Jack Nichols
1950–51 to 1957–58 · 7 seasons
NBA player comparison
Jack Nichols vs. Lew Hitch: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Lew Hitch ranks higher in career impact
Lew Hitch
1951–52 to 1956–57 · 6 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.
#281Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#242Leads
+1.8LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.3
-0.2Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.3Leads
26.7Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better22.3Leads
+375 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+370 pts
57.5Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better54.9Leads
Career Impact Rank places Lew Hitch #242 and Jack Nichols #281. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. Jack Nichols 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.
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedJack Nichols35.813 · No. 281Lew Hitch31.447 · No. 242
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.
Jack Nichols
35.813 composite · No. 281 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 141952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 241955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 421956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 26.667 | 50% | 13.333 |
| Best 5No. 141952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 241955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 421956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 491957–58Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 541954–55Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 36.600 | 30% | 10.980 |
| Best 10No. 141952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 241955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 421956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 491957–58Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 541954–55Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 741953–54Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate4 open slots × No. 79.5 | 57.500 | 20% | 11.500 |
13.333 + 10.980 + 11.500= 35.813
Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 79.5, this player's stored replacement finish.
Lew Hitch
31.447 composite · No. 242 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 181953–54Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201954–55Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 291955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 22.333 | 50% | 11.167 |
| Best 5No. 181953–54Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201954–55Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 291955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 341951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 541952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 31.000 | 30% | 9.300 |
| Best 10No. 181953–54Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201954–55Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 291955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 341951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 541952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 641956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate4 open slots × No. 82.5 | 54.900 | 20% | 10.980 |
11.167 + 9.300 + 10.980= 31.447
Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 82.5, 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 →
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.
| Metric | Jack Nichols | Lew Hitch |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #281 | #242Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 26.7 | 22.3Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 36.6 | 31.0Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 57.5 | 54.9Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Jack Nichols | Lew Hitch |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #918Better result for this metric. | #922 |
| Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +1.8Better result for this metric. | +1.3 |
| Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +0.6 | +0.8Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | -0.2 | +0.3Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +375 ptsBetter result for this metric. | +370 pts |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 0 | 0 |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 0 | 0 |
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.
| Metric | Jack Nichols | Lew Hitch |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 404 | 414 |
| Minutes | 10,857 | 8,364 |
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. Statistics that were not recorded in earlier eras are left out. 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.
| Metric | Jack Nichols | Lew Hitch |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 41.9% | 43.5%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Jack Nichols | Lew Hitch |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 36.7% | 37.6%Better result for this metric. |
| Three-point percentage | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Free-throw percentage | 75.5%Better result for this metric. | 67.4% |
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.
| Metric | Jack Nichols | Lew Hitch |
|---|---|---|
| Assists per game | 1.9Better result for this metric. | 1.2 |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Jack Nichols | Lew Hitch |
|---|---|---|
| Rebounds per game | 6.9Better result for this metric. | 5.3 |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Jack Nichols | Lew Hitch |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 9.9Better result for this metric. | 5.0 |
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.
Regular Season Impact
Lew Hitch ranks higher in career impact.
Jack NicholsMetricLew Hitch
#281Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#242Leads
+1.8LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.3
-0.2Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.3Leads
+375 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+370 pts
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
Jack Nichols leads every available measure below.
Jack NicholsMetricLew Hitch
283LeadsListed-team regular-season wins276
49.6%LeadsListed-team winning percentage48.6%
050-win team seasons0
060-win team seasons0
5Playoff team seasons5
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Playoff Résumé
Lew Hitch leads every available measure below.
Jack NicholsMetricLew Hitch
5Playoff appearances5
37Playoff games37
17Team playoff wins23Leads
2Finals appearances2
1Championships2Leads
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
No recorded measure separates these careers.
Jack NicholsMetricLew Hitch
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.
Jack NicholsLew HitchPeak seasonHistorical source qualification
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.
Season-by-season evidenceRead both careers at the same stage
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.
Jack NicholsNBA seasonLew Hitch
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
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.