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NBA player comparison

John Crotty vs. Rick Brunson: Career comparison

hussEyquationShort-career comparison
Regular-season verdict

John Crotty ranks higher in career impact

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.

#1684LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#2202
-0.2LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-0.9
-1.1LeadsAverage box impact to dateEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-1.5
#139LeadsBest league finish#183
+0 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value-23 pts
477LeadsGames337

Career Impact Rank places John Crotty #1684 and Rick Brunson #2202. 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/john-crotty/rick-brunson/career
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedJohn Crotty174.133 · No. 1,684Rick Brunson237.927 · No. 2,202

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.

John Crotty

174.133 composite · No. 1,684 all-time

John Crotty's Career Composite windows
Window and finishes usedAverage finishWeightContribution
Best 3No. 1392001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1421996–97Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1531995–96Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate144.66750%72.333
Best 5No. 1392001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1421996–97Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1531995–96Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2011994–95Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2351999–00Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate174.00030%52.200
Best 10No. 1392001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1421996–97Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1531995–96Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2011994–95Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2351999–00Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate5 open slots × No. 322248.00020%49.600

72.333 + 52.200 + 49.600= 174.133

Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 322, this player's stored replacement finish.

Rick Brunson

237.927 composite · No. 2,202 all-time

Rick Brunson's Career Composite windows
Window and finishes usedAverage finishWeightContribution
Best 3No. 1832004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1882001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2511997–98Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate207.33350%103.667
Best 5No. 1832004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1882001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2511997–98Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate2 open slots × No. 325254.40030%76.320
Best 10No. 1832004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1882001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2511997–98Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate7 open slots × No. 325289.70020%57.940

103.667 + 76.320 + 57.940= 237.927

Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 325, 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: John Crotty and Rick Brunson
MetricJohn CrottyRick Brunson
Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#1684Better result for this metric.#2202
Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better144.7Better result for this metric.207.3
Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better174.0Better result for this metric.254.4
Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better248.0Better result for this metric.289.7
Show more stats: Impact
Impact: John Crotty and Rick Brunson
MetricJohn CrottyRick Brunson
Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement#2020Better result for this metric.#3481
Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-0.2Better result for this metric.-0.9
Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-0.5Better result for this metric.-1.5
Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-1.1Unavailable
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+0 ptsBetter result for this metric.-23 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: John Crotty and Rick Brunson
MetricJohn CrottyRick Brunson
Games477337
Minutes5,7954,533

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: John Crotty and Rick Brunson
MetricJohn CrottyRick Brunson
True shooting percentage55.4%Better result for this metric.46.4%
True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile58.0%Better result for this metric.47.3%
Show more stats: Shooting
Shooting: John Crotty and Rick Brunson
MetricJohn CrottyRick Brunson
Field-goal percentage43.1%Better result for this metric.37.8%
Three-point percentage38.4%Better result for this metric.36.2%
Free-throw percentage83.7%Better result for this metric.69.3%

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: John Crotty and Rick Brunson
MetricJohn CrottyRick Brunson
Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile26.1%30.1%Better result for this metric.
Assists per game2.12.6Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Passing
Passing: John Crotty and Rick Brunson
MetricJohn CrottyRick Brunson
Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile19.5%Better result for this metric.23.6%

Rebounding

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

Rebounding: John Crotty and Rick Brunson
MetricJohn CrottyRick Brunson
Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile5.2%6.2%Better result for this metric.
Rebounds per game1.11.3Better result for this metric.

Defense

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

Defense: John Crotty and Rick Brunson
MetricJohn CrottyRick Brunson
Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile1.7%2.3%Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Defense
Defense: John Crotty and Rick Brunson
MetricJohn CrottyRick Brunson
Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile0.4%Better result for this metric.0.3%

Scoring

Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.

Scoring: John Crotty and Rick Brunson
MetricJohn CrottyRick Brunson
Points per game4.0Better result for this metric.3.2

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

John Crotty ranks higher in career impact.

John CrottyMetricRick Brunson
#1684LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#2202
-0.2LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-0.9
-1.1Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is betterNot available
+0 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better-23 pts

This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.

Context

Team Success

John Crotty leads every available measure below.

John CrottyMetricRick Brunson
530LeadsListed-team regular-season wins448
57.6%LeadsListed-team winning percentage47.1%
4Leads50-win team seasons1
2Leads60-win team seasons0
10LeadsPlayoff 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.

Context

Playoff Résumé

The advantages are split across the available measures.

John CrottyMetricRick Brunson
7LeadsPlayoff appearances4
36LeadsPlayoff games16
22Team playoff wins23Leads
0Finals appearances1Leads
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.

John CrottyMetricRick Brunson
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
John CrottyRick BrunsonPeak seasonHistorical source qualification

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

S1
S2
S3
S4
S5
S6
S7
S8
S9
S10
S11

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.