Joe Ellis vs. Nate Thurmond Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Nate Thurmond and Joe Ellis 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
Joe Ellis: 1966-67 to 1973-74
Nate Thurmond: 1963-64 to 1976-77

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Joe Ellis 0 Nate Thurmond 0

NBA Seasons Joe Ellis 8 Nate Thurmond 14

Playoffs Played Joe Ellis 6 Nate Thurmond 9

All-Star Games Joe Ellis 0 Nate Thurmond 7

Honors and Awards

All-Defensive 1st Team Joe Ellis 0 * Nate Thurmond 2 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Joe Ellis 0 Nate Thurmond 5

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Joe Ellis 8.8 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Rebounds Per Game Joe Ellis 5.1 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Assists Per Game Joe Ellis 1.4 Nate Thurmond 2.7

Steals Per Game Joe Ellis 0.7 * Nate Thurmond 0.5 *

Blocks Per Game Joe Ellis 0.2 * Nate Thurmond 2.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Joe Ellis 4,623 Nate Thurmond 14,437

Total Rebounds Joe Ellis 2,686 Nate Thurmond 14,464

Total Assists Joe Ellis 716 Nate Thurmond 2,575

Total Steals Joe Ellis 33 * Nate Thurmond 125 *

Total Blocks Joe Ellis 9 * Nate Thurmond 553 *

Total Games Joe Ellis 524 Nate Thurmond 964

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Joe Ellis .398 Nate Thurmond .421

3-Point Percentage Joe Ellis - n/a ** Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Joe Ellis .727 Nate Thurmond .667

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Joe Ellis 15.8 (1970) Nate Thurmond 21.9 (1970)

Rebounds Per Game Joe Ellis 7.8 (1970) Nate Thurmond 22.0 (1968)

Assists Per Game Joe Ellis 2.0 (1971) Nate Thurmond 4.2 (1968)

Steals Per Game Joe Ellis 0.7 (1974) * Nate Thurmond 0.7 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Joe Ellis 0.2 (1974) * Nate Thurmond 2.9 (1974) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Joe Ellis 5.3 Nate Thurmond 11.9

Rebounds Per Game Joe Ellis 3.4 Nate Thurmond 13.6

Assists Per Game Joe Ellis 0.6 Nate Thurmond 2.8

Steals Per Game Joe Ellis - * Nate Thurmond 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game Joe Ellis - * Nate Thurmond 1.9 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Joe Ellis 202 Nate Thurmond 966

Total Rebounds Joe Ellis 131 Nate Thurmond 1,101

Total Assists Joe Ellis 23 Nate Thurmond 225

Total Steals Joe Ellis 0 * Nate Thurmond 11 *

Total Blocks Joe Ellis 0 * Nate Thurmond 51 *

Total Games Joe Ellis 38 Nate Thurmond 81

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Joe Ellis .307 Nate Thurmond .416

3-Point Percentage Joe Ellis - n/a ** Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Joe Ellis .692 Nate Thurmond .621

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Joe Ellis 10.8 (1972) Nate Thurmond 25.4 (1972)

Rebounds Per Game Joe Ellis 8.5 (1969) Nate Thurmond 23.1 (1967)

Assists Per Game Joe Ellis 0.8 (1972) Nate Thurmond 5.2 (1972)

Steals Per Game Joe Ellis - * Nate Thurmond 0.5 (1976) *

Blocks Per Game Joe Ellis - * 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.