Kevin McHale vs. Jakob Poeltl Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jakob Poeltl and Kevin McHale, 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.

Kevin McHale played 13 years in the NBA, 4 more than Jakob Poeltl, who played 9. Kevin McHale had the first of his seasons in 1980-81, while Jakob Poeltl had his rookie season in 2016-17. 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
Kevin McHale 13 13 1980-81 to 1992-93
Jakob Poeltl 9 3 2016-17 to 2024-25

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

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

Rookie Season

Kevin McHale Jakob Poeltl
Season 1980-812016-17
Team Boston CelticsToronto Raptors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRaptors Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kevin McHale 82 20.1 10.0 1.9 2.5 4.4 0.7 0.3 1.8 1.3 3.2 4.3 8.1 .533 0.0 0.0 - 1.3 1.9 .679
difference:+28+8.5+6.9+0.5+0.9+1.3+0.5+1.4-0.8-1.1+3.1+6.0+.050+0.7+0.8+.135
Jakob Poeltl 54 11.6 3.1 1.4 1.6 3.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 2.1 1.2 2.1 .583 0.0 0.0 - 0.6 1.1 .544
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kevin McHale 17 17.4 8.5 1.7 1.8 3.5 0.8 0.2 1.5 0.9 3.0 3.6 6.6 .540 0.0 0.0 - 1.4 2.1 .639
difference:+11+13.1+6.8+0.7+0.8+1.5+0.8+1.3-0.9-2.5+2.8+4.8+.085+1.4+1.8+.639
Jakob Poeltl 6 4.3 1.7 1.0 1.0 2.0 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.5 0.8 1.8 .455 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.3 .000

Season 2

Kevin McHale Jakob Poeltl
Season 1981-822017-18
Team Boston CelticsToronto Raptors
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsRaptors Lost East Conf 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%
Kevin McHale 82 28.4 13.6 2.3 4.5 6.8 1.1 0.4 2.3 1.7 3.2 5.7 10.7 .531 0.0 0.0 - 2.3 3.0 .754
difference:+9.8+6.7+0.3+1.7+2.0+0.4+0.1+1.1-0.7-0.6+2.6+6.0+.128+1.6+1.8+.160
Jakob Poeltl 82 18.6 6.9 2.0 2.8 4.8 0.7 0.5 1.2 1.0 2.6 3.1 4.7 .659 0.0 0.0 - 0.7 1.2 .594
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kevin McHale 12 28.7 16.2 3.4 3.7 7.1 0.9 0.4 2.3 1.3 3.7 6.4 11.2 .575 0.0 0.0 - 3.3 4.4 .755
difference:+3+13.1+10.8+1.7+1.4+3.1+0.2+0.1+1.9-0.4-0.9+4.5+7.8+.027+0.1+1.6+2.3+.034
Jakob Poeltl 9 15.6 5.4 1.7 2.3 4.0 0.7 0.3 0.4 0.9 2.8 1.9 3.4 .548 0.0 0.1 .000 1.7 2.1 .789

Season 3

Kevin McHale Jakob Poeltl
Season 1982-832018-19
Team Boston CelticsSan Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisSpurs Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kevin McHale 82 28.6 14.1 2.6 4.1 6.7 1.3 0.4 2.3 1.9 2.9 5.9 10.9 .541 0.0 0.0 - 2.4 3.3 .717
difference:+5+12.1+8.6+0.3+1.1+1.4+0.1+1.4-1.3-1.3+3.5+7.1+.104+1.8+2.1+.184
Jakob Poeltl 77 16.5 5.5 2.3 3.0 5.3 1.2 0.4 0.9 0.6 1.6 2.4 3.8 .645 0.0 0.0 - 0.6 1.2 .533
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kevin McHale 7 25.3 11.1 2.1 3.9 6.0 0.7 0.4 1.0 1.4 2.3 4.9 8.9 .548 0.0 0.1 .000 1.4 2.6 .556
difference:+3.8+1.5+0.2+1.7+1.0+0.1+0.3-1.0-1.4+1.6+3.8+.091+0.7+1.3
Jakob Poeltl 7 25.3 7.3 3.6 4.1 7.7 1.7 0.3 0.7 0.4 3.7 3.3 5.1 .639 0.0 0.1 .000 0.7 1.3 .556

Season 4

Kevin McHale Jakob Poeltl
Season 1983-842019-20
Team Boston CelticsSan Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards Achievement Sixth Man of the Year-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kevin McHale 82 31.4 18.4 2.5 4.9 7.4 1.3 0.3 1.5 1.8 3.0 7.2 12.9 .556 0.0 0.0 - 4.1 5.4 .765
difference:+16+13.7+12.8+0.5+1.2+1.7+0.5+0.3+0.1-1.0-1.1+4.7+8.9+.068+3.5+4.1+.300
Jakob Poeltl 66 17.7 5.6 2.0 3.7 5.7 1.8 0.6 1.4 0.8 1.9 2.5 4.0 .624 0.0 0.0 - 0.6 1.3 .465
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kevin McHale 23 30.5 14.8 2.7 3.5 6.2 1.2 0.1 1.5 1.7 3.3 5.3 10.6 .504 0.0 0.1 .000 4.1 5.3 .777
Jakob Poeltl DNP------ --- ----------

