Nate Thurmond vs. Herb Williams Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Herb Williams and Nate Thurmond, 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.

Nate Thurmond played 14 years in the NBA, 4 less than Herb Williams, who played 18. Nate Thurmond had the first of his seasons in 1963-64, while Herb Williams had his rookie season in 1981-82. 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
Nate Thurmond 14 9 1963-64 to 1976-77
Herb Williams 18 8 1981-82 to 1998-99

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18

Rookie Season

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season 1963-641981-82
Team San Francisco WarriorsIndiana Pacers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Playoffs Warriors Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 76 25.9 7.0 - - 10.4 1.1 - - - 2.4 2.9 7.3 .395 - - - 1.3 2.3 .549
Herb Williams 82 27.8 11.5 2.1 5.2 7.4 1.7 0.6 2.2 1.7 2.4 5.0 10.4 .477 0.0 0.1 .286 1.5 2.3 .670
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 12 34.2 10.0 - - 12.3 0.8 - - - 3.8 3.5 8.0 .438 - - - 3.0 4.4 .679
Herb Williams ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season 1964-651982-83
Team San Francisco WarriorsIndiana Pacers
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 %
Nate Thurmond 77 41.2 16.5 - - 18.1 2.0 - - - 3.0 6.7 16.1 .419 - - - 3.1 4.6 .658
Herb Williams 78 32.2 16.9 1.9 5.5 7.5 3.4 0.7 2.2 2.9 2.9 7.4 14.9 .499 0.0 0.1 .000 2.0 2.8 .705
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Herb Williams ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season 1965-661983-84
Team San Francisco WarriorsIndiana Pacers
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 %
Nate Thurmond 73 39.6 16.3 - - 18.0 1.5 - - - 3.1 6.2 15.3 .406 - - - 3.8 5.9 .654
Herb Williams 69 33.0 14.9 2.2 5.8 8.0 3.1 0.9 1.6 3.0 2.8 6.0 12.5 .478 0.0 0.1 .000 3.0 4.3 .702
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Herb Williams ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season 1966-671984-85
Team San Francisco WarriorsIndiana Pacers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Warriors Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 65 42.5 18.7 - - 21.3 2.6 - - - 2.8 7.2 16.4 .437 - - - 4.3 6.8 .629
Herb Williams 75 34.1 18.3 2.1 6.4 8.5 3.4 0.7 1.8 3.5 2.9 7.7 16.1 .475 0.0 0.1 .111 3.0 4.5 .657
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 15 46.0 15.9 - - 23.1 3.1 - - - 3.5 6.2 14.3 .433 - - - 3.5 6.1 .571
Herb Williams ------- --- ----------

Season 5

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season 1967-681985-86
Team San Francisco WarriorsIndiana Pacers
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 %
Nate Thurmond 51 43.6 20.5 - - 22.0 4.2 - - - 2.7 7.5 18.2 .411 - - - 5.5 8.6 .644
Herb Williams 78 35.5 19.9 2.2 6.9 9.1 2.2 0.6 2.4 2.7 3.1 8.0 16.3 .492 0.0 0.2 .083 3.8 5.2 .730
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Herb Williams ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season 1968-691986-87
Team San Francisco WarriorsIndiana Pacers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Playoffs Warriors Lost West Div SemisPacers 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 %
Nate Thurmond 71 45.2 21.5 - - 19.7 3.6 - - - 2.4 8.0 19.6 .410 - - - 5.4 8.7 .615
Herb Williams 74 34.1 14.9 1.9 5.4 7.3 2.4 0.8 1.3 2.0 3.4 6.1 12.7 .480 0.0 0.1 .000 2.7 3.6 .740
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 6 43.8 16.7 - - 19.5 4.7 - - - 3.0 6.7 17.0 .392 - - - 3.3 5.7 .588
Herb Williams 4 33.5 11.8 0.8 4.3 5.0 1.8 0.0 0.3 2.8 3.0 5.0 8.5 .588 0.0 0.0 - 1.8 3.3 .538

