Dave Cowens vs. Jusuf Nurkic Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jusuf Nurkic 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, 1 more than Jusuf Nurkic, who played 10. Dave Cowens had the first of his seasons in 1970-71, while Jusuf Nurkic had his rookie season in 2014-15. 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
Dave Cowens 11 7 1970-71 to 1982-83
Jusuf Nurkic 10 5 2014-15 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Dave Cowens Jusuf Nurkic
Season 1970-712014-15
Team Boston CelticsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
-Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
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 %
Dave Cowens 81 38.0 17.0 - - 15.0 2.8 - - - 4.3 6.8 16.1 .422 - - - 3.4 4.6 .732
Jusuf Nurkic 62 17.8 6.9 2.0 4.1 6.2 0.8 0.8 1.1 1.4 3.3 2.8 6.2 .446 0.0 0.0 .000 1.4 2.1 .636
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens ------- --- ----------
Jusuf Nurkic ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Dave Cowens Jusuf Nurkic
Season 1971-722015-16
Team Boston CelticsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics 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 %
Dave Cowens 79 40.3 18.8 - - 15.2 3.1 - - - 4.0 8.3 17.2 .484 - - - 2.2 3.1 .720
Jusuf Nurkic 32 17.1 8.2 2.0 3.4 5.5 1.3 0.8 1.4 1.7 2.8 3.2 7.6 .417 0.0 0.1 .000 1.9 3.1 .616
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Jusuf Nurkic ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Dave Cowens Jusuf Nurkic
Season 1972-732016-17
Team Boston CelticsDenver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsTrail Blazers 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 %
Dave Cowens 82 41.8 20.5 - - 16.2 4.1 - - - 3.8 9.0 20.0 .452 - - - 2.5 3.2 .779
Jusuf Nurkic 65 21.4 10.2 2.4 4.8 7.2 1.9 0.8 1.1 2.2 2.5 4.2 8.2 .507 0.0 0.0 .000 1.8 3.2 .571
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Jusuf Nurkic 1 17.0 2.0 0.0 11.0 11.0 4.0 0.0 1.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 3.0 .333 0.0 1.0 .000 0.0 0.0 -

Season 4

Dave Cowens Jusuf Nurkic
Season 1973-742017-18
Team Boston CelticsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionTrail Blazers 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 %
Dave Cowens 80 41.9 19.0 3.3 12.4 15.7 4.4 1.2 1.3 - 3.7 8.1 18.4 .437 - - - 2.9 3.4 .832
Jusuf Nurkic 79 26.4 14.3 2.4 6.6 9.0 1.8 0.8 1.4 2.3 3.1 6.1 12.0 .505 0.0 0.1 .000 2.2 3.5 .630
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 18 42.9 20.5 3.3 10.0 13.3 3.7 1.2 0.9 - 4.7 8.9 20.6 .435 - - - 2.6 3.3 .797
Jusuf Nurkic 4 23.5 11.8 3.0 5.0 8.0 1.0 1.5 1.3 0.8 3.5 4.8 9.8 .487 0.0 0.0 - 2.3 2.8 .818

Season 5

Dave Cowens Jusuf Nurkic
Season 1974-752018-19
Team Boston CelticsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics 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 %
Dave Cowens 65 40.5 20.4 3.5 11.2 14.7 4.6 1.3 1.1 - 3.7 8.8 18.4 .475 - - - 2.9 3.8 .783
Jusuf Nurkic 72 27.4 15.6 3.4 7.0 10.4 3.2 1.0 1.4 2.3 3.5 5.8 11.5 .508 0.0 0.4 .103 3.9 5.1 .773
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 11 43.5 20.5 4.5 12.0 16.5 4.2 1.6 0.5 - 4.5 9.2 21.5 .428 - - - 2.1 2.4 .885
Jusuf Nurkic ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Dave Cowens Jusuf Nurkic
Season 1975-762019-20
Team Boston CelticsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionTrail Blazers 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 %
Dave Cowens 78 39.8 19.0 4.3 11.7 16.0 4.2 1.2 0.9 - 4.0 7.8 16.7 .468 - - - 3.3 4.4 .756
Jusuf Nurkic 8 31.6 17.6 2.9 7.4 10.3 4.0 1.4 2.0 2.4 4.9 6.8 13.6 .495 0.3 1.3 .200 3.9 4.4 .886
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 18 44.3 21.0 4.8 11.6 16.4 4.6 1.2 0.7 - 4.7 8.7 18.9 .457 - - - 3.7 4.8 .759
Jusuf Nurkic 5 32.2 14.2 2.8 7.6 10.4 3.6 1.4 0.2 2.6 4.2 5.0 11.4 .439 0.6 2.2 .273 3.6 4.6 .783