Season 5

Kevin McHale Jakob Poeltl
Season 1984-852020-21
Team Boston CelticsSan Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards Achievement Sixth Man of the Year-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsDid 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%
Kevin McHale 79 33.6 19.8 2.9 6.1 9.0 1.8 0.4 1.5 2.0 3.0 7.7 13.4 .570 0.0 0.1 .000 4.5 5.9 .760
difference:+10+6.9+11.2+0.3+1.3+1.1+0.1+0.3+0.3-0.8-0.5+3.9+7.2+.046+0.1+3.6+4.1+.252
Jakob Poeltl 69 26.7 8.6 3.2 4.8 7.9 1.9 0.7 1.8 1.2 2.5 3.8 6.2 .616 0.0 0.0 - 0.9 1.8 .508
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kevin McHale 21 39.9 22.1 3.5 6.4 9.9 1.5 0.6 2.2 2.9 3.5 8.2 14.4 .568 0.0 0.0 - 5.8 7.1 .807
Jakob Poeltl DNP------ --- ----------

Season 6

Kevin McHale Jakob Poeltl
Season 1985-862021-22
Team Boston CelticsSan Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid 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%
Kevin McHale 68 35.3 21.3 2.5 5.6 8.1 2.7 0.4 2.0 2.2 2.8 8.3 14.4 .574 0.0 0.0 - 4.8 6.2 .776
difference:+6.3+7.8+1.4+0.1+1.2+0.1+0.3+0.3-0.6-0.3+2.3+4.6+.044+3.4+3.4+.281
Jakob Poeltl 68 29.0 13.5 3.9 5.5 9.3 2.8 0.7 1.7 1.6 3.1 6.0 9.8 .618 0.0 0.0 - 1.4 2.8 .495
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kevin McHale 18 39.7 24.9 2.8 5.8 8.6 2.7 0.4 2.4 2.7 3.6 9.3 16.1 .579 0.0 0.1 .000 6.2 7.8 .794
Jakob Poeltl DNP------ --- ----------

Season 7

Kevin McHale Jakob Poeltl
Season 1986-872022-23
Team Boston CelticsSan Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics 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%
Kevin McHale 77 39.7 26.1 3.2 6.7 9.9 2.6 0.5 2.2 2.6 3.1 10.3 17.0 .604 0.0 0.1 .000 5.6 6.6 .836
difference:+5+13.2+13.6+0.1+0.9+0.8+0.1+0.4+1.0-0.9-0.4+4.9+8.4+.025+0.1+3.9+3.8+.244
Jakob Poeltl 72 26.5 12.5 3.3 5.8 9.1 2.7 0.9 1.2 1.7 2.7 5.4 8.6 .629 0.0 0.0 - 1.7 2.8 .592
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kevin McHale 21 39.4 21.1 3.1 6.1 9.2 1.9 0.3 1.4 2.6 3.4 8.3 14.2 .584 0.0 0.0 - 4.6 6.0 .762
Jakob Poeltl DNP------ --- ----------

Season 8

Kevin McHale Jakob Poeltl
Season 1987-882023-24
Team Boston CelticsToronto Raptors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kevin McHale 64 37.3 22.6 2.5 5.9 8.4 2.7 0.4 1.4 2.2 2.8 8.6 14.2 .604 0.0 0.0 - 5.4 6.8 .797
difference:+14+10.9+11.5+0.4+0.2+0.2+0.2+0.3+0.1-0.7-0.2+3.6+6.6+.052+4.2+4.7+.246
Jakob Poeltl 50 26.4 11.1 2.9 5.7 8.6 2.5 0.7 1.5 1.5 3.0 5.0 7.6 .656 0.0 0.0 - 1.2 2.1 .551
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kevin McHale 17 42.1 25.4 3.2 4.8 8.0 2.4 0.4 1.8 2.3 3.8 9.3 15.4 .603 0.1 0.1 1.000 6.8 8.1 .839
Jakob Poeltl DNP------ --- ----------

Season 9

Kevin McHale Jakob Poeltl
Season 1988-892024-25
Team Boston CelticsToronto Raptors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kevin McHale 78 36.9 22.5 2.9 5.3 8.2 2.2 0.3 1.2 2.5 2.9 8.5 15.5 .546 0.0 0.1 .000 5.6 6.8 .818
difference:+21+7.3+8.0+0.4+1.0+1.4+0.6+0.9-0.6-0.2+2.1+5.3+.081+.333+3.9+4.3+.144
Jakob Poeltl 57 29.6 14.5 3.3 6.3 9.6 2.8 1.2 1.2 1.9 3.1 6.4 10.2 .627 0.0 0.1 .333 1.7 2.5 .674
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kevin McHale 3 38.3 19.0 2.3 5.7 8.0 3.0 0.3 0.7 1.3 4.3 6.7 13.7 .488 0.0 0.0 - 5.7 7.7 .739
Jakob Poeltl DNP------ --- ----------

Additional Years

* Kevin McHale played 4 seasons more than Jakob Poeltl in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 10 to 13, from 1990 to 1993—Kevin McHale played in 4 Playoffs.

In those 4 extra years over Jakob Poeltl, Kevin McHale got these achievements:

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