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NBA player comparison

Gary Hill vs. Mateen Cleaves: Career comparison

hussEyquationShort-career comparison
Regular-season verdict

Gary Hill ranks higher in career impact

Gary Hill

1963–64 to 1964–65 · 2 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.

#938LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#2844
-3.0LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-4.8
-3.0LeadsAverage box impact to dateEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-4.8
#76LeadsBest league finish#315
-37 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value-142 pts
79Games167Leads

Career Impact Rank places Gary Hill #938 and Mateen Cleaves #2844. 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.

Short-career comparisonhusseyquation.com/compare/gary-hill/mateen-cleaves/career
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedGary Hill89.560 · No. 938Mateen Cleaves325.547 · No. 2,844

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.

Gary Hill

89.560 composite · No. 938 all-time

Gary Hill's Career Composite windows
Window and finishes usedAverage finishWeightContribution
Best 3No. 761963–64Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate2 open slots × No. 9488.00050%44.000
Best 5No. 761963–64Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate4 open slots × No. 9490.40030%27.120
Best 10No. 761963–64Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate9 open slots × No. 9492.20020%18.440

44.000 + 27.120 + 18.440= 89.560

Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 94, this player's stored replacement finish.

Mateen Cleaves

325.547 composite · No. 2,844 all-time

Mateen Cleaves's Career Composite windows
Window and finishes usedAverage finishWeightContribution
Best 3No. 3152000–01Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate2 open slots × No. 329324.33350%162.167
Best 5No. 3152000–01Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate4 open slots × No. 329326.20030%97.860
Best 10No. 3152000–01Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate9 open slots × No. 329327.60020%65.520

162.167 + 97.860 + 65.520= 325.547

Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 329, 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: Gary Hill and Mateen Cleaves
MetricGary HillMateen Cleaves
Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#938Better result for this metric.#2844
Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better88.0Better result for this metric.324.3
Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better90.4Better result for this metric.326.2
Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better92.2Better result for this metric.327.6
Show more stats: Impact
Impact: Gary Hill and Mateen Cleaves
MetricGary HillMateen Cleaves
Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement#3930Better result for this metric.#4643
Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-3.0Better result for this metric.-4.8
Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is betterUnavailableUnavailable
Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is betterUnavailableUnavailable
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-37 ptsBetter result for this metric.-142 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: Gary Hill and Mateen Cleaves
MetricGary HillMateen Cleaves
Games79167
Minutes1,1181,863

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: Gary Hill and Mateen Cleaves
MetricGary HillMateen Cleaves
True shooting percentage40.2%44.9%Better result for this metric.
True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile41.0%45.8%Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Shooting
Shooting: Gary Hill and Mateen Cleaves
MetricGary HillMateen Cleaves
Field-goal percentage37.1%38.9%Better result for this metric.
Three-point percentageUnavailable26.7%
Free-throw percentage63.7%72.8%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: Gary Hill and Mateen Cleaves
MetricGary HillMateen Cleaves
Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profileUnavailable26.8%
Assists per game1.41.9Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Passing
Passing: Gary Hill and Mateen Cleaves
MetricGary HillMateen Cleaves
Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profileUnavailable23.2%

Rebounding

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

Rebounding: Gary Hill and Mateen Cleaves
MetricGary HillMateen Cleaves
Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profileUnavailable5.6%
Rebounds per game1.6Better result for this metric.1.0

Defense

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

Defense: Gary Hill and Mateen Cleaves
MetricGary HillMateen Cleaves
Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profileUnavailable2.0%
Show more stats: Defense
Defense: Gary Hill and Mateen Cleaves
MetricGary HillMateen Cleaves
Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profileUnavailable0.1%

Scoring

Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.

Scoring: Gary Hill and Mateen Cleaves
MetricGary HillMateen Cleaves
Points per game4.7Better result for this metric.3.6

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

Gary Hill ranks higher in career impact.

Gary HillMetricMateen Cleaves
#938LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#2844
-3.0LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-4.8
Not availableBest 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is betterNot available
-37 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better-142 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.

Gary HillMetricMateen Cleaves
208Listed-team regular-season wins274Leads
0.5%Listed-team winning percentage55.7%Leads
250-win team seasons3Leads
2Leads60-win team seasons1
2Playoff team seasons3Leads

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

No recorded measure separates these careers.

Gary HillMetricMateen Cleaves
1Playoff appearancesNot available
9Playoff gamesNot available
5Team playoff winsNot available
1Finals appearancesNot available
0ChampionshipsNot available

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.

Gary HillMetricMateen Cleaves
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
Gary HillMateen CleavesPeak seasonHistorical source qualification

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

S1
S2
S3
S4
S5
S6

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.