Ed Macauley vs. Nate Thurmond Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Nate Thurmond and Ed Macauley, 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.

Ed Macauley played 10 years in the NBA, 4 less than Nate Thurmond, who played 14. Ed Macauley had the first of his seasons in 1949-50, while Nate Thurmond had his rookie season in 1963-64. 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
Ed Macauley 10 8 1949-50 to 1958-59
Nate Thurmond 14 9 1963-64 to 1976-77

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Ed Macauley Nate Thurmond
Season 1949-501963-64
Team St. Louis BombersSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayWarriors Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley 67 - 16.1 - - - 3.0 - - - 3.3 5.2 13.2 .398 - - - 5.7 7.9 .718
Nate Thurmond 76 25.9 7.0 - - 10.4 1.1 - - - 2.4 2.9 7.3 .395 - - - 1.3 2.3 .549
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 12 34.2 10.0 - - 12.3 0.8 - - - 3.8 3.5 8.0 .438 - - - 3.0 4.4 .679

Season 2

Ed Macauley Nate Thurmond
Season 1950-511964-65
Team Boston CelticsSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley 68 - 20.4 - - 9.1 3.7 - - - 3.0 6.8 14.5 .466 - - - 6.9 9.0 .759
Nate Thurmond 77 41.2 16.5 - - 18.1 2.0 - - - 3.0 6.7 16.1 .419 - - - 3.1 4.6 .658
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley 2 - 22.0 - - 9.0 4.0 - - - 2.0 8.5 18.0 .472 - - - 5.0 8.0 .625
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Ed Macauley Nate Thurmond
Season 1951-521965-66
Team Boston CelticsSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley 66 39.9 19.2 - - 8.0 3.5 - - - 2.6 5.8 13.5 .432 - - - 7.5 9.4 .799
Nate Thurmond 73 39.6 16.3 - - 18.0 1.5 - - - 3.1 6.2 15.3 .406 - - - 3.8 5.9 .654
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley 3 43.0 23.3 - - 11.0 3.7 - - - 3.7 9.0 16.3 .551 - - - 5.3 6.3 .842
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Ed Macauley Nate Thurmond
Season 1952-531966-67
Team Boston CelticsSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div FinalsWarriors Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley 69 42.1 20.3 - - 9.1 4.1 - - - 2.7 6.5 14.4 .452 - - - 7.2 9.7 .750
Nate Thurmond 65 42.5 18.7 - - 21.3 2.6 - - - 2.8 7.2 16.4 .437 - - - 4.3 6.8 .629
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley 6 46.3 16.8 - - 9.7 3.5 - - - 3.8 5.2 11.8 .437 - - - 6.5 9.0 .722
Nate Thurmond 15 46.0 15.9 - - 23.1 3.1 - - - 3.5 6.2 14.3 .433 - - - 3.5 6.1 .571

Season 5

Ed Macauley Nate Thurmond
Season 1953-541967-68
Team Boston CelticsSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley 71 39.3 18.9 - - 8.0 3.8 - - - 2.4 6.5 13.4 .486 - - - 5.9 7.8 .758
Nate Thurmond 51 43.6 20.5 - - 22.0 4.2 - - - 2.7 7.5 18.2 .411 - - - 5.5 8.6 .644
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley 5 25.4 5.0 - - 4.2 4.2 - - - 2.8 1.6 4.4 .364 - - - 1.8 2.6 .692
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Ed Macauley Nate Thurmond
Season 1954-551968-69
Team Boston CelticsSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div FinalsWarriors Lost West Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley 71 38.1 17.6 - - 8.5 3.9 - - - 2.4 5.7 13.4 .424 - - - 6.2 7.9 .792
Nate Thurmond 71 45.2 21.5 - - 19.7 3.6 - - - 2.4 8.0 19.6 .410 - - - 5.4 8.7 .615
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley 7 40.4 18.1 - - 7.4 4.6 - - - 3.0 6.1 13.3 .462 - - - 5.9 7.7 .759
Nate Thurmond 6 43.8 16.7 - - 19.5 4.7 - - - 3.0 6.7 17.0 .392 - - - 3.3 5.7 .588

