hussEyquation
Menu

Explore hussEyquation

NBA player comparison

Greg Oden vs. Michael Ruffin: Career comparison

hussEyquationShort-career comparison
Regular-season verdict

Greg Oden ranks higher in career impact

Greg Oden

2008–09 to 2013–14 · 3 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.

#2147LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#2180
+2.6LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-0.8
+0.5LeadsAverage box impact to dateEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-2.6
#35LeadsBest league finish#174
+31 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value-115 pts
105Games414Leads

Career Impact Rank places Greg Oden #2147 and Michael Ruffin #2180. 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/greg-oden/michael-ruffin/career
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedGreg Oden232.900 · No. 2,147Michael Ruffin235.667 · No. 2,180

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.

Greg Oden

232.900 composite · No. 2,147 all-time

Greg Oden's Career Composite windows
Window and finishes usedAverage finishWeightContribution
Best 3No. 352009–10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2182008–09Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate1 open slot × No. 336.5196.50050%98.250
Best 5No. 352009–10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2182008–09Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate3 open slots × No. 336.5252.50030%75.750
Best 10No. 352009–10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2182008–09Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate8 open slots × No. 336.5294.50020%58.900

98.250 + 75.750 + 58.900= 232.900

Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 336.5, this player's stored replacement finish.

Michael Ruffin

235.667 composite · No. 2,180 all-time

Michael Ruffin's Career Composite windows
Window and finishes usedAverage finishWeightContribution
Best 3No. 1742007–08Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2222000–01Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2382004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate211.33350%105.667
Best 5No. 1742007–08Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2222000–01Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2382004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2862005–06Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2981999–00Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate243.60030%73.080
Best 10No. 1742007–08Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2222000–01Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2382004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2862005–06Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2981999–00Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 3022003–04Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate4 open slots × No. 331.5284.60020%56.920

105.667 + 73.080 + 56.920= 235.667

Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 331.5, 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 →

Share this comparisonChoose a social post or link-preview image.

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: Greg Oden and Michael Ruffin
MetricGreg OdenMichael Ruffin
Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#2147Better result for this metric.#2180
Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better196.5Better result for this metric.211.3
Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better252.5243.6Better result for this metric.
Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better294.5284.6Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Impact
Impact: Greg Oden and Michael Ruffin
MetricGreg OdenMichael Ruffin
Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement#1745Better result for this metric.#4574
Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+2.6Better result for this metric.-0.8
Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is betterUnavailable-1.5
Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is betterUnavailable-2.3
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+31 ptsBetter result for this metric.-115 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: Greg Oden and Michael Ruffin
MetricGreg OdenMichael Ruffin
Games105414
Minutes2,0285,966

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: Greg Oden and Michael Ruffin
MetricGreg OdenMichael Ruffin
True shooting percentage60.9%Better result for this metric.43.3%
True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile62.3%Better result for this metric.44.9%
Show more stats: Shooting
Shooting: Greg Oden and Michael Ruffin
MetricGreg OdenMichael Ruffin
Field-goal percentage57.4%Better result for this metric.40.7%
Three-point percentageUnavailable0.0%
Free-throw percentage65.8%Better result for this metric.45.9%

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: Greg Oden and Michael Ruffin
MetricGreg OdenMichael Ruffin
Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile5.3%6.6%Better result for this metric.
Assists per game0.50.6Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Passing
Passing: Greg Oden and Michael Ruffin
MetricGreg OdenMichael Ruffin
Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile17.0%Better result for this metric.24.1%

Rebounding

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

Rebounding: Greg Oden and Michael Ruffin
MetricGreg OdenMichael Ruffin
Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile20.9%Better result for this metric.16.3%
Rebounds per game6.2Better result for this metric.3.9

Defense

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

Defense: Greg Oden and Michael Ruffin
MetricGreg OdenMichael Ruffin
Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile1.0%1.8%Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Defense
Defense: Greg Oden and Michael Ruffin
MetricGreg OdenMichael Ruffin
Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile6.0%Better result for this metric.2.5%

Scoring

Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.

Scoring: Greg Oden and Michael Ruffin
MetricGreg OdenMichael Ruffin
Points per game8.0Better result for this metric.1.7

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

Greg Oden ranks higher in career impact.

Greg OdenMetricMichael Ruffin
#2147LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#2180
+2.6LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-0.8
Not availableBest 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-2.3
+31 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better-115 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.

Greg OdenMetricMichael Ruffin
158Listed-team regular-season wins325Leads
64.2%LeadsListed-team winning percentage44.0%
3Leads50-win team seasons1
060-win team seasons0
3Playoff 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.

Context

Playoff Résumé

The advantages are split across the available measures.

Greg OdenMetricMichael Ruffin
2Playoff appearances4Leads
9Playoff games20Leads
15LeadsTeam playoff wins8
1LeadsFinals appearances0
0Championships0

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.

Greg OdenMetricMichael Ruffin
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
Greg OdenMichael RuffinPeak 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.