Bob Lanier vs. Jim Petersen Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jim Petersen and Bob Lanier, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Bob Lanier played 14 years in the NBA, 6 more than Jim Petersen, who played 8. Bob Lanier had the first of his seasons in 1970-71, while Jim Petersen had his rookie season in 1984-85. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Bob Lanier 14 9 1970-71 to 1983-84
Jim Petersen 8 5 1984-85 to 1991-92

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

Rookie Season

Bob Lanier Jim Petersen
Season 1970-711984-85
Team Detroit PistonsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Playoffs Did Not PlayRockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 82 24.6 15.6 - - 8.1 1.8 - - - 3.3 6.1 13.5 .455 - - - 3.3 4.6 .726
Jim Petersen 60 11.9 3.2 0.7 1.7 2.5 0.5 0.2 0.5 1.2 2.1 1.2 2.4 .486 0.0 0.0 - 0.8 1.1 .758
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------
Jim Petersen 3 2.7 0.7 0.3 0.3 0.7 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.7 0.3 0.3 1.000 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -

Season 2

Bob Lanier Jim Petersen
Season 1971-721985-86
Team Detroit PistonsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayRockets Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 80 38.7 25.7 - - 14.2 3.1 - - - 3.7 10.4 21.1 .493 - - - 4.9 6.3 .768
Jim Petersen 82 20.3 6.2 1.8 3.0 4.8 1.0 0.5 0.7 1.0 2.8 2.4 5.0 .477 0.0 0.0 .000 1.4 2.0 .706
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------
Jim Petersen 20 18.9 5.6 2.4 3.2 5.6 1.1 0.5 0.5 0.8 2.9 2.2 5.4 .407 0.0 0.0 - 1.2 1.7 .697

Season 3

Bob Lanier Jim Petersen
Season 1972-731986-87
Team Detroit PistonsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayRockets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 81 38.9 23.8 - - 14.9 3.2 - - - 3.4 10.0 20.4 .490 - - - 3.8 4.9 .773
Jim Petersen 82 29.3 11.3 2.2 4.6 6.8 1.5 0.5 1.2 1.9 3.3 4.7 9.2 .511 0.0 0.0 .000 1.9 2.5 .727
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------
Jim Petersen 10 18.7 6.8 1.4 3.2 4.6 0.6 0.5 0.2 1.0 2.6 2.8 5.1 .549 0.0 0.0 - 1.2 1.8 .667

Season 4

Bob Lanier Jim Petersen
Season 1973-741987-88
Team Detroit PistonsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Pistons Lost West Conf SemisRockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 81 37.6 22.5 3.3 9.9 13.3 4.2 1.4 3.0 - 3.4 9.2 18.3 .504 - - - 4.0 5.0 .797
Jim Petersen 69 26.0 8.9 2.1 4.2 6.3 1.5 0.5 0.6 1.7 2.9 3.6 7.1 .510 0.0 0.1 .167 1.7 2.2 .745
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 7 43.3 26.3 3.7 11.6 15.3 3.0 0.6 2.0 - 4.0 11.0 21.7 .507 - - - 4.3 5.4 .789
Jim Petersen 4 24.5 7.8 1.8 3.5 5.3 1.5 0.3 0.5 1.0 2.8 3.0 5.8 .522 0.0 0.0 - 1.8 3.0 .583

Season 5

Bob Lanier Jim Petersen
Season 1974-751988-89
Team Detroit PistonsSacramento Kings
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Pistons Lost West Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 76 39.3 24.0 3.0 9.1 12.0 4.6 1.0 2.3 - 3.1 9.6 18.9 .510 - - - 4.8 5.9 .802
Jim Petersen 66 24.7 10.2 1.8 4.4 6.3 1.2 0.7 1.0 2.2 3.6 4.2 9.2 .459 0.0 0.1 .000 1.7 2.3 .747
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 3 42.7 20.3 1.7 9.0 10.7 6.3 1.3 4.0 - 3.3 8.7 17.0 .510 - - - 3.0 4.0 .750
Jim Petersen ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Bob Lanier Jim Petersen
Season 1975-761989-90
Team Detroit PistonsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Pistons Lost West Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 64 36.9 21.3 3.4 8.3 11.7 3.4 1.2 1.3 - 3.2 8.5 15.9 .532 - - - 4.4 5.8 .768
Jim Petersen 43 13.8 4.0 1.1 2.6 3.7 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.8 2.4 1.4 3.3 .426 0.0 0.0 .000 1.2 1.7 .712
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 9 39.9 26.1 4.3 8.3 12.7 3.3 0.9 2.3 - 3.8 10.6 19.1 .552 - - - 5.0 5.6 .900
Jim Petersen ------- --- ----------

