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NBA player comparison

Elton Brand vs. Kevin Love: Career comparison

hussEyquationCareer impact · results to date
Regular-season verdict

Kevin Love ranks higher in career impact so far

Illustrated portrait of NBA player Kevin Love

Kevin Love

2008–09 to 2025–26 · 18 seasons · active

Impact comparison
#134Career Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank#70Leads
+6.5Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+9.2Leads
+4.6Best 5 average impact+5.4Leads
13.0Best 3 average finishAverage league place; closer to No. 1 is better4.7Leads
0Seasons ranked No. 11Leads
+3,054 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+3,002 pts

Career Impact Rank places Kevin Love #70 and Elton Brand #134. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. Elton Brand had more total career value.

Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.

Career impact · results to datehusseyquation.com/compare/elton-brand/kevin-love/career
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedElton Brand17.660 · No. 134Kevin Love10.413 · No. 70

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.

Elton Brand

17.660 composite · No. 134 all-time

Elton Brand's Career Composite windows
Window and finishes usedAverage finishWeightContribution
Best 3No. 82005–06Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 152003–04Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 162006–07Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate13.00050%6.500
Best 5No. 82005–06Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 152003–04Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 162006–07Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 202001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 272004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate17.20030%5.160
Best 10No. 82005–06Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 152003–04Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 162006–07Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 202001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 272004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 341999–00Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 382000–01Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 382002–03Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 472011–12Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 572010–11Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate30.00020%6.000

6.500 + 5.160 + 6.000= 17.660

Kevin Love

10.413 composite · No. 70 all-time

Kevin Love's Career Composite windows
Window and finishes usedAverage finishWeightContribution
Best 3No. 12013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 62010–11Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 72011–12Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate4.66750%2.333
Best 5No. 12013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 62010–11Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 72011–12Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 222021–22No. 232023–2411.80030%3.540
Best 10No. 12013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 62010–11Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 72011–12Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 222021–22No. 232023–24No. 312009–10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 332017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 342019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 352015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 352018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate22.70020%4.540

2.333 + 3.540 + 4.540= 10.413

Averages, contributions, and totals are displayed to three decimal places. The ranking calculation keeps full source precision. Read the full method →

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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.

Impact: Elton Brand and Kevin Love
MetricElton BrandKevin Love
Career Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank#134#70Better result for this metric.
Best 3 average finish13.04.7Better result for this metric.
Best 5 average finish17.211.8Better result for this metric.
Best 10 average finish30.022.7Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Impact
Impact: Elton Brand and Kevin Love
MetricElton BrandKevin Love
Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement#82Better result for this metric.#90
Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+6.5+9.2Better result for this metric.
Best 3 average impact+5.2+6.5Better result for this metric.
Best 5 average impact+4.6+5.4Better result for this metric.
Best 10 average impact+3.5+4.1Better result for this metric.
Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+3,054 ptsBetter result for this metric.+3,002 pts
Seasons ranked No. 101Better result for this metric.
Top-five impact seasons01Better result for this metric.
Top-ten impact seasons13Better 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.

Playing time and workload: Elton Brand and Kevin Love
MetricElton BrandKevin Love
Games1,058989
Minutes34,91028,118

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.

Shooting: Elton Brand and Kevin Love
MetricElton BrandKevin Love
True shooting percentage54.8%57.1%Better result for this metric.
True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile55.4%58.2%Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Shooting
Shooting: Elton Brand and Kevin Love
MetricElton BrandKevin Love
Field-goal percentage50.0%Better result for this metric.43.7%
Three-point percentage9.5%36.9%Better result for this metric.
Free-throw percentage73.6%82.8%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.

Passing: Elton Brand and Kevin Love
MetricElton BrandKevin Love
Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile12.5%14.1%Better result for this metric.
Assists per game2.12.3Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Passing
Passing: Elton Brand and Kevin Love
MetricElton BrandKevin Love
Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile11.6%11.1%Better result for this metric.

Rebounding

Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.

Rebounding: Elton Brand and Kevin Love
MetricElton BrandKevin Love
Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile15.2%19.7%Better result for this metric.
Rebounds per game8.59.8Better result for this metric.

Defense

Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.

Defense: Elton Brand and Kevin Love
MetricElton BrandKevin Love
Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile1.4%Better result for this metric.1.0%
Show more stats: Defense
Defense: Elton Brand and Kevin Love
MetricElton BrandKevin Love
Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile4.0%Better result for this metric.1.0%

Scoring

Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.

Scoring: Elton Brand and Kevin Love
MetricElton BrandKevin Love
Points per game15.9Better result for this metric.15.8

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.

Career to date. At least one player is active. Every total below stops after the latest completed season in this data; nothing is projected.

Ranking result

Regular Season Impact

Kevin Love ranks higher in career impact so far.

Elton BrandMetricKevin Love
#134Career Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank#70Leads
+6.5Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+9.2Leads
+4.6Best 5 average impact+5.4Leads
+3,054 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+3,002 pts

This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.

Context

Team Success

The advantages are split across the available measures.

Elton BrandMetricKevin Love
566Listed-team regular-season wins668Leads
41.1%Listed-team winning percentage44.1%Leads
150-win team seasons5Leads
1Leads60-win team seasons0
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.

Context

Playoff Résumé

Kevin Love leads every available measure below.

Elton BrandMetricKevin Love
5Playoff appearances6Leads
40Playoff games88Leads
26Team playoff wins69Leads
0Finals appearances5Leads
0Championships1Leads

Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.

Context

Awards

The advantages are split across the available measures.

Elton BrandMetricKevin Love
2All-Star5Leads
0MVP0
1All-NBA2Leads
0All-Defense0
0DPOY0
1LeadsRookie 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. Active-career totals are results to date through the latest completed season in the source.

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.

View
Align careers by
Elton BrandKevin LovePeak seasonHistorical source qualification

Career to date. Active careers stop at the latest completed season; no future seasons are projected.

Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average

S1
S2
S3
S4
S5
S6
S7
S8
S9
S10
S11
S12
S13
S14
S15
S16
S17
S18

Striped bars mark seasons with fewer than 40 games. A dashed mark means that player had no season at the aligned point.

S means NBA season number; A means player age. Peak labels identify each player's accepted best season. Hover or focus any pair for season detail, or open Season timeline for the complete evidence ledger.