Adrian Dantley
1976–77 to 1990–91 · 15 seasons
NBA player comparison
Adrian Dantley vs. Cooper Flagg: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Adrian Dantley ranks higher in career impact so far
Cooper Flagg
2025–26 to 2025–26 · 1 seasons · active
Impact comparison
Box impact estimates points per 100 possessions above each season's league average. Higher is better. Career ranks and average league finishes work the other way: lower is better.
#57LeadsCareer Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank#2837
+5.3LeadsPeak box impact so farEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.7
+2.6LeadsAverage box impact to dateEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.7
#4LeadsBest league finish#108
+3,457 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+183 pts
955LeadsGames70
Career Impact Rank places Adrian Dantley #57 and Cooper Flagg #2837. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three.
Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedAdrian Dantley7.987 · No. 57Cooper Flagg324.960 · No. 2,837
Only the three league-finish windows below determine Career Impact Rank. Career Value and peak impact are separate measures; neither adds points to this calculation. Lower composite scores rank higher.
Adrian Dantley
7.987 composite · No. 57 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 41985–86Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 51982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 71980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 5.333 | 50% | 2.667 |
| Best 5No. 41985–86Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 51982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 71980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 71983–84Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 131979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 7.200 | 30% | 2.160 |
| Best 10No. 41985–86Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 51982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 71980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 71983–84Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 131979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 131981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 141984–85Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 161977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 331976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 461987–88Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 15.800 | 20% | 3.160 |
2.667 + 2.160 + 3.160= 7.987
Cooper Flagg
324.960 composite · No. 2,837 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 1082025–262 open slots × No. 396 | 300.000 | 50% | 150.000 |
| Best 5No. 1082025–264 open slots × No. 396 | 338.400 | 30% | 101.520 |
| Best 10No. 1082025–269 open slots × No. 396 | 367.200 | 20% | 73.440 |
150.000 + 101.520 + 73.440= 324.960
Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 396, this player's stored replacement finish.
Averages, contributions, and totals are displayed to three decimal places. The ranking calculation keeps full source precision. Read the full method →
Full comparison · Career comparison
Understand the numbers
Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.
1 · Ranking evidence
Impact: who ranks higher, and why?
Career Impact Rank compares entire regular-season careers across NBA history. It combines average league places across the best three, five, and ten seasons, weighted 50%, 30%, and 20%. A lower rank or average place is better.
| Metric | Adrian Dantley | Cooper Flagg |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank | #57Better result for this metric. | #2837 |
| Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 5.3Better result for this metric. | 300.0 |
| Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 7.2Better result for this metric. | 338.4 |
| Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 15.8Better result for this metric. | 367.2 |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Adrian Dantley | Cooper Flagg |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #64Better result for this metric. | #1218 |
| Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +5.3Better result for this metric. | +1.7 |
| Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +5.0 | Unavailable |
| Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +4.7 | Unavailable |
| Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +3.7 | Unavailable |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +3,457 ptsBetter result for this metric. | +183 pts |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 2Better result for this metric. | 0 |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 4Better result for this metric. | 0 |
2 · Playing time and responsibility
How much did each player take on?
Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.
| Metric | Adrian Dantley | Cooper Flagg |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 955 | 70 |
| Minutes | 34,151 | 2,344 |
3 · Individual skills
Where does each player have an advantage?
These are each player's averages across up to ten best seasons. Career Impact Rank gives the Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights, giving the most weight to the highest peak. The model accounts for position, role, pace, playing time, and team results. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.
Shooting
True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.
| Metric | Adrian Dantley | Cooper Flagg |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 61.7%Better result for this metric. | 54.8% |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 62.5%Better result for this metric. | 54.8% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Adrian Dantley | Cooper Flagg |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 54.0%Better result for this metric. | 46.8% |
| Three-point percentage | 17.1% | 29.5%Better result for this metric. |
| Free-throw percentage | 81.8% | 82.7%Better result for this metric. |
Passing
Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.
| Metric | Adrian Dantley | Cooper Flagg |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 14.2% | 21.5%Better result for this metric. |
| Assists per game | 3.0 | 4.5Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Adrian Dantley | Cooper Flagg |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 12.6% | 10.7%Better result for this metric. |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Adrian Dantley | Cooper Flagg |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 8.8% | 10.5%Better result for this metric. |
| Rebounds per game | 5.7 | 6.7Better result for this metric. |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Adrian Dantley | Cooper Flagg |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.3% | 1.7%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Adrian Dantley | Cooper Flagg |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 0.2% | 2.3%Better result for this metric. |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Adrian Dantley | Cooper Flagg |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 24.3Better result for this metric. | 21.0 |
4 · Team context, not ranking inputs
What happened with and without them?
A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.
Four separate questions
Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards
These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.
Career to date. At least one player is active. Every total below stops after the latest completed season in this data; nothing is projected.
Regular Season Impact
Adrian Dantley ranks higher in career impact so far.
Adrian DantleyMetricCooper Flagg
#57LeadsCareer Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank#2837
+5.3LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.7
+4.7Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is betterNot available
+3,457 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+183 pts
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
Adrian Dantley leads every available measure below.
Adrian DantleyMetricCooper Flagg
690LeadsListed-team regular-season wins26
49.5%LeadsListed-team winning percentage31.7%
3Leads50-win team seasons0
1Leads60-win team seasons0
10LeadsPlayoff team seasons0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Playoff Résumé
No recorded measure separates these careers.
Adrian DantleyMetricCooper Flagg
7Playoff appearancesNot available
73Playoff gamesNot available
37Team playoff winsNot available
1Finals appearancesNot available
0ChampionshipsNot available
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
Adrian Dantley leads every available measure below.
Adrian DantleyMetricCooper Flagg
6LeadsAll-Star0
0MVP0
2LeadsAll-NBA0
0All-Defense0
0DPOY0
1Rookie of the Year1
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.
How each context field is counted
- Listed-team regular-season wins
- The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
- Listed-team winning percentage
- Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
- 50- and 60-win team seasons
- Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
- Team seasons reaching playoffs
- Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
- Playoff appearances and games
- Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
- Team playoff wins
- Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
- Finals appearances and championships
- Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
- Awards
- Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.
Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09. Active-career totals are results to date through the latest completed season in the source.
Career Shape Explorer
How the careers developed
Follow every regular season by NBA experience or age. This view describes the path; it does not create another verdict.
Adrian DantleyCooper FlaggPeak seasonHistorical source qualification
Career to date. Active careers stop at the latest completed season; no future seasons are projected.
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average
Striped bars mark seasons with fewer than 40 games. A dashed mark means that player had no season at the aligned point.
Season-by-season evidenceRead both careers at the same stage
Every observed season keeps its age, era-centered impact estimate, league rank when qualified, career-stage label, and exact evidence link. A missing career point stays missing.
Adrian DantleyNBA seasonCooper Flagg
Season 1
Season 2
No season
Season 3
No season
Season 4
No season
Season 5
No season
Season 6
No season
Season 7
No season
Season 8
No season
Season 9
No season
Season 10
No season
Season 11
No season
Season 12
No season
Season 13
No season
Season 14
No season
Observed values come from the accepted season comparison record. Historical source qualifications stay attached to affected seasons. Missing means no NBA season exists at that aligned point; it is never interpolated. Missing is not the same as estimated.