Dave Cowens vs. Dereck Lively II Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Dereck Lively II and Dave Cowens, 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.

Dave Cowens played 11 years in the NBA, 8 more than Dereck Lively II, who played 3. Dave Cowens had the first of his seasons in 1970-71, while Dereck Lively II had his rookie season in 2023-24. 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 achievements, 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
Dave Cowens 11 7 1970-71 to 1982-83
Dereck Lively II 3 1 2023-24 to 2025-26

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3

Rookie Season

Dave Cowens Dereck Lively II
Season 1970-712023-24
Team Boston CelticsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
-Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayMavericks Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dave Cowens 81 38.0 17.0 - - 15.0 2.8 - - - 4.3 6.8 16.1 .422 - - - 3.4 4.6 .732
difference:+26+14.5+8.2+8.1+1.7-1.7+2.8+10.7+.325+2.7+3.1+.226
Dereck Lively II 55 23.5 8.8 2.5 4.4 6.9 1.1 0.7 1.4 0.9 2.6 4.0 5.4 .747 0.0 0.0 - 0.7 1.5 .506
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dave Cowens DNP------ --- ----------
Dereck Lively II 21 22.0 7.9 2.7 4.7 7.4 1.3 0.4 1.0 1.0 2.3 3.0 4.5 .674 0.0 0.0 - 1.7 2.9 .590

Season 2

Dave Cowens Dereck Lively II
Season 1971-722024-25
Team Boston CelticsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dave Cowens 79 40.3 18.8 - - 15.2 3.1 - - - 4.0 8.3 17.2 .484 - - - 2.2 3.1 .720
difference:+43+17.2+10.1+7.7+0.7-1.2+4.6+11.9+.218+0.9+1.1+.090
Dereck Lively II 36 23.1 8.7 2.9 4.6 7.5 2.4 0.6 1.6 1.1 2.8 3.7 5.3 .702 0.0 0.0 - 1.3 2.0 .630
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dave Cowens 11 40.1 15.5 - - 13.8 3.0 - - - 4.5 6.5 14.2 .455 - - - 2.5 4.3 .596
Dereck Lively II DNP------ --- ----------

Season 3

Dave Cowens Dereck Lively II
Season 1972-732025-26
Team Boston CelticsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dave Cowens 82 41.8 20.5 - - 16.2 4.1 - - - 3.8 9.0 20.0 .452 - - - 2.5 3.2 .779
difference:+75+25.4+16.2+10.9+2.2-0.8+7.4+17.4+.159+1.4+1.8+.021
Dereck Lively II 7 16.4 4.3 2.0 3.3 5.3 1.9 0.6 1.6 1.4 3.0 1.6 2.6 .611 0.0 0.0 - 1.1 1.4 .800
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dave Cowens 13 46.0 21.9 - - 16.6 3.7 - - - 4.2 9.9 21.0 .473 - - - 2.1 3.2 .659
Dereck Lively II DNP------ --- ----------

Additional Years

* Dave Cowens played 8 seasons more than Dereck Lively II in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 4 to 11, from 1974 to 1983—Dave Cowens played in 5 Playoffs and won two NBA Championships.

In those 8 extra years over Dereck Lively II, Dave Cowens got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 2 All-NBA Second Team
Achievement 1 All-Defensive First Team
Achievement 2 All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement 6 All-Star Game