Dan Issel
1980–81
80 games · 2,641 minutes
NBA player comparison
Dan Issel vs. Don Buse: 1980–81 season
Regular-season verdict
Dan Issel leads in impact for 1980–81
Dan Issel ranks ahead of Don Buse in estimated impact while playing. This compares regular-season performance, not total contribution across the season.
Don Buse
1980–81
58 games · 1,095 minutes
Impact comparison
Impact estimate is measured in points per 100 possessions above league average. Zero is average; higher is better. Impact Rate rank is a league place, not a 0–100 score: No. 1 is best.
+2.3LeadsImpact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.0
#29LeadsImpact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best#64
80Games58
2,641Minutes1,095
21.9LeadsPPG5.1
57.5%LeadsTS%47.1%
Dan Issel's estimated impact per 100 possessions was +2.3, compared with +1.0 for Don Buse. This compares their impact while playing, not their total contribution across the season. Both players are compared in the 1980–81 season using its published Impact Rate. A ranked comparison requires at least 450 minutes for each player.
Dan Issel: 80 games and 2,641 minutes. Don Buse: 58 games and 1,095 minutes. Playing time matters when judging the whole season; the impact estimate above is a rate, not a season total.
Read turnover rate alongside offensive workload. Offensive usage measures the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on the court—not every touch, pass, or act of playmaking. These rows provide context; they are not extra points added to the ranking.
Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.
Behind the estimate
Why the model rates them this way
A verified breakdown of this season’s published estimate is unavailable. We do not substitute another season’s calculation.
What this does not establish: these figures do not prove that either player made his teammates shoot better. A verified teammate-shooting comparison is unavailable for this selected season. A small difference in the estimates is not a decisive basketball distinction.
Full comparison · 1980–81 season
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?
The impact estimate compares performance while playing, not total contribution over the season. The individual-stat estimate plus the lineup adjustment gives the final estimate.
| Metric | Dan Issel | Don Buse |
|---|---|---|
| Impact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +2.3Better result for this metric. | +1.0 |
| Impact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best | #29Better result for this metric. | #64 |
Dan Issel: verified lineup window unavailable. Don Buse: verified lineup window unavailable. The adjustment is not necessarily based on this season alone.
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 | Dan Issel | Don Buse |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 80 | 58 |
| Minutes | 2,641 | 1,095 |
3 · Individual skills
Where does each player have an advantage?
These figures describe the selected regular seasons. They provide context, not extra points added to the verdict. 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 | Dan Issel | Don Buse |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 57.5%Better result for this metric. | 47.1% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Dan Issel | Don Buse |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 50.3%Better result for this metric. | 39.7% |
| Three-point percentage | 16.7% | 32.8%Better result for this metric. |
| Free-throw percentage | 75.9% | 76.9%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 | Dan Issel | Don Buse |
|---|---|---|
| Assists per game | 2.0 | 2.4Better result for this metric. |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Dan Issel | Don Buse |
|---|---|---|
| Rebounds per game | 8.4Better result for this metric. | 1.4 |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Dan Issel | Don Buse |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 21.9Better result for this metric. | 5.1 |
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
Dan Issel leads in impact for 1980–81.
Dan IsselMetricDon Buse
+2.3LeadsImpact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.0
#29LeadsImpact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best#64
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
Dan Issel leads every available measure below.
Dan IsselMetricDon Buse
393LeadsListed-team regular-season wins384
53.3%LeadsListed-team winning percentage52.0%
250-win team seasons2
060-win team seasons0
7LeadsPlayoff team seasons6
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
Dan Issel leads every available measure below.
Dan IsselMetricDon Buse
7LeadsPlayoff appearances6
53LeadsPlayoff games35
23LeadsTeam playoff wins15
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
Don Buse leads every available measure below.
Dan IsselMetricDon Buse
1All-Star1
0MVP0
0All-NBA0
0All-Defense4Leads
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.
Selected seasons
Box impact
Both bars show the same NBA season. Missing or unqualified data does not establish a winner.
Dan IsselDon Buse
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average