Fred Saunders vs. Nate Thurmond Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Nate Thurmond and Fred Saunders 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

Fred Saunders

vs.

Nate Thurmond

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Fred Saunders: 1974-75 to 1977-78
Nate Thurmond: 1963-64 to 1976-77

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Fred Saunders 0 Nate Thurmond 0

NBA Seasons Fred Saunders 4 Nate Thurmond 14

Playoffs Played Fred Saunders 1 Nate Thurmond 9

All-Star Games Fred Saunders 0 Nate Thurmond 7

Honors and Awards

All-Defensive 1st Team Fred Saunders 0 Nate Thurmond 2 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Fred Saunders 0 Nate Thurmond 5

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Fred Saunders 5.3 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Rebounds Per Game Fred Saunders 3.0 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Assists Per Game Fred Saunders 1.1 Nate Thurmond 2.7

Steals Per Game Fred Saunders 0.4 Nate Thurmond 0.5 *

Blocks Per Game Fred Saunders 0.2 Nate Thurmond 2.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Fred Saunders 1,107 Nate Thurmond 14,437

Total Rebounds Fred Saunders 624 Nate Thurmond 14,464

Total Assists Fred Saunders 224 Nate Thurmond 2,575

Total Steals Fred Saunders 93 Nate Thurmond 125 *

Total Blocks Fred Saunders 37 Nate Thurmond 553 *

Total Games Fred Saunders 210 Nate Thurmond 964

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Fred Saunders .443 Nate Thurmond .421

3-Point Percentage Fred Saunders - n/a ** Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Fred Saunders .682 Nate Thurmond .667

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Fred Saunders 6.1 (1975) Nate Thurmond 21.9 (1970)

Rebounds Per Game Fred Saunders 3.7 (1975) Nate Thurmond 22.0 (1968)

Assists Per Game Fred Saunders 1.3 (1977) Nate Thurmond 4.2 (1968)

Steals Per Game Fred Saunders 0.6 (1975) Nate Thurmond 0.7 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Fred Saunders 0.3 (1978) Nate Thurmond 2.9 (1974) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Fred Saunders 3.2 Nate Thurmond 11.9

Rebounds Per Game Fred Saunders 1.0 Nate Thurmond 13.6

Assists Per Game Fred Saunders 0.6 Nate Thurmond 2.8

Steals Per Game Fred Saunders 0.1 Nate Thurmond 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game Fred Saunders 0.0 Nate Thurmond 1.9 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Fred Saunders 29 Nate Thurmond 966

Total Rebounds Fred Saunders 9 Nate Thurmond 1,101

Total Assists Fred Saunders 5 Nate Thurmond 225

Total Steals Fred Saunders 1 Nate Thurmond 11 *

Total Blocks Fred Saunders 0 Nate Thurmond 51 *

Total Games Fred Saunders 9 Nate Thurmond 81

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Fred Saunders .364 Nate Thurmond .416

3-Point Percentage Fred Saunders - n/a ** Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Fred Saunders .833 Nate Thurmond .621

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Fred Saunders 3.2 (1977) Nate Thurmond 25.4 (1972)

Rebounds Per Game Fred Saunders 1.0 (1977) Nate Thurmond 23.1 (1967)

Assists Per Game Fred Saunders 0.6 (1977) Nate Thurmond 5.2 (1972)

Steals Per Game Fred Saunders 0.1 (1977) Nate Thurmond 0.5 (1976) *

Blocks Per Game Fred Saunders 0.0 (1977) 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.