Jeff Ruland vs. Nate Thurmond Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Nate Thurmond and Jeff Ruland 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

Jeff Ruland

vs.

Nate Thurmond

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Jeff Ruland: 1981-82 to 1992-93
Nate Thurmond: 1963-64 to 1976-77

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Jeff Ruland 0 Nate Thurmond 0

NBA Seasons Jeff Ruland 8 Nate Thurmond 14

Playoffs Played Jeff Ruland 4 Nate Thurmond 9

All-Star Games Jeff Ruland 2 Nate Thurmond 7

Honors and Awards

All-Defensive 1st Team Jeff Ruland 0 Nate Thurmond 2 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Jeff Ruland 0 Nate Thurmond 5

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Jeff Ruland 17.4 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Rebounds Per Game Jeff Ruland 10.2 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Assists Per Game Jeff Ruland 3.0 Nate Thurmond 2.7

Steals Per Game Jeff Ruland 0.8 Nate Thurmond 0.5 *

Blocks Per Game Jeff Ruland 0.8 Nate Thurmond 2.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Jeff Ruland 5,763 Nate Thurmond 14,437

Total Rebounds Jeff Ruland 3,378 Nate Thurmond 14,464

Total Assists Jeff Ruland 1,002 Nate Thurmond 2,575

Total Steals Jeff Ruland 249 Nate Thurmond 125 *

Total Blocks Jeff Ruland 267 Nate Thurmond 553 *

Total Games Jeff Ruland 332 Nate Thurmond 964

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Jeff Ruland .564 Nate Thurmond .421

3-Point Percentage Jeff Ruland .158 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Jeff Ruland .718 Nate Thurmond .667

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Jeff Ruland 22.2 (1984) Nate Thurmond 21.9 (1970)

Rebounds Per Game Jeff Ruland 12.3 (1984) Nate Thurmond 22.0 (1968)

Assists Per Game Jeff Ruland 5.3 (1986) Nate Thurmond 4.2 (1968)

Steals Per Game Jeff Ruland 0.9 (1983) Nate Thurmond 0.7 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Jeff Ruland 1.0 (1983) Nate Thurmond 2.9 (1974) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Jeff Ruland 18.4 Nate Thurmond 11.9

Rebounds Per Game Jeff Ruland 9.6 Nate Thurmond 13.6

Assists Per Game Jeff Ruland 3.9 Nate Thurmond 2.8

Steals Per Game Jeff Ruland 0.8 Nate Thurmond 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game Jeff Ruland 0.8 Nate Thurmond 1.9 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Jeff Ruland 313 Nate Thurmond 966

Total Rebounds Jeff Ruland 163 Nate Thurmond 1,101

Total Assists Jeff Ruland 67 Nate Thurmond 225

Total Steals Jeff Ruland 14 Nate Thurmond 11 *

Total Blocks Jeff Ruland 13 Nate Thurmond 51 *

Total Games Jeff Ruland 17 Nate Thurmond 81

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Jeff Ruland .521 Nate Thurmond .416

3-Point Percentage Jeff Ruland .000 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Jeff Ruland .775 Nate Thurmond .621

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Jeff Ruland 24.0 (1984) Nate Thurmond 25.4 (1972)

Rebounds Per Game Jeff Ruland 12.8 (1984) Nate Thurmond 23.1 (1967)

Assists Per Game Jeff Ruland 7.8 (1984) Nate Thurmond 5.2 (1972)

Steals Per Game Jeff Ruland 2.3 (1985) Nate Thurmond 0.5 (1976) *

Blocks Per Game Jeff Ruland 1.0 (1986) 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.