Jaylen Nowell vs. Nate Thurmond Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Nate Thurmond and Jaylen Nowell 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

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2025-26
Jaylen Nowell: 2019-20 to 2024-25
Nate Thurmond: 1963-64 to 1976-77

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Jaylen Nowell 0 Nate Thurmond 0

NBA Seasons Jaylen Nowell 6 Nate Thurmond 14

Playoffs Played Jaylen Nowell 2 Nate Thurmond 9

All-Star Games Jaylen Nowell 0 Nate Thurmond 7

Honors and Awards

All-Defensive 1st Team Jaylen Nowell 0 Nate Thurmond 2 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Jaylen Nowell 0 Nate Thurmond 5

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Jaylen Nowell 8.9 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Rebounds Per Game Jaylen Nowell 2.2 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Assists Per Game Jaylen Nowell 1.9 Nate Thurmond 2.7

Steals Per Game Jaylen Nowell 0.5 Nate Thurmond 0.5 *

Blocks Per Game Jaylen Nowell 0.2 Nate Thurmond 2.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Jaylen Nowell 1,815 Nate Thurmond 14,437

Total Rebounds Jaylen Nowell 445 Nate Thurmond 14,464

Total Assists Jaylen Nowell 380 Nate Thurmond 2,575

Total Steals Jaylen Nowell 99 Nate Thurmond 125 *

Total Blocks Jaylen Nowell 34 Nate Thurmond 553 *

Total Games Jaylen Nowell 205 Nate Thurmond 964

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Jaylen Nowell .442 Nate Thurmond .421

3-Point Percentage Jaylen Nowell .316 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Jaylen Nowell .792 Nate Thurmond .667

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Jaylen Nowell 10.8 (2023) Nate Thurmond 21.9 (1970)

Rebounds Per Game Jaylen Nowell 2.6 (2023) Nate Thurmond 22.0 (1968)

Assists Per Game Jaylen Nowell 2.3 (2025) Nate Thurmond 4.2 (1968)

Steals Per Game Jaylen Nowell 0.6 (2023) Nate Thurmond 0.7 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Jaylen Nowell 0.5 (2025) Nate Thurmond 2.9 (1974) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Jaylen Nowell 3.7 Nate Thurmond 11.9

Rebounds Per Game Jaylen Nowell 0.8 Nate Thurmond 13.6

Assists Per Game Jaylen Nowell 0.7 Nate Thurmond 2.8

Steals Per Game Jaylen Nowell 0.2 Nate Thurmond 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game Jaylen Nowell 0.0 Nate Thurmond 1.9 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Jaylen Nowell 22 Nate Thurmond 966

Total Rebounds Jaylen Nowell 5 Nate Thurmond 1,101

Total Assists Jaylen Nowell 4 Nate Thurmond 225

Total Steals Jaylen Nowell 1 Nate Thurmond 11 *

Total Blocks Jaylen Nowell 0 Nate Thurmond 51 *

Total Games Jaylen Nowell 6 Nate Thurmond 81

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Jaylen Nowell .250 Nate Thurmond .416

3-Point Percentage Jaylen Nowell .214 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Jaylen Nowell .500 Nate Thurmond .621

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Jaylen Nowell 6.0 (2022) Nate Thurmond 25.4 (1972)

Rebounds Per Game Jaylen Nowell 1.0 (2023) Nate Thurmond 23.1 (1967)

Assists Per Game Jaylen Nowell 1.0 (2022) Nate Thurmond 5.2 (1972)

Steals Per Game Jaylen Nowell 1.0 (2022) Nate Thurmond 0.5 (1976) *

Blocks Per Game Jaylen Nowell 0.0 (2023) 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.