Bob Cousy
1950–51 to 1969–70 · 14 seasons
NBA player comparison
Bob Cousy vs. Lenny Wilkens: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Bob Cousy ranks higher in career impact
Lenny Wilkens
1960–61 to 1974–75 · 15 seasons
Impact comparison
#28LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#81
+3.7LeadsPeak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+3.2
+3.4LeadsBest 5 average impact+2.6
2.7LeadsBest 3 average finishAverage league place; closer to No. 1 is better10.0
+3,393 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+3,220 pts
8LeadsTop-10 impact seasons2
Career Impact Rank places Bob Cousy #28 and Lenny Wilkens #81. 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 calculatedBob Cousy3.813 · No. 28Lenny Wilkens12.120 · No. 81
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.
Bob Cousy
3.813 composite · No. 28 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 21952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 31951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 31954–55Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 2.667 | 50% | 1.333 |
| Best 5No. 21952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 31951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 31954–55Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41953–54Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 61956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 3.600 | 30% | 1.080 |
| Best 10No. 21952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 31951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 31954–55Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41953–54Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 61956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 71955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 81950–51Reconstructed historical estimateNo. 91958–59Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 141957–58Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 141959–60Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 7.000 | 20% | 1.400 |
1.333 + 1.080 + 1.400= 3.813
Lenny Wilkens
12.120 composite · No. 81 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 81967–68Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 101972–73Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 121968–69Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 10.000 | 50% | 5.000 |
| Best 5No. 81967–68Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 101972–73Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 121968–69Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 131973–74Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201960–61Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 12.600 | 30% | 3.780 |
| Best 10No. 81967–68Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 101972–73Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 121968–69Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 131973–74Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201960–61Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201964–65Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 211962–63Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 211963–64Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 211965–66Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 211966–67Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 16.700 | 20% | 3.340 |
5.000 + 3.780 + 3.340= 12.120
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 | Bob Cousy | Lenny Wilkens |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #28Better result for this metric. | #81 |
| Best 3 average finish | 2.7Better result for this metric. | 10.0 |
| Best 5 average finish | 3.6Better result for this metric. | 12.6 |
| Best 10 average finish | 7.0Better result for this metric. | 16.7 |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Bob Cousy | Lenny Wilkens |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #67Better result for this metric. | #76 |
| Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average | +3.7Better result for this metric. | +3.2 |
| Best 3 average impact | +3.6Better result for this metric. | +2.7 |
| Best 5 average impact | +3.4Better result for this metric. | +2.6 |
| Best 10 average impact | +2.8Better result for this metric. | +1.9 |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +3,393 ptsBetter result for this metric. | +3,220 pts |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 4Better result for this metric. | 0 |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 8Better result for this metric. | 2 |
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 | Bob Cousy | Lenny Wilkens |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 924 | 1,077 |
| Minutes | 32,982 | 38,064 |
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 | Bob Cousy | Lenny Wilkens |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 44.6% | 51.1%Better result for this metric. |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 43.9% | 52.0%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Bob Cousy | Lenny Wilkens |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 37.5% | 43.2%Better result for this metric. |
| Three-point percentage | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Free-throw percentage | 80.3%Better result for this metric. | 77.4% |
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 | Bob Cousy | Lenny Wilkens |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 29.7% |
| Assists per game | 7.5Better result for this metric. | 6.7 |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Bob Cousy | Lenny Wilkens |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 22.4% |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Bob Cousy | Lenny Wilkens |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 5.5% |
| Rebounds per game | 5.2Better result for this metric. | 4.7 |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Bob Cousy | Lenny Wilkens |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 2.4% |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Bob Cousy | Lenny Wilkens |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 0.4% |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Bob Cousy | Lenny Wilkens |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 18.4Better result for this metric. | 16.5 |
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
Bob Cousy ranks higher in career impact.
Bob CousyMetricLenny Wilkens
#28LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#81
+3.7LeadsPeak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+3.2
+3.4LeadsBest 5 average impact+2.6
+3,393 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+3,220 pts
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.
Bob CousyMetricLenny Wilkens
702Listed-team regular-season wins1,071Leads
3.4%LeadsListed-team winning percentage0.5%
650-win team seasons12Leads
260-win team seasons11Leads
13LeadsPlayoff team seasons7
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
Bob Cousy leads every available measure below.
Bob CousyMetricLenny Wilkens
13LeadsPlayoff appearances7
109LeadsPlayoff games64
61LeadsTeam playoff wins31
7LeadsFinals appearances1
6LeadsChampionships0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
Bob Cousy leads every available measure below.
Bob CousyMetricLenny Wilkens
13LeadsAll-Star9
1LeadsMVP0
12LeadsAll-NBA0
0All-Defense0
0DPOY0
0Rookie of the Year0
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.
Bob CousyLenny WilkensPeak 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.
Bob CousyNBA seasonLenny Wilkens
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10
Season 11
Season 12
Season 13
Season 14
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.