Season 7

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season 1969-701987-88
Team San Francisco WarriorsIndiana Pacers
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 %
Nate Thurmond 43 44.6 21.9 - - 17.7 3.5 - - - 2.6 7.9 19.2 .414 - - - 6.1 8.0 .754
Herb Williams 75 26.2 10.0 1.5 4.7 6.3 1.3 0.5 1.9 1.6 3.3 4.1 9.8 .425 0.0 0.1 .000 1.7 2.3 .737
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Herb Williams ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season 1970-711988-89
Team San Francisco WarriorsIndiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Playoffs Warriors Lost West Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 82 40.9 20.0 - - 13.8 3.1 - - - 2.3 7.6 17.1 .445 - - - 4.8 6.6 .730
Herb Williams 76 32.5 10.2 1.8 6.0 7.8 1.6 0.6 1.8 2.0 3.1 4.2 9.7 .436 0.0 0.1 .000 1.8 2.6 .686
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 5 38.4 17.6 - - 10.2 3.0 - - - 4.0 7.2 19.4 .371 - - - 3.2 4.0 .800
Herb Williams ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season 1971-721989-90
Team Golden State WarriorsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Playoffs Warriors Lost West Conf SemisMavericks 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 %
Nate Thurmond 78 43.1 21.4 - - 16.1 2.9 - - - 2.7 8.1 18.6 .432 - - - 5.3 7.2 .743
Herb Williams 81 27.1 8.6 0.9 3.9 4.8 1.5 0.6 1.3 1.3 3.0 3.6 8.2 .444 0.0 0.1 .222 1.3 2.0 .679
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 5 46.0 25.4 - - 17.8 5.2 - - - 2.4 10.6 24.4 .434 - - - 4.2 5.6 .750
Herb Williams 3 27.0 13.7 1.3 3.0 4.3 1.7 0.3 0.7 1.0 5.3 4.7 7.7 .609 0.0 0.0 - 4.3 5.3 .813

Season 10

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season 1972-731990-91
Team Golden State WarriorsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Warriors Lost West 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 %
Nate Thurmond 79 43.3 17.1 - - 17.1 3.5 - - - 3.0 6.5 14.7 .446 - - - 4.0 5.6 .718
Herb Williams 60 30.5 12.5 1.4 4.5 6.0 1.6 0.5 1.5 1.9 3.3 5.5 10.9 .507 0.0 0.1 .000 1.4 2.2 .638
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 11 41.8 14.5 - - 13.2 3.6 - - - 2.7 5.8 14.6 .398 - - - 2.9 3.6 .800
Herb Williams ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season 1973-741991-92
Team Golden State WarriorsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
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 %
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
Herb Williams 75 27.2 11.5 1.4 4.6 6.1 1.3 0.5 1.3 1.5 2.5 4.9 11.3 .431 0.0 0.1 .167 1.7 2.3 .725
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Herb Williams ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season 1974-751992-93
Team Chicago BullsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bulls Lost West Conf FinalsKnicks 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 %
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
Herb Williams 55 10.4 2.9 0.8 1.9 2.7 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.4 1.4 1.3 3.2 .411 0.0 0.0 - 0.3 0.4 .667
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
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
Herb Williams 7 9.9 2.0 0.7 1.3 2.0 0.3 0.1 0.6 0.3 1.9 0.7 2.0 .357 0.0 0.0 - 0.6 0.6 1.000

Season 13

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season 1975-761993-94
Team Chicago Bulls, Cleveland CavaliersNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost East Conf FinalsKnicks Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
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
Herb Williams 70 11.1 3.3 0.8 1.8 2.6 0.4 0.3 0.6 0.6 1.5 1.5 3.3 .442 0.0 0.0 .000 0.4 0.6 .643
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
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
Herb Williams 19 6.7 1.5 0.5 0.5 1.1 0.2 0.2 0.6 0.4 1.0 0.7 1.6 .419 0.0 0.0 - 0.1 0.2 .667

Season 14

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season 1976-771994-95
Team Cleveland CavaliersNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost East Conf 1st RdKnicks Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
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
Herb Williams 56 13.3 3.3 0.4 1.9 2.4 0.5 0.2 0.8 0.7 1.9 1.5 3.2 .456 0.0 0.0 - 0.4 0.7 .622
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
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 -
Herb Williams 8 6.9 1.0 0.4 0.5 0.9 0.0 0.6 0.6 0.1 1.6 0.4 1.6 .231 0.0 0.0 - 0.3 0.3 1.000

Season 15

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season -1995-96
Team -New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Knicks Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Herb Williams 44 13.0 3.1 0.3 1.7 2.0 0.6 0.3 0.8 0.5 1.8 1.4 3.5 .408 0.0 0.1 .250 0.3 0.5 .650
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Herb Williams 5 6.6 1.8 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.2 0.6 0.6 1.0 .600 0.0 0.0 - 0.6 0.8 .750

Season 16

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season -1996-97
Team -New York Knicks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Knicks Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Herb Williams 21 8.8 1.9 0.4 1.0 1.5 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.9 0.9 2.2 .391 0.0 0.0 .000 0.1 0.2 .750
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Herb Williams 3 7.3 1.3 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.3 0.7 1.7 .400 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -

Season 17

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season -1997-98
Team -New York Knicks
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 %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Herb Williams 27 6.6 1.4 0.2 0.9 1.1 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.2 1.3 0.7 1.6 .419 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.3 .125
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Herb Williams ------- --- ----------

Season 18

Nate Thurmond Herb Williams
Season -1998-99
Team -New York Knicks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Knicks Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Herb Williams 6 5.7 1.7 0.5 0.5 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.7 1.3 .500 0.0 0.0 - 0.3 0.3 1.000
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Herb Williams 8 1.9 0.3 0.0 0.4 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.1 0.6 .200 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -