Fred Saunders
1974–75 to 1977–78 · 4 seasons
NBA player comparison
1974–75 to 1977–78 · 4 seasons
2009–10 to 2025–26 · 16 seasons · active
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 Rank places Garrett Temple #1820 and Fred Saunders #1871. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three.
Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.
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.
200.260 composite · No. 1,871 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 1331974–75Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2091976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2191977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 187.000 | 50% | 93.500 |
| Best 5No. 1331974–75Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2091976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2191977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate2 open slots × No. 238 | 207.400 | 30% | 62.220 |
| Best 10No. 1331974–75Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2091976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2191977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate7 open slots × No. 238 | 222.700 | 20% | 44.540 |
93.500 + 62.220 + 44.540= 200.260
Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 238, this player's stored replacement finish.
191.427 composite · No. 1,820 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 1352014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1672016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2032019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 168.333 | 50% | 84.167 |
| Best 5No. 1352014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1672016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2032019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2312012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2432017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 195.800 | 30% | 58.740 |
| Best 10No. 1352014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1672016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2032019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2312012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2432017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2662015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2842021–22No. 2852013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2982018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 3142020–21 | 242.600 | 20% | 48.520 |
84.167 + 58.740 + 48.520= 191.427
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
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
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 | Fred Saunders | Garrett Temple |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank | #1871 | #1820Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 187.0 | 168.3Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 207.4 | 195.8Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 222.7Better result for this metric. | 242.6 |
| Metric | Fred Saunders | Garrett Temple |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #3899 | #1698Better result for this metric. |
| Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | -1.5 | +0.2Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | -2.5 | -0.4Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | Unavailable | -0.8 |
| Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | Unavailable | -1.5 |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | -36 pts | +39 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
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 | Fred Saunders | Garrett Temple |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 210 | 793 |
| Minutes | 2,899 | 15,534 |
3 · Individual skills
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.
True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.
| Metric | Fred Saunders | Garrett Temple |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 46.7% | 51.6%Better result for this metric. |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 46.6% | 51.2%Better result for this metric. |
| Metric | Fred Saunders | Garrett Temple |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 44.3%Better result for this metric. | 39.9% |
| Three-point percentage | Unavailable | 34.2% |
| Free-throw percentage | 68.2% | 74.4%Better result for this metric. |
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 | Fred Saunders | Garrett Temple |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 10.8% | 11.8%Better result for this metric. |
| Assists per game | 1.1 | 1.6Better result for this metric. |
| Metric | Fred Saunders | Garrett Temple |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 14.4% | 13.7%Better result for this metric. |
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Fred Saunders | Garrett Temple |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 10.4%Better result for this metric. | 6.2% |
| Rebounds per game | 3.0Better result for this metric. | 2.2 |
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Fred Saunders | Garrett Temple |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.5% | 2.0%Better result for this metric. |
| Metric | Fred Saunders | Garrett Temple |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 0.7% | 1.4%Better result for this metric. |
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Fred Saunders | Garrett Temple |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 5.3 | 5.8Better result for this metric. |
4 · Team context, not ranking inputs
A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.
Four separate questions
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.
Garrett Temple ranks higher in career impact so far.
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
The advantages are split across the available measures.
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Garrett Temple leads every available measure below.
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
No recorded measure separates these careers.
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.
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
Follow every regular season by NBA experience or age. This view describes the path; it does not create another verdict.
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
Striped bars mark seasons with fewer than 40 games. A dashed mark means that player had no season at the aligned point.
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.
Observed 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.