Al Cervi
1950–51 to 1952–53 · 3 seasons
NBA player comparison
Al Cervi vs. Don Otten: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Don Otten ranks higher in career impact
Don Otten
1950–51 to 1952–53 · 3 seasons
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.
#877Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#840Leads
-0.1Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.2Leads
-1.3Average box impact to dateEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-1.0Leads
#49Best league finish#37Leads
+16 ptsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+64 ptsLeads
146Games155Leads
Career Impact Rank places Don Otten #840 and Al Cervi #877. 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 calculatedAl Cervi84.233 · No. 877Don Otten81.273 · No. 840
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.
Al Cervi
84.233 composite · No. 877 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 491950–51Reconstructed historical estimateNo. 841951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate1 open slot × No. 101.5 | 78.167 | 50% | 39.083 |
| Best 5No. 491950–51Reconstructed historical estimateNo. 841951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate3 open slots × No. 101.5 | 87.500 | 30% | 26.250 |
| Best 10No. 491950–51Reconstructed historical estimateNo. 841951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate8 open slots × No. 101.5 | 94.500 | 20% | 18.900 |
39.083 + 26.250 + 18.900= 84.233
Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 101.5, this player's stored replacement finish.
Don Otten
81.273 composite · No. 840 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 371951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 841950–51Reconstructed historical estimate1 open slot × No. 101.5 | 74.167 | 50% | 37.083 |
| Best 5No. 371951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 841950–51Reconstructed historical estimate3 open slots × No. 101.5 | 85.100 | 30% | 25.530 |
| Best 10No. 371951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 841950–51Reconstructed historical estimate8 open slots × No. 101.5 | 93.300 | 20% | 18.660 |
37.083 + 25.530 + 18.660= 81.273
Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 101.5, 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 | Al Cervi | Don Otten |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #877 | #840Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 78.2 | 74.2Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 87.5 | 85.1Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 94.5 | 93.3Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Al Cervi | Don Otten |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #1858 | #1564Better result for this metric. |
| Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | -0.1 | +0.2Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +16 pts | +64 ptsBetter result for this metric. |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 0 | 0 |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 0 | 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 | Al Cervi | Don Otten |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 146 | 155 |
| Minutes | 2,585 | 3,667 |
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. Statistics that were not recorded in earlier eras are left out. 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 | Al Cervi | Don Otten |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 53.3%Better result for this metric. | 47.0% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Al Cervi | Don Otten |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 37.6%Better result for this metric. | 34.8% |
| Three-point percentage | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Free-throw percentage | 84.4%Better result for this metric. | 77.5% |
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 | Al Cervi | Don Otten |
|---|---|---|
| Assists per game | 2.6Better result for this metric. | 1.3 |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Al Cervi | Don Otten |
|---|---|---|
| Rebounds per game | 1.8 | 6.0Better result for this metric. |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Al Cervi | Don Otten |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 7.0 | 9.5Better result for this metric. |
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.
Regular Season Impact
Don Otten ranks higher in career impact.
Al CerviMetricDon Otten
#877Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#840Leads
-0.1Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.2Leads
Not availableBest 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is betterNot available
+16 ptsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+64 ptsLeads
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
The advantages are split across the available measures.
Al CerviMetricDon Otten
119Listed-team regular-season wins139Leads
58.6%LeadsListed-team winning percentage37.4%
050-win team seasons0
060-win team seasons0
3LeadsPlayoff team seasons2
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
Al Cervi leads every available measure below.
Al CerviMetricDon Otten
3LeadsPlayoff appearances1
16LeadsPlayoff games3
7LeadsTeam playoff wins1
0Finals appearances0
0Championships0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
No recorded measure separates these careers.
Al CerviMetricDon Otten
Not availableAll-StarNot available
Not availableMVPNot available
Not availableAll-NBANot available
Not availableAll-DefenseNot available
Not availableDPOYNot available
Not availableRookie of the YearNot available
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.
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.
Al CerviDon OttenPeak seasonHistorical source qualification
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.
Al CerviNBA seasonDon Otten
Season 1
Season 2
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.