vs. Isiah Thomas Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Isiah Thomas and Don Nelson 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

Don Nelson

vs.

Isiah Thomas

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Don Nelson: 1962-63 to 1975-76
Isiah Thomas: 1981-82 to 1993-94

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Don Nelson 5 Isiah Thomas 2

NBA Seasons Don Nelson 14 Isiah Thomas 13

Playoffs Played Don Nelson 11 Isiah Thomas 9

All-Star Games Don Nelson 0 Isiah Thomas 12

Honors and Awards

Finals MVP Don Nelson 0 * Isiah Thomas 1

All-NBA First Team Don Nelson 0 Isiah Thomas 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Don Nelson 0 Isiah Thomas 5

Assists Leader Don Nelson 0 Isiah Thomas 1

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Don Nelson 10.3 Isiah Thomas 19.2

Rebounds Per Game Don Nelson 4.9 Isiah Thomas 3.6

Assists Per Game Don Nelson 1.4 Isiah Thomas 9.3

Steals Per Game Don Nelson 0.3 * Isiah Thomas 1.9

Blocks Per Game Don Nelson 0.1 * Isiah Thomas 0.3

Totals Stats

Total Points Don Nelson 10,898 Isiah Thomas 18,822

Total Rebounds Don Nelson 5,192 Isiah Thomas 3,478

Total Assists Don Nelson 1,526 Isiah Thomas 9,061

Total Steals Don Nelson 65 * Isiah Thomas 1,861

Total Blocks Don Nelson 35 * Isiah Thomas 249

Total Games Don Nelson 1,053 Isiah Thomas 979

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Don Nelson .480 Isiah Thomas .452

3-Point Percentage Don Nelson - n/a ** Isiah Thomas .290

Free Throw Percentage Don Nelson .765 Isiah Thomas .759

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Don Nelson 15.4 (1970) Isiah Thomas 22.9 (1983)

Rebounds Per Game Don Nelson 7.3 (1970) Isiah Thomas 4.5 (1985)

Assists Per Game Don Nelson 2.3 (1972) Isiah Thomas 13.9 (1985)

Steals Per Game Don Nelson 0.4 (1975) * Isiah Thomas 2.5 (1984)

Blocks Per Game Don Nelson 0.2 (1975) * Isiah Thomas 0.4 (1984)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Don Nelson 10.5 Isiah Thomas 20.4

Rebounds Per Game Don Nelson 4.8 Isiah Thomas 4.7

Assists Per Game Don Nelson 1.4 Isiah Thomas 8.9

Steals Per Game Don Nelson 0.3 * Isiah Thomas 2.1

Blocks Per Game Don Nelson 0.1 * Isiah Thomas 0.3

Totals Stats

Total Points Don Nelson 1,577 Isiah Thomas 2,261

Total Rebounds Don Nelson 719 Isiah Thomas 524

Total Assists Don Nelson 210 Isiah Thomas 987

Total Steals Don Nelson 13 * Isiah Thomas 234

Total Blocks Don Nelson 7 * Isiah Thomas 38

Total Games Don Nelson 150 Isiah Thomas 111

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Don Nelson .498 Isiah Thomas .441

3-Point Percentage Don Nelson - n/a ** Isiah Thomas .346

Free Throw Percentage Don Nelson .817 Isiah Thomas .769

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Don Nelson 15.4 (1975) Isiah Thomas 26.5 (1986)

Rebounds Per Game Don Nelson 7.5 (1968) Isiah Thomas 5.5 (1986)

Assists Per Game Don Nelson 2.4 (1975) Isiah Thomas 12.0 (1986)

Steals Per Game Don Nelson 0.4 (1974) * Isiah Thomas 2.9 (1988)

Blocks Per Game Don Nelson 0.2 (1975) * Isiah Thomas 1.2 (1984)

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.