David Thompson
1976–77 to 1983–84 · 8 seasons
NBA player comparison
David Thompson vs. Tom Gola: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Tom Gola ranks higher in career impact
Tom Gola
1955–56 to 1965–66 · 10 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.
#317Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#46Leads
+4.7LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+4.1
+2.8Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+3.2Leads
14.7Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better3.3Leads
+1,491 ptsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+2,193 ptsLeads
1Top-10 impact seasons4Leads
Career Impact Rank places Tom Gola #46 and David Thompson #317. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. David Thompson 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 calculatedDavid Thompson39.813 · No. 317Tom Gola6.947 · No. 46
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.
David Thompson
39.813 composite · No. 317 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 61977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 161978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 14.667 | 50% | 7.333 |
| Best 5No. 61977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 161978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 261979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 781980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 29.600 | 30% | 8.880 |
| Best 10No. 61977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 161978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 261979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 781980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 941982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2031981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate3 open slots × No. 245 | 118.000 | 20% | 23.600 |
7.333 + 8.880 + 23.600= 39.813
Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 245, this player's stored replacement finish.
Tom Gola
6.947 composite · No. 46 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 21957–58Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41958–59Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 3.333 | 50% | 1.667 |
| Best 5No. 21957–58Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41958–59Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 71959–60Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 121960–61Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 5.800 | 30% | 1.740 |
| Best 10No. 21957–58Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41958–59Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 71959–60Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 121960–61Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201961–62Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 261965–66Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 281963–64Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 311962–63Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 431964–65Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 17.700 | 20% | 3.540 |
1.667 + 1.740 + 3.540= 6.947
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 | David Thompson | Tom Gola |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #317 | #46Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 14.7 | 3.3Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 29.6 | 5.8Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 118.0 | 17.7Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | David Thompson | Tom Gola |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #282 | #153Better result for this metric. |
| Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +4.7Better result for this metric. | +4.1 |
| Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +3.5 | +3.8Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +2.8 | +3.2Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | Unavailable | +1.7 |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +1,491 pts | +2,193 ptsBetter result for this metric. |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 0 | 3Better result for this metric. |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 1 | 4Better result for this metric. |
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 | David Thompson | Tom Gola |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 509 | 698 |
| Minutes | 16,305 | 22,529 |
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 | David Thompson | Tom Gola |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 56.6%Better result for this metric. | 49.1% |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 56.3%Better result for this metric. | 49.6% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | David Thompson | Tom Gola |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 50.4%Better result for this metric. | 43.1% |
| Three-point percentage | 27.7% | Unavailable |
| Free-throw percentage | 77.8%Better result for this metric. | 76.0% |
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 | David Thompson | Tom Gola |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 15.2% | 19.1%Better result for this metric. |
| Assists per game | 3.2 | 4.2Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | David Thompson | Tom Gola |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 12.7% | Unavailable |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | David Thompson | Tom Gola |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 6.2% | Unavailable |
| Rebounds per game | 3.8 | 8.0Better result for this metric. |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | David Thompson | Tom Gola |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.2% | Unavailable |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | David Thompson | Tom Gola |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.3% | Unavailable |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | David Thompson | Tom Gola |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 22.1Better result for this metric. | 11.3 |
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
Tom Gola ranks higher in career impact.
David ThompsonMetricTom Gola
#317Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#46Leads
+4.7LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+4.1
+2.8Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+3.2Leads
+1,491 ptsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+2,193 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.
David ThompsonMetricTom Gola
348Listed-team regular-season wins492Leads
53.0%LeadsListed-team winning percentage1.2%
150-win team seasons2Leads
060-win team seasons2Leads
6LeadsPlayoff team seasons5
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
Tom Gola leads every available measure below.
David ThompsonMetricTom Gola
5Playoff appearances5
27Playoff games39Leads
10Team playoff wins20Leads
0Finals appearances1Leads
0Championships1Leads
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
The advantages are split across the available measures.
David ThompsonMetricTom Gola
4All-Star5Leads
0MVP0
2LeadsAll-NBA1
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.
David ThompsonTom GolaPeak 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.
David ThompsonNBA seasonTom Gola
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
No season
Season 9Observed 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.