Season 7

Ed Macauley Nate Thurmond
Season 1955-561969-70
Team Boston CelticsSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley 71 33.2 17.5 - - 5.9 3.0 - - - 2.2 5.9 14.0 .422 - - - 5.6 7.1 .794
Nate Thurmond 43 44.6 21.9 - - 17.7 3.5 - - - 2.6 7.9 19.2 .414 - - - 6.1 8.0 .754
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley 3 24.3 10.3 - - 5.0 1.7 - - - 2.0 4.0 10.0 .400 - - - 2.3 3.7 .636
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Ed Macauley Nate Thurmond
Season 1956-571970-71
Team St. Louis HawksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Hawks Lost NBA FinalsWarriors 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 %
Ed Macauley 72 35.9 16.5 - - 6.1 2.8 - - - 2.9 5.8 13.7 .419 - - - 5.0 6.7 .749
Nate Thurmond 82 40.9 20.0 - - 13.8 3.1 - - - 2.3 7.6 17.1 .445 - - - 4.8 6.6 .730
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley 10 29.7 14.2 - - 6.2 2.2 - - - 3.9 4.4 10.9 .404 - - - 5.4 7.4 .730
Nate Thurmond 5 38.4 17.6 - - 10.2 3.0 - - - 4.0 7.2 19.4 .371 - - - 3.2 4.0 .800

Season 9

Ed Macauley Nate Thurmond
Season 1957-581971-72
Team St. Louis HawksGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionWarriors 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 %
Ed Macauley 72 26.5 14.2 - - 6.6 2.0 - - - 2.2 5.2 12.2 .428 - - - 3.7 5.1 .724
Nate Thurmond 78 43.1 21.4 - - 16.1 2.9 - - - 2.7 8.1 18.6 .432 - - - 5.3 7.2 .743
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley 11 20.6 9.8 - - 5.6 1.6 - - - 2.1 3.3 8.1 .404 - - - 3.3 4.5 .720
Nate Thurmond 5 46.0 25.4 - - 17.8 5.2 - - - 2.4 10.6 24.4 .434 - - - 4.2 5.6 .750

Season 10

Ed Macauley Nate Thurmond
Season 1958-591972-73
Team St. Louis HawksGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayWarriors Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley 14 14.0 4.6 - - 2.9 0.9 - - - 1.4 1.6 5.4 .293 - - - 1.5 2.5 .600
Nate Thurmond 79 43.3 17.1 - - 17.1 3.5 - - - 3.0 6.5 14.7 .446 - - - 4.0 5.6 .718
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 11 41.8 14.5 - - 13.2 3.6 - - - 2.7 5.8 14.6 .398 - - - 2.9 3.6 .800

Season 11

Ed Macauley Nate Thurmond
Season -1973-74
Team -Golden State Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-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 %
Ed Macauley ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 62 39.7 13.0 4.0 10.1 14.2 2.7 0.7 2.9 - 2.9 5.0 11.2 .444 - - - 3.1 4.6 .666
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Ed Macauley Nate Thurmond
Season -1974-75
Team -Chicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Bulls Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 80 34.5 7.9 3.2 8.1 11.3 4.1 0.6 2.4 - 3.4 3.1 8.6 .364 - - - 1.7 2.8 .589
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 13 19.5 3.5 1.8 4.8 6.7 2.4 0.4 1.6 - 2.8 1.1 2.9 .368 - - - 1.4 2.8 .486

Season 13

Ed Macauley Nate Thurmond
Season -1975-76
Team -Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Cavaliers 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 %
Ed Macauley ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 78 17.9 4.4 1.5 3.8 5.3 1.2 0.3 1.3 - 2.1 1.8 4.3 .421 - - - 0.8 1.6 .504
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 13 28.8 6.7 2.9 6.1 9.0 2.2 0.5 2.2 - 4.0 2.8 6.1 .468 - - - 1.0 2.5 .406

Season 14

Ed Macauley Nate Thurmond
Season -1976-77
Team -Cleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Cavaliers 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 %
Ed Macauley ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 49 20.3 5.5 2.5 5.2 7.6 1.7 0.3 1.7 - 2.6 2.0 5.0 .407 - - - 1.4 2.2 .642
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ed Macauley ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 1 1.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 - 0.0 0.0 0.0 - - - - 0.0 0.0 -