Bob Pettit
1954–55 to 1964–65 · 11 seasons
NBA player comparison
Bob Pettit vs. Elgin Baylor: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Bob Pettit ranks higher in career impact
Elgin Baylor
1958–59 to 1971–72 · 14 seasons
Impact comparison
#10LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#12
+4.6Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+6.4Leads
+4.3Best 5 average impact+5.5Leads
1.0LeadsBest 3 average finishAverage league place; closer to No. 1 is better1.3
3LeadsSeasons ranked No. 12
+4,307 ptsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+4,809 ptsLeads
Career Impact Rank places Bob Pettit #10 and Elgin Baylor #12. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. Elgin Baylor had the higher single-season impact estimate and more total career value.
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 Pettit1.860 · No. 10Elgin Baylor2.027 · No. 12
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 Pettit
1.860 composite · No. 10 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 11954–55Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11958–59Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 1.000 | 50% | 0.500 |
| Best 5No. 11954–55Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11958–59Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 31955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41960–61Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 2.000 | 30% | 0.600 |
| Best 10No. 11954–55Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11958–59Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 31955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41960–61Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 51962–63Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 51963–64Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 61959–60Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 61961–62Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 61964–65Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 3.800 | 20% | 0.760 |
0.500 + 0.600 + 0.760= 1.860
Elgin Baylor
2.027 composite · No. 12 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 11959–60Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11960–61Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 21958–59Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 1.333 | 50% | 0.667 |
| Best 5No. 11959–60Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11960–61Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 21958–59Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 21962–63Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 31969–70Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 1.800 | 30% | 0.540 |
| Best 10No. 11959–60Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11960–61Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 21958–59Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 21962–63Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 31969–70Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41961–62Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 61967–68Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 71963–64Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 71968–69Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 81966–67Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 4.100 | 20% | 0.820 |
0.667 + 0.540 + 0.820= 2.027
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 Pettit | Elgin Baylor |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #10Better result for this metric. | #12 |
| Best 3 average finish | 1.0Better result for this metric. | 1.3 |
| Best 5 average finish | 2.0 | 1.8Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average finish | 3.8Better result for this metric. | 4.1 |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Bob Pettit | Elgin Baylor |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #40 | #30Better result for this metric. |
| Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average | +4.6 | +6.4Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average impact | +4.5 | +6.0Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average impact | +4.3 | +5.5Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average impact | +3.9 | +4.3Better result for this metric. |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +4,307 pts | +4,809 ptsBetter result for this metric. |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 3Better result for this metric. | 2 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 7Better result for this metric. | 6 |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 11Better result for this metric. | 10 |
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 Pettit | Elgin Baylor |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 792 | 846 |
| Minutes | 30,690 | 33,863 |
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 | Bob Pettit | Elgin Baylor |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 51.1%Better result for this metric. | 49.4% |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 52.1%Better result for this metric. | 50.2% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Bob Pettit | Elgin Baylor |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 43.6%Better result for this metric. | 43.1% |
| Three-point percentage | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Free-throw percentage | 76.1% | 78.0%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 | Bob Pettit | Elgin Baylor |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 16.7% |
| Assists per game | 3.0 | 4.3Better result for this metric. |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Bob Pettit | Elgin Baylor |
|---|---|---|
| Rebounds per game | 16.2Better result for this metric. | 13.5 |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Bob Pettit | Elgin Baylor |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 26.4 | 27.4Better 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
Bob Pettit ranks higher in career impact.
Bob PettitMetricElgin Baylor
#10LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#12
+4.6Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+6.4Leads
+4.3Best 5 average impact+5.5Leads
+4,307 ptsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+4,809 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.
Bob PettitMetricElgin Baylor
483Listed-team regular-season wins894Leads
2.4%LeadsListed-team winning percentage0.6%
250-win team seasons10Leads
160-win team seasons8Leads
9Playoff team seasons14Leads
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
The advantages are split across the available measures.
Bob PettitMetricElgin Baylor
9Playoff appearances12Leads
88Playoff games134Leads
47Team playoff wins76Leads
4Finals appearances8Leads
1LeadsChampionships0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
Bob Pettit leads every available measure below.
Bob PettitMetricElgin Baylor
11All-Star11
2LeadsMVP0
11LeadsAll-NBA10
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.
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 PettitElgin BaylorPeak 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 PettitNBA seasonElgin Baylor
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10
Season 11
No season
Season 12No season
Season 13Observed 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.