Norm Nixon vs. Karl-Anthony Towns Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Karl-Anthony Towns and Norm Nixon, 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.

Norm Nixon played 10 years in the NBA, 1 more than Karl-Anthony Towns, who played 9. Norm Nixon had the first of his seasons in 1977-78, while Karl-Anthony Towns had his rookie season in 2015-16. 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
Norm Nixon	10	6	1977-78 to 1988-89
Karl-Anthony Towns	9	4	2015-16 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season
Jump to season: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10


Rookie Season
	Norm Nixon	Karl-Anthony Towns
Season	1977-78	2015-16
Team	Los Angeles Lakers	Minnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards	-	Rookie of the Year
Honors & Awards	All-Rookie First Team	All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs	Lakers Lost West Conf 1st Rd	Did Not Play

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	81	34.3	13.7	0.5	2.4	3.0	6.8	1.7	0.1	3.1	3.2	6.1	12.3	.497	-	-	-	1.4	2.0	.714
Karl-Anthony Towns	82	32.0	18.3	2.8	7.7	10.5	2.0	0.7	1.7	2.2	3.0	7.6	14.1	.542	0.4	1.1	.341	2.7	3.4	.811

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	3	30.7	8.0	1.3	1.7	3.0	5.3	1.3	0.3	1.7	4.3	3.7	8.0	.458	-	-	-	0.7	1.0	.667
Karl-Anthony Towns	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-


Season 2
	Norm Nixon	Karl-Anthony Towns
Season	1978-79	2016-17
Team	Los Angeles Lakers	Minnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards
Playoffs	Lakers Lost West Conf Semis	Did Not Play

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	82	38.4	17.1	0.6	2.2	2.8	9.0	2.5	0.2	2.8	3.0	7.6	14.0	.542	-	-	-	1.9	2.5	.775
Karl-Anthony Towns	82	37.0	25.1	3.6	8.7	12.3	2.7	0.7	1.3	2.6	2.9	9.8	18.0	.542	1.2	3.4	.367	4.3	5.2	.832

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	8	40.9	15.4	0.8	2.8	3.5	11.8	1.4	0.0	3.0	4.6	7.0	14.9	.471	-	-	-	1.4	1.9	.733
Karl-Anthony Towns	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-


Season 3
	Norm Nixon	Karl-Anthony Towns
Season	1979-80	2017-18
Team	Los Angeles Lakers	Minnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA Third Team
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	NBA Champion	Timberwolves Lost West Conf 1st Rd

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	82	39.3	17.6	0.6	2.2	2.8	7.8	1.8	0.2	3.5	2.9	7.6	14.7	.516	0.0	0.1	.125	2.4	3.1	.779
Karl-Anthony Towns	82	35.6	21.3	2.9	9.4	12.3	2.4	0.8	1.4	1.9	3.5	7.8	14.3	.545	1.5	3.5	.421	4.2	4.9	.858

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	16	40.5	16.9	0.8	2.7	3.5	7.8	2.0	0.2	3.1	3.7	7.1	14.9	.477	0.1	0.3	.200	2.6	3.2	.804
Karl-Anthony Towns	5	34.0	15.2	3.0	10.4	13.4	2.2	0.4	1.0	2.4	2.8	5.6	12.0	.467	0.6	2.2	.273	3.4	4.6	.739


Season 4
	Norm Nixon	Karl-Anthony Towns
Season	1980-81	2018-19
Team	Los Angeles Lakers	Minnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Lakers Lost West Conf 1st Rd	Did Not Play

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	79	37.5	17.1	0.8	2.1	2.9	8.8	1.8	0.1	3.6	2.9	7.3	15.3	.476	0.0	0.2	.167	2.5	3.2	.778
Karl-Anthony Towns	77	33.1	24.4	3.4	9.0	12.4	3.4	0.9	1.6	3.1	3.8	8.8	17.1	.518	1.8	4.6	.400	4.9	5.8	.836

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	3	44.3	19.3	0.3	3.3	3.7	8.7	0.3	0.3	1.7	3.0	8.3	16.3	.510	0.0	0.0	-	2.7	3.3	.800
Karl-Anthony Towns	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-


Season 5
	Norm Nixon	Karl-Anthony Towns
Season	1981-82	2019-20
Team	Los Angeles Lakers	Minnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	NBA Champion	Did Not Play

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	82	36.9	17.6	0.5	1.7	2.1	8.0	1.6	0.1	2.9	3.2	7.7	15.5	.493	0.0	0.1	.250	2.2	2.7	.808
Karl-Anthony Towns	35	33.9	26.5	2.7	8.1	10.8	4.4	0.9	1.2	3.1	3.3	9.0	17.8	.508	3.3	7.9	.412	5.1	6.5	.796

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	14	39.2	20.4	0.9	2.1	3.1	8.1	1.6	0.1	2.4	3.1	8.6	18.1	.478	0.1	0.2	.333	3.1	4.1	.754
Karl-Anthony Towns	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-


Season 6
	Norm Nixon	Karl-Anthony Towns
Season	1982-83	2020-21
Team	Los Angeles Lakers	Minnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards
Playoffs	Lakers Lost NBA Finals	Did Not Play

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	79	34.3	15.1	0.8	1.8	2.6	7.2	1.3	0.1	3.0	2.2	6.7	14.2	.475	0.0	0.2	.000	1.6	2.1	.744
Karl-Anthony Towns	50	33.8	24.8	2.7	7.9	10.6	4.5	0.8	1.1	3.2	3.7	8.5	17.5	.486	2.4	6.3	.387	5.3	6.2	.859

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	14	38.4	19.0	0.9	2.5	3.4	6.4	1.3	0.1	2.4	2.9	8.1	16.9	.477	0.2	0.5	.429	2.6	3.6	.740
Karl-Anthony Towns	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-


Season 7
	Norm Nixon	Karl-Anthony Towns
Season	1983-84	2021-22
Team	San Diego Clippers	Minnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA Third Team
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Did Not Play	Timberwolves Lost West Conf 1st Rd

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	82	37.2	17.0	0.7	1.8	2.5	11.1	1.1	0.0	3.1	2.2	7.2	15.5	.462	0.1	0.6	.239	2.5	3.3	.760
Karl-Anthony Towns	74	33.5	24.6	2.6	7.2	9.8	3.6	1.0	1.1	3.1	3.6	8.7	16.4	.529	2.0	4.9	.410	5.2	6.3	.822

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Karl-Anthony Towns	6	37.0	21.8	1.8	9.0	10.8	2.2	0.7	2.0	4.5	4.2	6.5	13.3	.488	1.7	3.7	.455	7.2	8.3	.860


Season 8
	Norm Nixon	Karl-Anthony Towns
Season	1984-85	2022-23
Team	Los Angeles Clippers	Minnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	Did Not Play	Timberwolves Lost West Conf 1st Rd

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	81	35.7	17.2	0.7	2.0	2.7	8.8	1.2	0.0	3.4	2.2	7.4	15.8	.465	0.4	1.2	.333	2.1	2.7	.780
Karl-Anthony Towns	29	33.0	20.8	1.7	6.5	8.1	4.8	0.7	0.6	3.0	3.8	7.3	14.8	.495	2.1	5.7	.366	4.1	4.7	.874

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Karl-Anthony Towns	5	36.0	18.2	1.2	9.0	10.2	2.0	0.6	0.8	3.6	4.2	6.4	14.0	.457	1.2	4.8	.250	4.2	5.6	.750


Season 9
	Norm Nixon	Karl-Anthony Towns
Season	1985-86	2023-24
Team	Los Angeles Clippers	Minnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Did Not Play	Timberwolves TBD

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	67	31.9	14.6	0.7	2.0	2.7	8.6	1.3	0.0	2.8	2.1	6.0	13.7	.438	0.6	1.8	.347	2.0	2.4	.809
Karl-Anthony Towns	62	32.7	21.8	1.5	6.8	8.3	3.0	0.7	0.7	2.9	3.3	7.7	15.3	.504	2.2	5.3	.416	4.1	4.7	.873

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Karl-Anthony Towns	10	31.7	18.4	2.0	7.0	9.0	2.9	0.6	0.2	1.7	3.8	6.7	13.1	.511	2.1	4.4	.477	2.9	3.6	.806

Note: Norm Nixon didn't play in 1986-87 and 1987-88.


Season 10
	Norm Nixon	Karl-Anthony Towns
Season	1988-89	-
Team	Los Angeles Clippers	-
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		%
Norm Nixon	53	24.9	6.8	0.2	1.2	1.5	6.4	0.9	0.0	2.2	1.3	2.9	7.0	.414	0.2	0.5	.276	0.9	1.2	.738
Karl-Anthony Towns	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Norm Nixon	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Karl-Anthony Towns	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Norm Nixon vs. Karl-Anthony Towns Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Karl-Anthony Towns and Norm Nixon, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Their Careers

Comparison Season by Season

Rookie Season

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

Season 8

Season 9

Season 10