Danny Ainge
1981–82 to 1994–95 · 14 seasons
NBA player comparison
Danny Ainge vs. Goran Dragić: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Danny Ainge ranks higher in career impact
Goran Dragić
2008–09 to 2022–23 · 15 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.
#355LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#538
+2.6Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+2.9Leads
+1.9Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+2.1Leads
34.3LeadsBest 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better40.0
+1,513 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+1,236 pts
65.6LeadsBest 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better109.3
Career Impact Rank places Danny Ainge #355 and Goran Dragić #538. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. Goran Dragić 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 calculatedDanny Ainge43.007 · No. 355Goran Dragić59.260 · No. 538
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.
Danny Ainge
43.007 composite · No. 355 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 261988–89Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 291990–91Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 481987–88Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 34.333 | 50% | 17.167 |
| Best 5No. 261988–89Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 291990–91Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 481987–88Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 481989–90Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 611991–92Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 42.400 | 30% | 12.720 |
| Best 10No. 261988–89Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 291990–91Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 481987–88Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 481989–90Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 611991–92Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 631986–87Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 851985–86Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 891992–93Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 931984–85Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1141982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 65.600 | 20% | 13.120 |
17.167 + 12.720 + 13.120= 43.007
Goran Dragić
59.260 composite · No. 538 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 312013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 362016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 532012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 40.000 | 50% | 20.000 |
| Best 5No. 312013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 362016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 532012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 652011–12Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1052014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 58.000 | 30% | 17.400 |
| Best 10No. 312013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 362016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 532012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 652011–12Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1052014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1102017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1562015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1572018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1632019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2172009–10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 109.300 | 20% | 21.860 |
20.000 + 17.400 + 21.860= 59.260
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 | Danny Ainge | Goran Dragić |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #355Better result for this metric. | #538 |
| Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 34.3Better result for this metric. | 40.0 |
| Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 42.4Better result for this metric. | 58.0 |
| Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 65.6Better result for this metric. | 109.3 |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Danny Ainge | Goran Dragić |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #274Better result for this metric. | #362 |
| Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +2.6 | +2.9Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +2.2 | +2.7Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +1.9 | +2.1Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +1.1Better result for this metric. | +0.9 |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +1,513 ptsBetter result for this metric. | +1,236 pts |
| 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 | Danny Ainge | Goran Dragić |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,042 | 946 |
| Minutes | 27,755 | 25,604 |
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 | Danny Ainge | Goran Dragić |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 55.5% | 55.6%Better result for this metric. |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 56.9%Better result for this metric. | 56.0% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Danny Ainge | Goran Dragić |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 46.9%Better result for this metric. | 45.9% |
| Three-point percentage | 37.8%Better result for this metric. | 36.2% |
| Free-throw percentage | 84.6%Better result for this metric. | 76.6% |
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 | Danny Ainge | Goran Dragić |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 21.6% | 28.3%Better result for this metric. |
| Assists per game | 4.0 | 4.7Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Danny Ainge | Goran Dragić |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 12.6%Better result for this metric. | 15.2% |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Danny Ainge | Goran Dragić |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 5.6% | 6.1%Better result for this metric. |
| Rebounds per game | 2.7 | 3.0Better result for this metric. |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Danny Ainge | Goran Dragić |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.9%Better result for this metric. | 1.8% |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Danny Ainge | Goran Dragić |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 0.3% | 0.5%Better result for this metric. |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Danny Ainge | Goran Dragić |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 11.5 | 13.3Better 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
Danny Ainge ranks higher in career impact.
Danny AingeMetricGoran Dragić
#355LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#538
+2.6Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+2.9Leads
+1.9Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+2.1Leads
+1,513 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+1,236 pts
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
Danny Ainge leads every available measure below.
Danny AingeMetricGoran Dragić
816LeadsListed-team regular-season wins812
66.3%LeadsListed-team winning percentage53.3%
12Leads50-win team seasons2
6Leads60-win team seasons0
13LeadsPlayoff 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
Danny Ainge leads every available measure below.
Danny AingeMetricGoran Dragić
12LeadsPlayoff appearances7
193LeadsPlayoff games62
121LeadsTeam playoff wins33
6LeadsFinals appearances1
2LeadsChampionships0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
Goran Dragić leads every available measure below.
Danny AingeMetricGoran Dragić
1All-Star1
0MVP0
0All-NBA1Leads
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.
Danny AingeGoran DragićPeak 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.
Danny AingeNBA seasonGoran Dragić
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
No season
Season 15Observed 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.