Bob Lanier vs. Wes Unseld Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Wes Unseld 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, 1 more than Wes Unseld, who played 13. Bob Lanier had the first of his seasons in 1970-71, while Wes Unseld had his rookie season in 1968-69. 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
Wes Unseld 13 12 1968-69 to 1980-81

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 Wes Unseld
Season 1970-711968-69
Team Detroit PistonsBaltimore Bullets
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Rookie of the Year
Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayBullets Lost East Div Semis
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
Wes Unseld 82 36.2 13.8 - - 18.2 2.6 - - - 3.4 5.2 10.9 .476 - - - 3.4 5.6 .605
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------
Wes Unseld 4 41.3 18.8 - - 18.5 1.3 - - - 3.5 7.5 14.3 .526 - - - 3.8 4.8 .789

Season 2

Bob Lanier Wes Unseld
Season 1971-721969-70
Team Detroit PistonsBaltimore Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayBullets Lost East Div Semis
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
Wes Unseld 82 39.4 16.2 - - 16.7 3.5 - - - 3.0 6.4 12.4 .518 - - - 3.3 5.2 .638
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------
Wes Unseld 7 41.3 10.4 - - 23.6 3.4 - - - 3.6 4.1 10.0 .414 - - - 2.1 2.7 .789

Season 3

Bob Lanier Wes Unseld
Season 1972-731970-71
Team Detroit PistonsBaltimore Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayBullets 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 81 38.9 23.8 - - 14.9 3.2 - - - 3.4 10.0 20.4 .490 - - - 3.8 4.9 .773
Wes Unseld 74 39.2 14.1 - - 16.9 4.0 - - - 3.2 5.7 11.4 .501 - - - 2.7 4.1 .657
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------
Wes Unseld 18 42.2 13.2 - - 18.8 3.8 - - - 3.3 5.3 11.6 .462 - - - 2.6 4.5 .568

Season 4

Bob Lanier Wes Unseld
Season 1973-741971-72
Team Detroit PistonsBaltimore Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Pistons Lost West Conf SemisBullets 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 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
Wes Unseld 76 41.7 13.0 - - 17.6 3.7 - - - 2.9 5.4 10.8 .498 - - - 2.3 3.6 .629
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
Wes Unseld 6 44.3 12.3 - - 12.5 4.2 - - - 3.7 5.3 10.8 .492 - - - 1.7 3.2 .526

Season 5

Bob Lanier Wes Unseld
Season 1974-751972-73
Team Detroit PistonsBaltimore Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Pistons Lost West Conf 1st RdBullets 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 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
Wes Unseld 79 39.1 12.5 - - 15.9 4.4 - - - 2.1 5.3 10.8 .493 - - - 1.9 2.7 .703
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
Wes Unseld 5 40.2 9.8 - - 15.2 3.4 - - - 2.4 4.0 9.6 .417 - - - 1.8 3.8 .474

Season 6

Bob Lanier Wes Unseld
Season 1975-761973-74
Team Detroit PistonsCapital Bullets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Pistons Lost West Conf SemisBullets 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 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
Wes Unseld 56 30.8 5.9 2.7 6.5 9.2 2.8 1.0 0.3 - 2.2 2.6 5.9 .438 - - - 0.6 1.0 .655
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
Wes Unseld 7 42.4 10.1 3.1 9.0 12.1 3.9 0.6 0.1 - 2.1 4.4 9.0 .492 - - - 1.3 2.1 .600

Season 7

Bob Lanier Wes Unseld
Season 1976-771974-75
Team Detroit PistonsWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards -Achievement Rebounds Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Pistons Lost West Conf 1st RdBullets 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 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
Wes Unseld 73 39.8 9.2 4.4 10.4 14.8 4.1 1.6 0.9 - 2.5 3.7 7.5 .502 - - - 1.7 2.5 .685
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
Wes Unseld 17 43.2 10.7 3.8 12.4 16.2 3.8 0.9 1.2 - 2.3 4.2 7.6 .546 - - - 2.4 3.6 .656

Season 8

Bob Lanier Wes Unseld
Season 1977-781975-76
Team Detroit PistonsWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayBullets 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 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
Wes Unseld 78 37.5 9.6 3.5 9.8 13.3 5.2 1.1 0.8 - 2.6 4.1 7.3 .561 - - - 1.5 2.5 .585
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------
Wes Unseld 7 44.3 7.0 3.7 8.4 12.1 4.0 0.9 0.6 - 2.7 2.6 5.6 .462 - - - 1.9 3.4 .542

Season 9

Bob Lanier Wes Unseld
Season 1978-791976-77
Team Detroit PistonsWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayBullets 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 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
Wes Unseld 82 34.9 7.8 3.0 7.7 10.7 4.4 1.1 0.5 - 3.1 3.3 6.7 .490 - - - 1.2 2.0 .602
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Lanier ------- --- ----------
Wes Unseld 9 40.9 7.4 2.7 9.0 11.7 4.9 0.9 0.7 - 3.6 3.3 6.0 .556 - - - 0.8 1.3 .583

Season 10

Bob Lanier Wes Unseld
Season 1979-801977-78
Team Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee BucksWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
Playoffs Bucks Lost West Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
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
Wes Unseld 80 33.1 7.6 3.6 8.4 11.9 4.1 1.2 0.6 2.2 2.9 3.2 6.1 .523 - - - 1.2 2.2 .538
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
Wes Unseld 18 37.6 9.4 4.0 8.0 12.0 4.4 0.9 0.4 2.0 3.4 3.9 7.4 .530 - - - 1.5 2.6 .587

Season 11

Bob Lanier Wes Unseld
Season 1980-811978-79
Team Milwaukee BucksWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Conf SemisBullets 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 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
Wes Unseld 77 31.2 10.9 3.6 7.2 10.8 4.1 0.9 0.5 2.0 2.6 4.5 7.8 .577 - - - 2.0 3.1 .643
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
Wes Unseld 19 38.7 10.3 4.7 8.6 13.3 3.4 0.9 0.7 1.6 3.5 4.1 8.3 .494 - - - 2.1 3.4 .609

Season 12

Bob Lanier Wes Unseld
Season 1981-821979-80
Team Milwaukee BucksWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Conf SemisBullets Lost East 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 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
Wes Unseld 82 36.3 9.7 4.1 9.3 13.3 4.5 0.8 0.7 1.9 3.0 4.0 7.8 .513 0.0 0.0 .500 1.7 2.5 .665
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
Wes Unseld 2 43.5 9.0 3.5 10.5 14.0 3.5 0.0 1.5 1.5 2.5 3.5 7.0 .500 0.0 0.5 .000 2.0 3.0 .667

Season 13

Bob Lanier Wes Unseld
Season 1982-831980-81
Team Milwaukee BucksWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Conf FinalsDid 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 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
Wes Unseld 63 32.3 8.0 3.3 7.4 10.7 2.7 0.8 0.6 1.5 2.7 3.6 6.8 .524 0.0 0.1 .500 0.9 1.4 .640
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
Wes Unseld ------- --- ----------

Season 14

Bob Lanier Wes Unseld
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
Wes Unseld ------- --- ----------
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
Wes Unseld ------- --- ----------