Elvin Hayes vs. Jerry Lucas Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jerry Lucas and Elvin Hayes, 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.

Elvin Hayes played 16 years in the NBA, 5 more than Jerry Lucas, who played 11. Elvin Hayes had the first of his seasons in 1968-69, while Jerry Lucas 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 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
Elvin Hayes 16 10 1968-69 to 1983-84
Jerry Lucas 11 8 1963-64 to 1973-74

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11

Rookie Season

Elvin Hayes Jerry Lucas
Season 1968-691963-64
Team San Diego RocketsCincinnati Royals
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement Rookie of the Year
Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Div SemisRoyals Lost East Div 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%
Elvin Hayes 82 45.1 28.4 - - 17.1 1.4 - - - 3.2 11.3 25.4 .447 - - - 5.7 9.1 .626
difference:+3+3.7+10.7+0.3+1.2-0.6+4.4+12.3+.080+1.8+4.1+.153
Jerry Lucas 79 41.4 17.7 - - 17.4 2.6 - - - 3.8 6.9 13.1 .527 - - - 3.9 5.0 .779
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 6 46.3 25.8 - - 13.8 0.8 - - - 3.5 10.0 19.0 .526 - - - 5.8 8.8 .660
difference:+4+9.3+13.6+1.3+2.6-0.2+5.2+6.7+.136+3.2+5.1+.043
Jerry Lucas 10 37.0 12.2 - - 12.5 3.4 - - - 3.7 4.8 12.3 .390 - - - 2.6 3.7 .703

Season 2

Elvin Hayes Jerry Lucas
Season 1969-701964-65
Team San Diego RocketsCincinnati Royals
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game MVP
Playoffs Did Not PlayRoyals Lost East Div Semis
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 82 44.7 27.5 - - 16.9 2.0 - - - 3.3 11.1 24.6 .452 - - - 5.2 7.6 .688
difference:+16+1.3+6.1+3.1+0.4-0.1+2.6+7.6+.046+0.7+2.1+.126
Jerry Lucas 66 43.4 21.4 - - 20.0 2.4 - - - 3.2 8.5 17.0 .498 - - - 4.5 5.5 .814
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes DNP------ --- ----------
Jerry Lucas 4 48.8 23.3 - - 21.0 2.3 - - - 3.0 9.5 18.8 .507 - - - 4.3 5.5 .773

Season 3

Elvin Hayes Jerry Lucas
Season 1970-711965-66
Team San Diego RocketsCincinnati Royals
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayRoyals Lost East Div Semis
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 82 44.3 28.7 - - 16.6 2.3 - - - 2.7 11.6 27.0 .428 - - - 5.5 8.2 .672
difference:+3+0.2+7.2+4.5+0.4-0.8+2.9+7.7+.025+1.5+3.1+.115
Jerry Lucas 79 44.5 21.5 - - 21.1 2.7 - - - 3.5 8.7 19.3 .453 - - - 4.0 5.1 .787
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes DNP------ --- ----------
Jerry Lucas 5 46.2 21.4 - - 20.2 2.8 - - - 2.8 8.0 17.0 .471 - - - 5.4 7.0 .771

Season 4

Elvin Hayes Jerry Lucas
Season 1971-721966-67
Team Houston RocketsCincinnati Royals
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayRoyals Lost East Div Semis
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 82 42.2 25.2 - - 14.6 3.3 - - - 2.8 10.1 23.4 .434 - - - 4.9 7.5 .649
difference:+1+1.7+7.4+4.5-0.7+3.0+7.9+.025+1.4+3.1+.142
Jerry Lucas 81 43.9 17.8 - - 19.1 3.3 - - - 3.5 7.1 15.5 .459 - - - 3.5 4.4 .791
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes DNP------ --- ----------
Jerry Lucas 4 45.8 12.5 - - 19.3 2.0 - - - 3.8 6.0 13.8 .436 - - - 0.5 0.5 1.000

Season 5

Elvin Hayes Jerry Lucas
Season 1972-731967-68
Team Baltimore BulletsCincinnati Royals
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bullets Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 81 41.3 21.2 - - 14.5 1.6 - - - 2.9 8.8 19.8 .444 - - - 3.6 5.4 .671
difference:+1+2.8+0.3+4.5+1.5-0.1+0.2+3.2+.075+0.6+.107
Jerry Lucas 82 44.1 21.5 - - 19.0 3.1 - - - 3.0 8.6 16.6 .519 - - - 4.2 5.4 .778
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 5 45.6 25.8 - - 11.4 1.0 - - - 3.2 10.6 21.0 .505 - - - 4.6 6.6 .697
Jerry Lucas DNP------ --- ----------

Season 6

Elvin Hayes Jerry Lucas
Season 1973-741968-69
Team Capital BulletsCincinnati Royals
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bullets Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 81 44.5 21.4 4.4 13.7 18.1 2.0 1.1 3.0 - 3.1 8.5 20.1 .423 - - - 4.4 6.1 .721
difference:+7+2.9+3.1+0.3+2.1-0.3+1.0+6.5+.128+1.1+1.7+.034
Jerry Lucas 74 41.6 18.3 - - 18.4 4.1 - - - 2.8 7.5 13.6 .551 - - - 3.3 4.4 .755
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 7 46.1 25.9 4.4 11.4 15.9 3.0 0.7 2.1 - 3.3 10.9 20.4 .531 - - - 4.1 5.9 .707
Jerry Lucas DNP------ --- ----------