Season 7

Dave Cowens Jusuf Nurkic
Season 1976-772020-21
Team Boston CelticsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisTrail Blazers 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 %
Dave Cowens 50 37.8 16.4 2.9 11.0 13.9 5.0 0.9 1.0 - 3.6 6.6 15.1 .434 - - - 3.2 4.0 .818
Jusuf Nurkic 37 23.8 11.5 2.3 6.6 9.0 3.4 1.0 1.1 2.0 2.8 4.6 9.0 .514 0.3 0.8 .400 1.9 3.1 .619
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 9 42.1 16.6 3.2 11.7 14.9 4.0 0.9 1.4 - 4.1 7.3 16.4 .446 - - - 1.9 2.4 .773
Jusuf Nurkic 6 28.8 13.2 3.0 7.3 10.3 2.7 0.5 1.2 2.3 5.0 5.0 9.2 .545 0.2 0.8 .200 3.0 4.2 .720

Season 8

Dave Cowens Jusuf Nurkic
Season 1977-782021-22
Team Boston CelticsPortland Trail Blazers
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 %
Dave Cowens 77 41.8 18.6 3.2 10.8 14.0 4.6 1.3 0.9 2.8 3.9 7.8 15.8 .490 - - - 3.1 3.7 .842
Jusuf Nurkic 56 28.2 15.0 3.0 8.1 11.1 2.8 1.1 0.6 2.6 3.4 5.7 10.7 .535 0.3 1.0 .268 3.3 4.8 .690
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens ------- --- ----------
Jusuf Nurkic ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Dave Cowens Jusuf Nurkic
Season 1978-792022-23
Team Boston CelticsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards
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 %
Dave Cowens 68 37.0 16.6 2.2 7.4 9.6 3.6 1.1 0.8 2.6 3.9 7.2 14.9 .483 - - - 2.2 2.8 .807
Jusuf Nurkic 52 26.8 13.3 2.2 6.9 9.1 2.9 0.8 0.8 2.3 3.6 5.0 9.7 .519 0.8 2.3 .361 2.4 3.7 .661
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens ------- --- ----------
Jusuf Nurkic ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Dave Cowens Jusuf Nurkic
Season 1979-802023-24
Team Boston CelticsPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsSuns 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 %
Dave Cowens 66 32.7 14.2 1.9 6.2 8.1 3.1 1.0 0.9 1.6 3.3 6.4 14.1 .453 0.0 0.2 .083 1.4 1.8 .779
Jusuf Nurkic 76 27.3 10.9 2.9 8.1 11.0 4.0 1.1 1.1 2.3 3.3 4.2 8.3 .510 0.3 1.2 .244 2.2 3.4 .640
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens 9 33.4 12.0 2.0 5.3 7.3 2.3 1.0 0.8 0.9 4.1 5.4 11.4 .476 0.0 0.2 .000 1.1 1.2 .909
Jusuf Nurkic 4 26.0 7.8 3.3 5.0 8.3 2.8 1.5 1.5 1.5 3.8 3.3 6.5 .500 0.0 0.5 .000 1.3 2.8 .455

Note: Dave Cowens didn't play in 1980-81 and 1981-82.

Season 11

Dave Cowens Jusuf Nurkic
Season 1982-83-
Team Milwaukee Bucks-
Honors & Awards
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 %
Dave Cowens 40 25.4 8.1 1.8 5.0 6.9 2.1 0.8 0.4 1.1 3.4 3.4 7.7 .444 0.0 0.1 .000 1.3 1.6 .825
Jusuf Nurkic ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dave Cowens ------- --- ----------
Jusuf Nurkic ------- --- ----------