Paul Pierce vs. David Thompson Season by Season Comparison
Side by side comparison of each NBA season of David Thompson and Paul Pierce, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.
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.
Paul Pierce played 19 years in the NBA, 11 more than David Thompson, who played 8. Paul Pierce had the first of his seasons in 1998-99, while David Thompson had his rookie season in 1976-77. 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 |
| Paul Pierce |
19 |
14 |
1998-99 to 2016-17 |
| David Thompson |
8 |
5 |
1976-77 to 1983-84 |
Comparison Season by Season |
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Jump to season:
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Rookie Season Stats Comparison |
| Regular Season Stats |
|
G |
Min |
Pts |
ORb |
DRb |
Reb |
Ast |
Stl |
Blk |
TO | PF |
FGM / A | % |
3PM / A | % |
FTM / A | % |
| Paul Pierce |
48 |
34.0 |
16.5 |
2.4 |
4.0 |
6.4 |
2.4 |
1.7 |
1.0 |
2.4 |
2.9 |
5.9 |
13.5 |
.439 |
1.8 |
4.3 |
.412 |
2.9 |
4.1 |
.713 |
| difference: | +34 | +2.6 | +9.4 | +0.7 | +1.6 | +2.3 | +1.7 | +0.3 | +0.4 | | | +4.1 | +6.3 | +.068 | | | | +2.9 | +3.5 | +.053 |
| David Thompson |
82 |
36.6 |
25.9 |
1.7 |
2.4 |
4.1 |
4.1 |
1.4 |
0.6 |
- |
2.9 |
10.0 |
19.8 |
.507 |
- |
- |
- |
5.8 |
7.6 |
.766 |
|
| Playoffs Stats |
|
G |
Min |
Pts |
ORb |
DRb |
Reb |
Ast |
Stl |
Blk |
TO | PF |
FGM / A | % |
3PM / A | % |
FTM / A | % |
| Paul Pierce |
DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - |
- | - | - |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| David Thompson |
6 |
39.5 |
24.7 |
2.2 |
3.0 |
5.2 |
4.0 |
1.5 |
0.7 |
- |
3.7 |
9.3 |
20.2 |
.463 |
- |
- |
- |
6.0 |
8.8 |
.679 |
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2nd Season Stats Comparison |
| Regular Season Stats |
|
G |
Min |
Pts |
ORb |
DRb |
Reb |
Ast |
Stl |
Blk |
TO | PF |
FGM / A | % |
3PM / A | % |
FTM / A | % |
| Paul Pierce |
73 |
35.4 |
19.5 |
1.1 |
4.3 |
5.4 |
3.0 |
2.1 |
0.8 |
2.4 |
3.2 |
6.7 |
15.1 |
.442 |
1.3 |
3.8 |
.343 |
4.9 |
6.2 |
.798 |
| difference: | +7 | +2.4 | +7.7 | +0.9 | +1.4 | +0.5 | +1.5 | +0.9 | +0.4 | -0.7 | -0.5 | +3.6 | +4.7 | +.079 | | | | +1.6 | +2.2 | +.020 |
| David Thompson |
80 |
37.8 |
27.2 |
2.0 |
2.9 |
4.9 |
4.5 |
1.2 |
1.2 |
3.1 |
2.7 |
10.3 |
19.8 |
.521 |
- |
- |
- |
6.5 |
8.4 |
.778 |
|
| Playoffs Stats |
|
G |
Min |
Pts |
ORb |
DRb |
Reb |
Ast |
Stl |
Blk |
TO | PF |
FGM / A | % |
3PM / A | % |
FTM / A | % |
| Paul Pierce |
DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - |
- | - | - |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| David Thompson |
13 |
37.0 |
25.2 |
1.4 |
2.7 |
4.1 |
4.0 |
0.7 |
1.6 |
3.0 |
2.6 |
10.1 |
22.4 |
.450 |
- |
- |
- |
5.1 |
6.2 |
.825 |
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3rd Season Stats Comparison |
| Regular Season Stats |
|
G |
Min |
Pts |
ORb |
DRb |
Reb |
Ast |
Stl |
Blk |
TO | PF |
FGM / A | % |
3PM / A | % |
FTM / A | % |
| Paul Pierce |
82 |
38.0 |
25.3 |
1.1 |
5.2 |
6.4 |
3.1 |
1.7 |
0.8 |
3.2 |
3.1 |
8.4 |
18.5 |
.454 |
1.8 |
4.7 |
.383 |
6.7 |
9.0 |
.745 |
| difference: | +6 | +2.9 | +1.3 | +0.3 | +3.0 | +2.8 | +0.1 | +0.8 | +0.3 | -0.8 | -0.7 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +.058 | | | | +0.9 | +1.3 | +.008 |
| David Thompson |
76 |
35.1 |
24.0 |
1.4 |
2.2 |
3.6 |
3.0 |
0.9 |
1.1 |
2.4 |
2.4 |
9.1 |
17.8 |
.512 |
- |
- |
- |
5.8 |
7.7 |
.753 |
|
| Playoffs Stats |
|
G |
Min |
Pts |
ORb |
DRb |
Reb |
Ast |
Stl |
Blk |
TO | PF |
FGM / A | % |
3PM / A | % |
FTM / A | % |
| Paul Pierce |
DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - |
- | - | - |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| David Thompson |
3 |
40.7 |
28.0 |
2.3 |
4.7 |
7.0 |
4.0 |
1.3 |
0.3 |
4.0 |
4.0 |
12.7 |
23.0 |
.551 |
- |
- |
- |
2.7 |
3.7 |
.727 |
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4th Season Stats Comparison |
| Regular Season Stats |
|
G |
Min |
Pts |
ORb |
DRb |
Reb |
Ast |
Stl |
Blk |
TO | PF |
FGM / A | % |
3PM / A | % |
FTM / A | % |
| Paul Pierce |
82 |
40.3 |
26.1 |
1.0 |
5.9 |
6.9 |
3.2 |
1.9 |
1.0 |
2.9 |
2.9 |
8.6 |
19.5 |
.442 |
2.6 |
6.3 |
.404 |
6.3 |
7.8 |
.809 |
| difference: | +43 | +8.5 | +4.6 | +0.4 | +2.9 | +2.4 | | +0.9 | | -0.1 | -0.2 | +1.2 | +3.7 | +.026 | +2.4 | +5.8 | +.036 | +0.2 | +0.8 | +.051 |
| David Thompson |
39 |
31.8 |
21.5 |
1.4 |
3.0 |
4.5 |
3.2 |
1.0 |
1.0 |
3.0 |
2.7 |
7.4 |
15.8 |
.468 |
0.2 |
0.5 |
.368 |
6.5 |
8.6 |
.758 |
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| Playoffs Stats |
|
G |
Min |
Pts |
ORb |
DRb |
Reb |
Ast |
Stl |
Blk |
TO | PF |
FGM / A | % |
3PM / A | % |
FTM / A | % |
| Paul Pierce |
16 |
42.0 |
24.6 |
1.7 |
6.9 |
8.6 |
4.1 |
1.7 |
1.3 |
3.8 |
3.3 |
7.6 |
18.9 |
.403 |
1.9 |
6.5 |
.288 |
7.5 |
9.8 |
.764 |
| David Thompson |
DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - |
- | - | - |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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5th Season Stats Comparison |
| Regular Season Stats |
|
G |
Min |
Pts |
ORb |
DRb |
Reb |
Ast |
Stl |
Blk |
TO | PF |
FGM / A | % |
3PM / A | % |
FTM / A | % |
| Paul Pierce |
79 |
39.2 |
25.9 |
1.3 |
6.0 |
7.3 |
4.4 |
1.8 |
0.8 |
3.6 |
2.9 |
8.4 |
20.2 |
.416 |
1.5 |
4.9 |
.302 |
7.6 |
9.5 |
.802 |
| difference: | +2 | +5.2 | +0.4 | +0.1 | +3.7 | +3.6 | +1.4 | +1.1 | | -0.4 | -0.1 | +1.1 | +1.4 | +.090 | +1.4 | +4.4 | +.046 | +1.2 | +1.5 | +.007 |
| David Thompson |
77 |
34.0 |
25.5 |
1.4 |
2.3 |
3.7 |
3.0 |
0.7 |
0.8 |
3.2 |
3.0 |
9.5 |
18.8 |
.506 |
0.1 |
0.5 |
.256 |
6.4 |
8.0 |
.795 |
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| Playoffs Stats |
|
G |
Min |
Pts |
ORb |
DRb |
Reb |
Ast |
Stl |
Blk |
TO | PF |
FGM / A | % |
3PM / A | % |
FTM / A | % |
| Paul Pierce |
10 |
44.5 |
27.1 |
1.1 |
7.9 |
9.0 |
6.7 |
2.1 |
0.8 |
4.4 |
3.8 |
7.7 |
19.3 |
.399 |
1.6 |
4.5 |
.356 |
10.1 |
11.7 |
.863 |
| David Thompson |
DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - |
- | - | - |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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6th Season Stats Comparison |
| Regular Season Stats |
|
G |
Min |
Pts |
ORb |
DRb |
Reb |
Ast |
Stl |
Blk |
TO | PF |
FGM / A | % |
3PM / A | % |
FTM / A | % |
| Paul Pierce |
80 |
38.7 |
23.0 |
0.9 |
5.7 |
6.5 |
5.1 |
1.6 |
0.7 |
3.8 |
2.9 |
7.5 |
18.7 |
.402 |
1.4 |
4.8 |
.299 |
6.5 |
7.9 |
.819 |
| difference: | +19 | +18.3 | +8.1 | | +4.2 | +4.1 | +3.2 | +1.0 | +0.2 | -1.5 | -0.5 | +2.4 | +8.1 | +.084 | +1.3 | +4.6 | +.013 | +2.0 | +2.3 | +.005 |
| David Thompson |
61 |
20.4 |
14.9 |
0.9 |
1.5 |
2.4 |
1.9 |
0.6 |
0.5 |
2.3 |
2.4 |
5.1 |
10.6 |
.486 |
0.1 |
0.2 |
.286 |
4.5 |
5.6 |
.814 |
|
| Playoffs Stats |
|
G |
Min |
Pts |
ORb |
DRb |
Reb |
Ast |
Stl |
Blk |
TO | PF |
FGM / A | % |
3PM / A | % |
FTM / A | % |
| Paul Pierce |
4 |
40.8 |
20.8 |
1.5 |
7.3 |
8.8 |
2.5 |
1.3 |
1.0 |
6.3 |
3.0 |
6.5 |
19.0 |
.342 |
1.3 |
4.3 |
.294 |
6.5 |
7.8 |
.839 |
| difference: | +1 | +18.8 | +9.1 | +0.2 | +5.3 | +5.5 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +1.0 | -3.6 | -0.3 | +1.5 | +8.0 | +.113 | +1.0 | +3.3 | +.039 | +5.2 | +5.5 | +.268 |
| David Thompson |
3 |
22.0 |
11.7 |
1.3 |
2.0 |
3.3 |
2.0 |
0.3 |
0.0 |
2.7 |
2.7 |
5.0 |
11.0 |
.455 |
0.3 |
1.0 |
.333 |
1.3 |
2.3 |
.571 |
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison |
| Regular Season Stats |
|
G |
Min |
Pts |
ORb |
DRb |
Reb |
Ast |
Stl |
Blk |
TO | PF |
FGM / A | % |
3PM / A | % |
FTM / A | % |
| Paul Pierce |
82 |
36.1 |
21.6 |
1.0 |
5.6 |
6.6 |
4.2 |
1.6 |
0.5 |
2.8 |
3.1 |
6.8 |
14.9 |
.455 |
1.3 |
3.6 |
.370 |
6.7 |
8.1 |
.822 |
| difference: | +7 | +7.4 | +5.7 | +0.3 | +3.3 | +3.0 | +1.2 | +1.0 | +0.1 | -0.6 | -1.2 | +0.9 | +2.6 | +.026 | +1.3 | +3.5 | +.170 | +2.7 | +3.0 | +.038 |
| David Thompson |
75 |
28.7 |
15.9 |
1.3 |
2.3 |
3.6 |
3.0 |
0.6 |
0.4 |
2.2 |
1.9 |
5.9 |
12.3 |
.481 |
0.0 |
0.1 |
.200 |
4.0 |
5.1 |
.784 |
|
| Playoffs Stats |
|
G |
Min |
Pts |
ORb |
DRb |
Reb |
Ast |
Stl |
Blk |
TO | PF |
FGM / A | % |
3PM / A | % |
FTM / A | % |
| Paul Pierce |
7 |
39.7 |
22.9 |
1.0 |
6.7 |
7.7 |
4.6 |
1.9 |
1.4 |
2.7 |
2.6 |
6.7 |
13.3 |
.505 |
1.0 |
3.9 |
.259 |
8.4 |
9.7 |
.868 |
| difference: | +5 | +7.2 | +10.9 | +1.0 | +6.7 | +7.7 | +1.1 | +1.4 | +0.9 | -0.7 | -0.9 | +2.2 | +0.8 | +.145 | +1.0 | +3.9 | | +5.4 | +4.7 | +.268 |
| David Thompson |
2 |
32.5 |
12.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0 |
3.5 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
2.0 |
3.5 |
4.5 |
12.5 |
.360 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
3.0 |
5.0 |
.600 |
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison |
| Regular Season Stats |
|
G |
Min |
Pts |
ORb |
DRb |
Reb |
Ast |
Stl |
Blk |
TO | PF |
FGM / A | % |
3PM / A | % |
FTM / A | % |
| Paul Pierce |
79 |
39.0 |
26.8 |
1.0 |
5.7 |
6.7 |
4.7 |
1.4 |
0.4 |
3.5 |
2.8 |
8.7 |
18.5 |
.471 |
1.4 |
4.0 |
.354 |
7.9 |
10.3 |
.772 |
| difference: | +60 | +20.6 | +14.2 | +0.1 | +4.3 | +4.4 | +4.0 | +0.9 | +0.3 | -2.1 | -1.2 | +4.0 | +9.8 | +.068 | +1.4 | +3.9 | +.354 | +4.6 | +6.5 | +.077 |
| David Thompson |
19 |
18.4 |
12.6 |
0.9 |
1.4 |
2.3 |
0.7 |
0.5 |
0.7 |
1.4 |
1.6 |
4.7 |
8.7 |
.539 |
0.0 |
0.1 |
.000 |
3.3 |
3.8 |
.849 |
|
| Playoffs Stats |
| * Neiher Paul Pierce nor David Thompson played in the postseason in their season 8 |
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Additional Years |
* Paul Pierce played 11 seasons more than David Thompson in the NBA.
In that period—his seasons 9 to 19, from 2007 to 2017—Paul Pierce played in 10 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those 11 extra years over David Thompson, Paul Pierce got these achievements: |
| Honors & Awards |  1 Finals MVP
1 All-NBA Second Team
1 All-NBA Third Team
5 All-Star Game
|