Maurice Stokes
1955–56 to 1957–58 · 3 seasons
NBA player comparison
Maurice Stokes vs. Mel Hutchins: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Mel Hutchins ranks higher in career impact
Mel Hutchins
1951–52 to 1957–58 · 7 seasons
Impact comparison
#168Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#137Leads
+4.6LeadsPeak impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+3.2
+3.9LeadsAverage impact to date+1.5
#1LeadsBest league finish#5
+1,047 ptsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+1,109 ptsLeads
202Games437Leads
Career Impact Rank places Mel Hutchins #137 and Maurice Stokes #168. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. Maurice Stokes 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 calculatedMaurice Stokes21.760 · No. 168Mel Hutchins18.207 · No. 137
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.
Maurice Stokes
21.760 composite · No. 168 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 11955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11957–58Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 2.000 | 50% | 1.000 |
| Best 5No. 11955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11957–58Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate2 open slots × No. 78 | 32.400 | 30% | 9.720 |
| Best 10No. 11955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 11957–58Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 41956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate7 open slots × No. 78 | 55.200 | 20% | 11.040 |
1.000 + 9.720 + 11.040= 21.760
Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 78, this player's stored replacement finish.
Mel Hutchins
18.207 composite · No. 137 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 51952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 111951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 151953–54Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 10.333 | 50% | 5.167 |
| Best 5No. 51952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 111951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 151953–54Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 181955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 251954–55Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 14.800 | 30% | 4.440 |
| Best 10No. 51952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 111951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 151953–54Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 181955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 251954–55Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 261956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate4 open slots × No. 82.5 | 43.000 | 20% | 8.600 |
5.167 + 4.440 + 8.600= 18.207
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 | Maurice Stokes | Mel Hutchins |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #168 | #137Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average finish | 2.0Better result for this metric. | 10.3 |
| Best 5 average finish | 32.4 | 14.8Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average finish | 55.2 | 43.0Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Maurice Stokes | Mel Hutchins |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #438 | #412Better result for this metric. |
| Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average | +4.6Better result for this metric. | +3.2 |
| Best 3 average impact | +3.9Better result for this metric. | +2.4 |
| Best 5 average impact | Unavailable | +1.7 |
| Best 10 average impact | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +1,047 pts | +1,109 ptsBetter result for this metric. |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 2Better result for this metric. | 0 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 3Better result for this metric. | 1 |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 3Better result for this metric. | 1 |
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 | Maurice Stokes | Mel Hutchins |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 202 | 437 |
| Minutes | 7,544 | 16,574 |
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 | Maurice Stokes | Mel Hutchins |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 40.6% | 43.2%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Maurice Stokes | Mel Hutchins |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 35.1% | 38.9%Better result for this metric. |
| Three-point percentage | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Free-throw percentage | 69.8%Better result for this metric. | 67.3% |
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.
| Metric | Maurice Stokes | Mel Hutchins |
|---|---|---|
| Assists per game | 5.3Better result for this metric. | 3.0 |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Maurice Stokes | Mel Hutchins |
|---|---|---|
| Rebounds per game | 17.3Better result for this metric. | 9.6 |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Maurice Stokes | Mel Hutchins |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 16.4Better result for this metric. | 11.1 |
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
Mel Hutchins ranks higher in career impact.
Maurice StokesMetricMel Hutchins
#168Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#137Leads
+4.6LeadsPeak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+3.2
Not availableBest 5 average impact+1.7
+1,047 ptsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+1,109 ptsLeads
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
Mel Hutchins leads every available measure below.
Maurice StokesMetricMel Hutchins
95Listed-team regular-season wins233Leads
44.0%Listed-team winning percentage46.9%Leads
050-win team seasons0
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.
Playoff Résumé
Mel Hutchins leads every available measure below.
Maurice StokesMetricMel Hutchins
1Playoff appearances4Leads
1Playoff games27Leads
0Team playoff wins10Leads
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
The advantages are split across the available measures.
Maurice StokesMetricMel Hutchins
3All-Star4Leads
0MVP0
3LeadsAll-NBA0
0All-Defense0
0DPOY0
1Rookie of the Year1
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.
Maurice StokesMel HutchinsPeak 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.
Maurice StokesNBA seasonMel Hutchins
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
No season
Season 4No season
Season 5No season
Season 6Observed 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.