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NBA player comparison

Frank Mason III vs. Pat Riley: Career comparison

hussEyquationShort-career comparison
Regular-season verdict

Pat Riley ranks higher in career impact

Pat Riley

1967–68 to 1975–76 · 9 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.

#2882Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#1278Leads
-1.2LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-2.4
-1.2LeadsAverage box impact to dateEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-3.7
#231Best league finish#106Leads
-12 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value-298 pts
103Games528Leads

Career Impact Rank places Pat Riley #1278 and Frank Mason III #2882. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. Frank Mason III had the higher single-season impact estimate and 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.

Short-career comparisonhusseyquation.com/compare/frank-mason-iii/pat-riley/career
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedFrank Mason III330.440 · No. 2,882Pat Riley124.980 · No. 1,278

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.

Frank Mason III

330.440 composite · No. 2,882 all-time

Frank Mason III's Career Composite windows
Window and finishes usedAverage finishWeightContribution
Best 3No. 2312017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate2 open slots × No. 363319.00050%159.500
Best 5No. 2312017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate4 open slots × No. 363336.60030%100.980
Best 10No. 2312017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate9 open slots × No. 363349.80020%69.960

159.500 + 100.980 + 69.960= 330.440

Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 363, this player's stored replacement finish.

Pat Riley

124.980 composite · No. 1,278 all-time

Pat Riley's Career Composite windows
Window and finishes usedAverage finishWeightContribution
Best 3No. 1061967–68Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1151968–69Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1151969–70Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate112.00050%56.000
Best 5No. 1061967–68Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1151968–69Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1151969–70Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1451971–72Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1641973–74Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate129.00030%38.700
Best 10No. 1061967–68Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1151968–69Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1151969–70Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1451971–72Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1641973–74Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1661972–73Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1681970–71Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1771974–75Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1891975–76Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate1 open slot × No. 169151.40020%30.280

56.000 + 38.700 + 30.280= 124.980

Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 169, 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 →

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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: Frank Mason III and Pat Riley
MetricFrank Mason IIIPat Riley
Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#2882#1278Better result for this metric.
Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better319.0112.0Better result for this metric.
Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better336.6129.0Better result for this metric.
Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better349.8151.4Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Impact
Impact: Frank Mason III and Pat Riley
MetricFrank Mason IIIPat Riley
Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement#2903Better result for this metric.#4768
Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-1.2Better result for this metric.-2.4
Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is betterUnavailable-2.5
Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is betterUnavailable-2.7
Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is betterUnavailableUnavailable
Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better-12 ptsBetter result for this metric.-298 pts
Seasons ranked No. 100
Top-five impact seasons00
Top-ten impact seasons00

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: Frank Mason III and Pat Riley
MetricFrank Mason IIIPat Riley
Games103528
Minutes1,6168,187

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: Frank Mason III and Pat Riley
MetricFrank Mason IIIPat Riley
True shooting percentage48.9%Better result for this metric.45.1%
True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile48.0%Better result for this metric.45.3%
Show more stats: Shooting
Shooting: Frank Mason III and Pat Riley
MetricFrank Mason IIIPat Riley
Field-goal percentage39.6%41.4%Better result for this metric.
Three-point percentage30.1%Unavailable
Free-throw percentage75.5%Better result for this metric.70.5%

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: Frank Mason III and Pat Riley
MetricFrank Mason IIIPat Riley
Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile22.7%Better result for this metric.15.9%
Assists per game2.6Better result for this metric.1.7
Show more stats: Passing
Passing: Frank Mason III and Pat Riley
MetricFrank Mason IIIPat Riley
Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile13.1%Unavailable

Rebounding

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

Rebounding: Frank Mason III and Pat Riley
MetricFrank Mason IIIPat Riley
Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile7.5%Better result for this metric.4.4%
Rebounds per game2.0Better result for this metric.1.6

Defense

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

Defense: Frank Mason III and Pat Riley
MetricFrank Mason IIIPat Riley
Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile1.7%Better result for this metric.1.5%
Show more stats: Defense
Defense: Frank Mason III and Pat Riley
MetricFrank Mason IIIPat Riley
Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile1.0%Better result for this metric.0.2%

Scoring

Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.

Scoring: Frank Mason III and Pat Riley
MetricFrank Mason IIIPat Riley
Points per game6.77.4Better 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.

Ranking result

Regular Season Impact

Pat Riley ranks higher in career impact.

Frank Mason IIIMetricPat Riley
#2882Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#1278Leads
-1.2LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-2.4
Not availableBest 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-2.7
-12 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better-298 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.

Frank Mason IIIMetricPat Riley
143Listed-team regular-season wins820Leads
46.3%LeadsListed-team winning percentage0.4%
150-win team seasons10Leads
060-win team seasons10Leads
1Playoff team seasons6Leads

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

Pat Riley leads every available measure below.

Frank Mason IIIMetricPat Riley
1Playoff appearances6Leads
2Playoff games44Leads
5Team playoff wins39Leads
0Finals appearances3Leads
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

No recorded measure separates these careers.

Frank Mason IIIMetricPat Riley
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.

View
Align careers by
Frank Mason IIIPat RileyPeak seasonHistorical source qualification

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

S1
S2
S3
S4
S5
S6
S7
S8
S9

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.