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NBA player comparison

Kim Hughes vs. Tom Abernethy: Career comparison

hussEyquationShort-career comparison
Regular-season verdict

Tom Abernethy 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.

#1135Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#1072Leads
+0.9Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.7Leads
-0.6Average box impact to dateEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.3Leads
#59Best league finish#35Leads
+228 ptsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+252 ptsLeads
341LeadsGames319

Career Impact Rank places Tom Abernethy #1072 and Kim Hughes #1135. 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/kim-hughes/tom-abernethy/career
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedKim Hughes108.167 · No. 1,135Tom Abernethy101.690 · No. 1,072

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.

Kim Hughes

108.167 composite · No. 1,135 all-time

Kim Hughes's Career Composite windows
Window and finishes usedAverage finishWeightContribution
Best 3No. 591978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 591979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 931976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate70.33350%35.167
Best 5No. 591978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 591979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 931976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1871977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2171980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate123.00030%36.900
Best 10No. 591978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 591979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 931976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1871977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2171980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate5 open slots × No. 238180.50020%36.100

35.167 + 36.900 + 36.100= 108.167

Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 238, this player's stored replacement finish.

Tom Abernethy

101.690 composite · No. 1,072 all-time

Tom Abernethy's Career Composite windows
Window and finishes usedAverage finishWeightContribution
Best 3No. 351977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 611978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 991976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate65.00050%32.500
Best 5No. 351977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 611978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 991976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1401979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate1 open slot × No. 235.5114.10030%34.230
Best 10No. 351977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 611978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 991976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1401979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate6 open slots × No. 235.5174.80020%34.960

32.500 + 34.230 + 34.960= 101.690

Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 235.5, 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 →

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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: Kim Hughes and Tom Abernethy
MetricKim HughesTom Abernethy
Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#1135#1072Better result for this metric.
Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better70.365.0Better result for this metric.
Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better123.0114.1Better result for this metric.
Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better180.5174.8Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Impact
Impact: Kim Hughes and Tom Abernethy
MetricKim HughesTom Abernethy
Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement#1136#1093Better result for this metric.
Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.9+1.7Better result for this metric.
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-0.6Unavailable
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+228 pts+252 ptsBetter result for this metric.
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: Kim Hughes and Tom Abernethy
MetricKim HughesTom Abernethy
Games341319
Minutes5,7195,434

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: Kim Hughes and Tom Abernethy
MetricKim HughesTom Abernethy
True shooting percentage44.4%53.4%Better result for this metric.
True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile43.8%53.6%Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Shooting
Shooting: Kim Hughes and Tom Abernethy
MetricKim HughesTom Abernethy
Field-goal percentage44.9%49.2%Better result for this metric.
Three-point percentageUnavailable0.0%
Free-throw percentage33.3%74.7%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: Kim Hughes and Tom Abernethy
MetricKim HughesTom Abernethy
Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile7.3%9.1%Better result for this metric.
Assists per game0.91.2Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Passing
Passing: Kim Hughes and Tom Abernethy
MetricKim HughesTom Abernethy
Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile27.4%9.2%Better result for this metric.

Rebounding

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

Rebounding: Kim Hughes and Tom Abernethy
MetricKim HughesTom Abernethy
Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile14.3%Better result for this metric.9.8%
Rebounds per game4.7Better result for this metric.3.2

Defense

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

Defense: Kim Hughes and Tom Abernethy
MetricKim HughesTom Abernethy
Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile2.5%Better result for this metric.1.6%
Show more stats: Defense
Defense: Kim Hughes and Tom Abernethy
MetricKim HughesTom Abernethy
Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile3.7%Better result for this metric.0.6%

Scoring

Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.

Scoring: Kim Hughes and Tom Abernethy
MetricKim HughesTom Abernethy
Points per game2.75.6Better 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.

Ranking result

Regular Season Impact

Tom Abernethy ranks higher in career impact.

Kim HughesMetricTom Abernethy
#1135Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#1072Leads
+0.9Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.7Leads
-0.6Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is betterNot available
+228 ptsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+252 ptsLeads

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

Context

Team Success

Tom Abernethy leads every available measure below.

Kim HughesMetricTom Abernethy
188Listed-team regular-season wins243Leads
38.2%Listed-team winning percentage49.4%Leads
050-win team seasons1Leads
060-win team seasons0
1Playoff 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

Tom Abernethy leads every available measure below.

Kim HughesMetricTom Abernethy
1Playoff appearances2Leads
3Playoff games13Leads
1Team playoff wins5Leads
0Finals 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.

Kim HughesMetricTom Abernethy
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
Kim HughesTom AbernethyPeak seasonHistorical source qualification

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

S1
S2
S3
S4
S5

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.