James Donaldson
1980–81 to 1994–95 · 14 seasons
NBA player comparison
James Donaldson vs. Zydrunas Ilgauskas: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
James Donaldson ranks higher in career impact
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
1997–98 to 2010–11 · 13 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.
#636LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#823
+1.5Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.7Leads
+0.9Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.2Leads
55.0LeadsBest 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better67.0
+899 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+893 pts
97.4LeadsBest 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better123.7
Career Impact Rank places James Donaldson #636 and Zydrunas Ilgauskas #823. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had the higher single-season impact estimate.
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 calculatedJames Donaldson66.900 · No. 636Zydrunas Ilgauskas80.500 · No. 823
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.
James Donaldson
66.900 composite · No. 636 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 401981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 601986–87Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 651980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 55.000 | 50% | 27.500 |
| Best 5No. 401981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 601986–87Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 651980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 751982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 921988–89Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 66.400 | 30% | 19.920 |
| Best 10No. 401981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 601986–87Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 651980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 751982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 921988–89Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 931983–84Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1091987–88Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1131985–86Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1411984–85Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1861989–90Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 97.400 | 20% | 19.480 |
27.500 + 19.920 + 19.480= 66.900
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
80.500 composite · No. 823 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 592003–04Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 712002–03Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 712005–06Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 67.000 | 50% | 33.500 |
| Best 5No. 592003–04Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 712002–03Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 712005–06Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 791997–98Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 912006–07Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 74.200 | 30% | 22.260 |
| Best 10No. 592003–04Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 712002–03Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 712005–06Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 791997–98Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 912006–07Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1032004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1092007–08Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1802008–09Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2342001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2402000–01Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 123.700 | 20% | 24.740 |
33.500 + 22.260 + 24.740= 80.500
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 | James Donaldson | Zydrunas Ilgauskas |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #636Better result for this metric. | #823 |
| Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 55.0Better result for this metric. | 67.0 |
| Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 66.4Better result for this metric. | 74.2 |
| Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 97.4Better result for this metric. | 123.7 |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | James Donaldson | Zydrunas Ilgauskas |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #505Better result for this metric. | #507 |
| Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +1.5 | +1.7Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +1.1 | +1.4Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +0.9 | +1.2Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +0.1 | +0.2Better result for this metric. |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +899 ptsBetter result for this metric. | +893 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 | James Donaldson | Zydrunas Ilgauskas |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 957 | 843 |
| Minutes | 26,222 | 22,965 |
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.
| Metric | James Donaldson | Zydrunas Ilgauskas |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 61.8%Better result for this metric. | 53.4% |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 62.4%Better result for this metric. | 53.4% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | James Donaldson | Zydrunas Ilgauskas |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 57.1%Better result for this metric. | 47.6% |
| Three-point percentage | Unavailable | 31.0% |
| Free-throw percentage | 73.2% | 78.0%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.
| Metric | James Donaldson | Zydrunas Ilgauskas |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 4.2% | 7.8%Better result for this metric. |
| Assists per game | 0.8 | 1.1Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | James Donaldson | Zydrunas Ilgauskas |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 18.1% | 13.1%Better result for this metric. |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | James Donaldson | Zydrunas Ilgauskas |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 16.2%Better result for this metric. | 15.8% |
| Rebounds per game | 7.8Better result for this metric. | 7.3 |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | James Donaldson | Zydrunas Ilgauskas |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 0.6% | 1.0%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | James Donaldson | Zydrunas Ilgauskas |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 2.9% | 4.4%Better result for this metric. |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | James Donaldson | Zydrunas Ilgauskas |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 8.6 | 13.0Better 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.
Regular Season Impact
James Donaldson ranks higher in career impact.
James DonaldsonMetricZydrunas Ilgauskas
#636LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#823
+1.5Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.7Leads
+0.9Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.2Leads
+899 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+893 pts
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
The advantages are split across the available measures.
James DonaldsonMetricZydrunas Ilgauskas
672LeadsListed-team regular-season wins552
51.2%Listed-team winning percentage53.4%Leads
550-win team seasons5
160-win team seasons2Leads
9LeadsPlayoff team seasons7
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
The advantages are split across the available measures.
James DonaldsonMetricZydrunas Ilgauskas
9LeadsPlayoff appearances7
51Playoff games80Leads
29Team playoff wins57Leads
0Finals appearances2Leads
0Championships0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
Zydrunas Ilgauskas leads every available measure below.
James DonaldsonMetricZydrunas Ilgauskas
1All-Star2Leads
0MVP0
0All-NBA0
0All-Defense0
0DPOY0
0Rookie of the Year0
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.
James DonaldsonZydrunas IlgauskasPeak 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.
James DonaldsonNBA seasonZydrunas Ilgauskas
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10
Season 11
Season 12
Season 13
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.