Season 7

Bob Lanier Jim Petersen
Season 1976-771990-91
Team Detroit PistonsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Pistons Lost West Conf 1st RdWarriors Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 64 38.2 25.3 3.1 8.5 11.6 3.3 1.1 2.0 - 2.7 10.6 19.8 .534 - - - 4.1 5.0 .818
Jim Petersen 62 13.5 4.5 1.1 2.1 3.2 0.4 0.2 0.7 0.8 2.5 1.8 3.8 .483 0.0 0.1 .250 0.8 1.2 .658
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 3 39.3 28.0 4.3 12.3 16.7 2.0 1.0 2.3 - 3.3 11.3 18.0 .630 - - - 5.3 6.3 .842
Jim Petersen 9 13.0 3.2 0.4 2.6 3.0 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.2 3.9 1.3 1.9 .706 0.0 0.0 - 0.6 0.9 .625

Season 8

Bob Lanier Jim Petersen
Season 1977-781991-92
Team Detroit PistonsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 63 36.7 24.5 3.1 8.2 11.3 3.4 1.3 1.5 3.6 2.9 9.9 18.4 .537 - - - 4.7 6.1 .772
Jim Petersen 27 6.3 1.6 0.4 1.2 1.7 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 1.3 0.7 1.5 .450 0.0 0.1 .000 0.3 0.4 .700
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------
Jim Petersen ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Bob Lanier Jim Petersen
Season 1978-79-
Team Detroit Pistons-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 53 34.6 23.6 3.1 6.2 9.3 2.6 0.9 1.4 3.3 3.4 9.2 17.9 .515 - - - 5.2 6.9 .749
Jim Petersen ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------
Jim Petersen ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Bob Lanier Jim Petersen
Season 1979-80-
Team Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bucks Lost West Conf Semis-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 63 33.8 19.2 2.4 6.3 8.8 2.9 1.2 1.4 2.6 3.2 7.4 13.8 .537 0.0 0.1 .167 4.4 5.6 .782
Jim Petersen ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 7 36.6 19.3 2.4 6.9 9.3 4.4 1.0 1.1 2.4 3.3 7.4 14.4 .515 0.0 0.0 - 4.4 6.0 .738
Jim Petersen ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Bob Lanier Jim Petersen
Season 1980-81-
Team Milwaukee Bucks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Conf Semis-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 67 26.2 14.3 1.9 4.3 6.2 2.7 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.7 5.6 10.7 .525 0.0 0.0 1.000 3.1 4.1 .751
Jim Petersen ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 7 33.7 17.6 1.7 5.7 7.4 4.0 1.7 1.1 2.1 2.6 7.1 12.1 .588 0.0 0.0 - 3.3 4.6 .719
Jim Petersen ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Bob Lanier Jim Petersen
Season 1981-82-
Team Milwaukee Bucks-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Conf Semis-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 74 26.8 13.5 1.2 4.0 5.2 3.0 1.0 0.8 2.2 2.9 5.5 9.9 .558 0.0 0.0 .000 2.5 3.3 .752
Jim Petersen ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 6 35.3 16.0 3.0 4.5 7.5 3.7 1.3 0.8 2.3 3.5 6.8 13.3 .513 0.0 0.2 .000 2.3 4.2 .560
Jim Petersen ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Bob Lanier Jim Petersen
Season 1982-83-
Team Milwaukee Bucks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Conf Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 39 25.1 10.7 1.5 3.6 5.1 2.7 0.9 0.6 2.1 3.2 4.2 8.5 .491 0.0 0.0 .000 2.3 3.4 .684
Jim Petersen ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 9 27.8 13.7 1.9 5.1 7.0 2.6 0.6 1.6 2.3 3.6 5.7 9.9 .573 0.0 0.0 - 2.3 3.9 .600
Jim Petersen ------- --- ----------

Season 14

Bob Lanier Jim Petersen
Season 1983-84-
Team Milwaukee Bucks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Conf Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 72 27.9 13.6 2.0 4.4 6.3 2.6 0.8 0.7 2.3 3.2 5.4 9.5 .572 0.0 0.0 .000 2.7 3.8 .708
Jim Petersen ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier 16 31.2 12.7 2.0 5.3 7.3 3.4 0.7 0.6 2.4 3.6 5.1 10.7 .480 0.0 0.0 - 2.4 2.8 .886
Jim Petersen ------- --- ----------