Clifford Ray
1971–72 to 1980–81 · 10 seasons
NBA player comparison
Clifford Ray vs. Dave DeBusschere: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Dave DeBusschere ranks higher in career impact
Dave DeBusschere
1962–63 to 1973–74 · 12 seasons
Impact comparison
#172Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#125Leads
+4.2LeadsPeak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+1.7
+2.8LeadsBest 5 average impact+1.4
7.0LeadsBest 3 average finishAverage league place; closer to No. 1 is better12.0
+1,492 ptsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+2,132 ptsLeads
3LeadsTop-10 impact seasons2
Career Impact Rank places Dave DeBusschere #125 and Clifford Ray #172. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. Clifford Ray had the higher single-season impact estimate.
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 calculatedClifford Ray22.340 · No. 172Dave DeBusschere16.900 · No. 125
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.
Clifford Ray
22.340 composite · No. 172 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 51972–73Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 81971–72Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 81973–74Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 7.000 | 50% | 3.500 |
| Best 5No. 51972–73Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 81971–72Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 81973–74Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 301975–76Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 321974–75Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 16.600 | 30% | 4.980 |
| Best 10No. 51972–73Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 81971–72Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 81973–74Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 301975–76Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 321974–75Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 401977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 571976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1211978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1481979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2441980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 69.300 | 20% | 13.860 |
3.500 + 4.980 + 13.860= 22.340
Dave DeBusschere
16.900 composite · No. 125 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 91965–66Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 101964–65Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 171966–67Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 12.000 | 50% | 6.000 |
| Best 5No. 91965–66Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 101964–65Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 171966–67Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201962–63Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 291973–74Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 17.000 | 30% | 5.100 |
| Best 10No. 91965–66Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 101964–65Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 171966–67Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201962–63Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 291973–74Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 361971–72Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 371972–73Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 401967–68Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 431970–71Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 491969–70Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 29.000 | 20% | 5.800 |
6.000 + 5.100 + 5.800= 16.900
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 | Clifford Ray | Dave DeBusschere |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #172 | #125Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average finish | 7.0Better result for this metric. | 12.0 |
| Best 5 average finish | 16.6Better result for this metric. | 17.0 |
| Best 10 average finish | 69.3 | 29.0Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Clifford Ray | Dave DeBusschere |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #281 | #161Better result for this metric. |
| Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average | +4.2Better result for this metric. | +1.7 |
| Best 3 average impact | +3.6Better result for this metric. | +1.5 |
| Best 5 average impact | +2.8Better result for this metric. | +1.4 |
| Best 10 average impact | +0.8 | +1.0Better result for this metric. |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +1,492 pts | +2,132 ptsBetter result for this metric. |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 1Better result for this metric. | 0 |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 3Better 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 | Clifford Ray | Dave DeBusschere |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 784 | 875 |
| Minutes | 19,940 | 31,202 |
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 | Clifford Ray | Dave DeBusschere |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 54.8%Better result for this metric. | 47.2% |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 54.1%Better result for this metric. | 47.2% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Clifford Ray | Dave DeBusschere |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 52.4%Better result for this metric. | 43.2% |
| Three-point percentage | 0.0% | Unavailable |
| Free-throw percentage | 58.8% | 69.9%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 | Clifford Ray | Dave DeBusschere |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 11.1% | 11.2%Better result for this metric. |
| Assists per game | 2.2 | 2.9Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Clifford Ray | Dave DeBusschere |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 24.5% | Unavailable |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Clifford Ray | Dave DeBusschere |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 17.4%Better result for this metric. | 14.3% |
| Rebounds per game | 8.9 | 11.0Better result for this metric. |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Clifford Ray | Dave DeBusschere |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.4%Better result for this metric. | 1.2% |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Clifford Ray | Dave DeBusschere |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.9%Better result for this metric. | 0.8% |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Clifford Ray | Dave DeBusschere |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 7.4 | 16.1Better 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
Dave DeBusschere ranks higher in career impact.
Clifford RayMetricDave DeBusschere
#172Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#125Leads
+4.2LeadsPeak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+1.7
+2.8LeadsBest 5 average impact+1.4
+1,492 ptsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+2,132 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.
Clifford RayMetricDave DeBusschere
600Listed-team regular-season wins954Leads
0.6%LeadsListed-team winning percentage0.4%
550-win team seasons11Leads
560-win team seasons11Leads
6Playoff team seasons8Leads
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
Dave DeBusschere leads every available measure below.
Clifford RayMetricDave DeBusschere
6Playoff appearances8Leads
60Playoff games96Leads
31Team playoff wins54Leads
1Finals appearances3Leads
1Championships2Leads
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.
Clifford RayMetricDave DeBusschere
Not availableAll-Star8
Not availableMVP0
Not availableAll-NBA1
Not availableAll-Defense6
Not availableDPOY0
Not availableRookie 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.
Clifford RayDave DeBusscherePeak 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.
Clifford RayNBA seasonDave DeBusschere
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10
No season
Season 11Observed 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.