Season 7

Elvin Hayes Jerry Lucas
Season 1974-751969-70
Team Washington BulletsCincinnati Royals, San Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bullets Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 82 42.3 23.0 2.7 9.5 12.2 2.5 1.9 2.3 - 2.9 9.0 20.3 .443 - - - 5.0 6.5 .766
difference:+15+6.2+7.9+2.0+0.1-0.5+3.0+8.4+.064+2.0+2.7+.018
Jerry Lucas 67 36.1 15.1 - - 14.2 2.6 - - - 2.4 6.0 11.9 .507 - - - 3.0 3.8 .784
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 17 44.2 25.5 2.7 8.2 10.9 2.2 1.5 2.3 - 4.1 10.2 21.9 .468 - - - 5.1 7.5 .677
Jerry Lucas DNP------ --- ----------

Season 8

Elvin Hayes Jerry Lucas
Season 1975-761970-71
Team Washington BulletsSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bullets Lost East Conf SemisWarriors Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 80 37.2 19.8 2.6 8.4 11.0 1.5 1.3 2.5 - 3.7 8.1 17.3 .470 - - - 3.6 5.7 .628
difference:+3.4+0.6+4.8+2.2-1.2+0.3+1.7+.028+1.1+.159
Jerry Lucas 80 40.6 19.2 - - 15.8 3.7 - - - 2.5 7.8 15.6 .498 - - - 3.6 4.6 .787
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 7 43.6 20.0 2.3 10.3 12.6 1.4 0.7 4.0 - 3.4 7.7 17.4 .443 - - - 4.6 7.9 .582
difference:+2+9.4+2.2+2.6+1.8-0.6+0.1+2.0+.063+2.4+4.7+.106
Jerry Lucas 5 34.2 17.8 - - 10.0 3.2 - - - 2.8 7.8 15.4 .506 - - - 2.2 3.2 .688

Season 9

Elvin Hayes Jerry Lucas
Season 1976-771971-72
Team Washington BulletsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bullets Lost East Conf SemisKnicks Lost NBA Finals
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 82 41.0 23.7 3.5 9.0 12.5 1.9 1.1 2.7 - 3.8 9.3 18.5 .501 - - - 5.1 7.5 .687
difference:+5+3.0+7.0+0.6+2.2-1.0+2.2+4.7+.011+2.5+4.3+.104
Jerry Lucas 77 38.0 16.7 - - 13.1 4.1 - - - 2.8 7.1 13.8 .512 - - - 2.6 3.2 .791
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 9 45.0 21.0 3.2 10.3 13.6 1.9 1.1 2.4 - 4.3 8.2 19.2 .428 - - - 4.6 6.6 .695
difference:+7+1.1+2.4+2.8+3.4-1.2+0.8+4.3+.072+0.9+2.2+.136
Jerry Lucas 16 46.1 18.6 - - 10.8 5.3 - - - 3.1 7.4 14.9 .500 - - - 3.7 4.4 .831

Season 10

Elvin Hayes Jerry Lucas
Season 1977-781972-73
Team Washington BulletsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 81 40.1 19.7 4.1 9.1 13.3 1.8 1.2 2.0 2.8 3.9 7.9 17.4 .451 - - - 4.0 6.3 .634
difference:+10+11.9+9.8+6.1+2.7-1.7+3.5+8.8+.062+2.9+4.9+.166
Jerry Lucas 71 28.2 9.9 - - 7.2 4.5 - - - 2.2 4.4 8.6 .513 - - - 1.1 1.4 .800
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 21 41.3 21.8 4.9 8.4 13.3 2.0 1.5 2.5 2.8 4.1 9.0 18.3 .491 - - - 3.8 6.3 .594
difference:+4+19.7+14.3+8.3+0.3-1.3+5.8+11.7+.009+2.6+4.9+.276
Jerry Lucas 17 21.6 7.5 - - 5.0 2.3 - - - 2.8 3.2 6.6 .482 - - - 1.2 1.4 .870

Season 11

Elvin Hayes Jerry Lucas
Season 1978-791973-74
Team Washington BulletsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bullets Lost NBA FinalsKnicks Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
11th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 82 37.9 21.8 3.8 8.3 12.1 1.7 0.9 2.3 2.9 3.8 8.8 18.0 .487 - - - 4.3 6.5 .654
difference:+9+15.6+15.6+3.0+4.0+7.0+1.5+0.5+2.0-2.0+6.1+12.2+.025+3.4+5.2+.044
Jerry Lucas 73 22.3 6.2 0.8 4.3 5.1 3.2 0.4 0.3 - 1.8 2.7 5.8 .462 - - - 0.9 1.3 .698
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elvin Hayes 19 41.4 22.5 4.9 9.1 14.0 2.0 0.9 2.7 2.9 4.2 8.9 20.8 .429 - - - 4.6 6.8 .669
difference:+8+30.9+21.6+4.4+7.6+12.0+1.2+0.5+2.7-3.4+8.4+18.9+.191+4.6+6.8
Jerry Lucas 11 10.5 0.9 0.5 1.5 2.0 0.8 0.4 0.0 - 0.8 0.5 1.9 .238 - - - 0.0 0.0 -

Additional Years

* Elvin Hayes played 5 seasons more than Jerry Lucas in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 12 to 16, from 1980 to 1984—Elvin Hayes played in two Playoffs.

In those 5 extra years over Jerry Lucas, Elvin Hayes got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 1 All-Star Game