Don Carlson
1950–51 to 1950–51 · 1 seasons
NBA player comparison
Don Carlson vs. Tom Owens: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
There is not enough comparable regular-season data to name a leader
Tom Owens
1976–77 to 1982–83 · 7 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.
—Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#765
—Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+2.6
—Average box impact to dateEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-0.7
—Best league finish#19
-11 ptsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+595 ptsLeads
9Games488Leads
Career Impact Rank is unavailable for at least one player in this scope. hussEyquation does not substitute a different measure or declare a winner.
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 calculatedDon CarlsonUnavailableTom Owens77.153 · No. 765
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.
Don Carlson
Career Composite unavailable
An official score cannot be shown because the stored rank or required source inputs are unavailable.
Tom Owens
77.153 composite · No. 765 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 191978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 501979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 711977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 46.667 | 50% | 23.333 |
| Best 5No. 191978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 501979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 711977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1111981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1181980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 73.800 | 30% | 22.140 |
| Best 10No. 191978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 501979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 711977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1111981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1181980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2401976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2401982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate3 open slots × No. 245 | 158.400 | 20% | 31.680 |
23.333 + 22.140 + 31.680= 77.153
Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 245, this player's stored replacement finish.
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 | Don Carlson | Tom Owens |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | Unavailable | #765 |
| Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | Unavailable | 46.7 |
| Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | Unavailable | 73.8 |
| Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | Unavailable | 158.4 |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Don Carlson | Tom Owens |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #2857 | #699Better result for this metric. |
| Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | Unavailable | +2.6 |
| Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | Unavailable | +1.5 |
| Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | Unavailable | +0.7 |
| Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | -11 pts | +595 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 | Don Carlson | Tom Owens |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 9 | 488 |
| Minutes | 156 | 11,471 |
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 | Don Carlson | Tom Owens |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 39.6% | 55.8%Better result for this metric. |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 54.5% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Don Carlson | Tom Owens |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 37.0% | 50.8%Better result for this metric. |
| Three-point percentage | Unavailable | 25.0% |
| Free-throw percentage | 50.0% | 76.4%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 | Don Carlson | Tom Owens |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 11.0% |
| Assists per game | 2.1Better result for this metric. | 2.0 |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Don Carlson | Tom Owens |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 15.8% |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Don Carlson | Tom Owens |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 14.4% |
| Rebounds per game | 1.7 | 6.2Better result for this metric. |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Don Carlson | Tom Owens |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 0.9% |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Don Carlson | Tom Owens |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 1.3% |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Don Carlson | Tom Owens |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 4.7 | 11.5Better 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
There is not enough comparable regular-season data to name a leader.
Don CarlsonMetricTom Owens
Not availableCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#765
Not availablePeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+2.6
Not availableBest 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.7
-11 ptsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+595 ptsLeads
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
Tom Owens leads every available measure below.
Don CarlsonMetricTom Owens
24Listed-team regular-season wins307Leads
36.4%Listed-team winning percentage53.5%Leads
050-win team seasons1Leads
060-win team seasons0
0Playoff team seasons5Leads
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
No recorded measure separates these careers.
Don CarlsonMetricTom Owens
Not availablePlayoff appearances5
Not availablePlayoff games16
Not availableTeam playoff wins11
Not availableFinals appearances0
Not availableChampionships0
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.
Don CarlsonMetricTom Owens
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.
Don CarlsonTom OwensPeak 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.
Don CarlsonNBA seasonTom Owens
Season 1
No season
Season 2No season
Season 3No season
Season 4No season
Season 5No season
Season 6Observed 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.