Cedric Maxwell
1977–78 to 1987–88 · 11 seasons
NBA player comparison
Cedric Maxwell vs. Greg Ballard: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Greg Ballard ranks higher in career impact
Greg Ballard
1977–78 to 1988–89 · 11 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.
#270Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#236Leads
+2.8Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+3.2Leads
+2.1Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+2.5Leads
24.7Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better20.0Leads
+1,600 ptsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+1,632 ptsLeads
64.4LeadsBest 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better65.9
Career Impact Rank places Greg Ballard #236 and Cedric Maxwell #270. 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 calculatedCedric Maxwell34.573 · No. 270Greg Ballard31.040 · No. 236
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.
Cedric Maxwell
34.573 composite · No. 270 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 171978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 281980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 291979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 24.667 | 50% | 12.333 |
| Best 5No. 171978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 281980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 291979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 341977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 481981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 31.200 | 30% | 9.360 |
| Best 10No. 171978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 281980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 291979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 341977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 481981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 561986–87Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 781982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1161985–86Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1171983–84Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1211984–85Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 64.400 | 20% | 12.880 |
12.333 + 9.360 + 12.880= 34.573
Greg Ballard
31.040 composite · No. 236 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 181981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 20.000 | 50% | 10.000 |
| Best 5No. 181981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 271980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 441983–84Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 26.200 | 30% | 7.860 |
| Best 10No. 181981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 271980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 441983–84Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 461984–85Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 681978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1001977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1271985–86Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1871986–87Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 65.900 | 20% | 13.180 |
10.000 + 7.860 + 13.180= 31.040
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 | Cedric Maxwell | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #270 | #236Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 24.7 | 20.0Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 31.2 | 26.2Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 64.4Better result for this metric. | 65.9 |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Cedric Maxwell | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #255 | #247Better result for this metric. |
| Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +2.8 | +3.2Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +2.5 | +2.9Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +2.1 | +2.5Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +1.1 | +1.1 |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +1,600 pts | +1,632 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 | Cedric Maxwell | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 835 | 802 |
| Minutes | 23,769 | 22,073 |
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 | Cedric Maxwell | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 62.9%Better result for this metric. | 51.1% |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 62.8%Better result for this metric. | 50.8% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Cedric Maxwell | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 54.6%Better result for this metric. | 47.2% |
| Three-point percentage | 5.3% | 33.8%Better result for this metric. |
| Free-throw percentage | 78.4% | 78.7%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 | Cedric Maxwell | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 10.3% | 10.9%Better result for this metric. |
| Assists per game | 2.2 | 2.2 |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Cedric Maxwell | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 18.2% | 10.2%Better result for this metric. |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Cedric Maxwell | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 12.2%Better result for this metric. | 12.1% |
| Rebounds per game | 6.3Better result for this metric. | 6.1 |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Cedric Maxwell | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.3% | 1.8%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Cedric Maxwell | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.0%Better result for this metric. | 0.6% |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Cedric Maxwell | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 12.5Better result for this metric. | 12.4 |
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
Greg Ballard ranks higher in career impact.
Cedric MaxwellMetricGreg Ballard
#270Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#236Leads
+2.8Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+3.2Leads
+2.1Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+2.5Leads
+1,600 ptsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+1,632 ptsLeads
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
Cedric Maxwell leads every available measure below.
Cedric MaxwellMetricGreg Ballard
560LeadsListed-team regular-season wins455
56.9%LeadsListed-team winning percentage50.4%
6Leads50-win team seasons1
5Leads60-win team seasons0
8Playoff team seasons8
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
Cedric Maxwell leads every available measure below.
Cedric MaxwellMetricGreg Ballard
8LeadsPlayoff appearances7
102LeadsPlayoff games65
60LeadsTeam playoff wins32
3LeadsFinals appearances2
2LeadsChampionships1
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.
Cedric MaxwellMetricGreg Ballard
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.
Cedric MaxwellGreg BallardPeak 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.
Cedric MaxwellNBA seasonGreg Ballard
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10
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.