hussEyquation
Menu

Explore hussEyquation

NBA player comparison

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist vs. Willie Norwood: Career comparison

hussEyquationCareer impact · regular season
Regular-season verdict

Willie Norwood 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.

#1797Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#977Leads
+0.4Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.6Leads
-0.7Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-0.6Leads
154.3Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better70.3Leads
+193 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+173 pts
269.0Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better143.9Leads

Career Impact Rank places Willie Norwood #977 and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist #1797. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 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 · regular seasonhusseyquation.com/compare/michael-kidd-gilchrist/willie-norwood/career
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedMichael Kidd-Gilchrist187.847 · No. 1,797Willie Norwood92.207 · No. 977

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.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

187.847 composite · No. 1,797 all-time

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's Career Composite windows
Window and finishes usedAverage finishWeightContribution
Best 3No. 1202014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1362016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2072012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate154.33350%77.167
Best 5No. 1202014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1362016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2072012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2172013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2682018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate189.60030%56.880
Best 10No. 1202014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1362016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2072012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2172013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2682018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2862017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate4 open slots × No. 364269.00020%53.800

77.167 + 56.880 + 53.800= 187.847

Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 364, this player's stored replacement finish.

Willie Norwood

92.207 composite · No. 977 all-time

Willie Norwood's Career Composite windows
Window and finishes usedAverage finishWeightContribution
Best 3No. 501973–74Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 741975–76Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 871972–73Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate70.33350%35.167
Best 5No. 501973–74Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 741975–76Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 871972–73Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1231971–72Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1371976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate94.20030%28.260
Best 10No. 501973–74Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 741975–76Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 871972–73Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1231971–72Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1371976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2321977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate4 open slots × No. 184143.90020%28.780

35.167 + 28.260 + 28.780= 92.207

Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 184, 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 →

Share this comparisonChoose a social post or link-preview image.

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: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Willie Norwood
MetricMichael Kidd-GilchristWillie Norwood
Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#1797#977Better result for this metric.
Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better154.370.3Better result for this metric.
Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better189.694.2Better result for this metric.
Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better269.0143.9Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Impact
Impact: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Willie Norwood
MetricMichael Kidd-GilchristWillie Norwood
Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement#1197Better result for this metric.#1243
Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.4+0.6Better result for this metric.
Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-0.1-0.1
Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-0.7-0.6Better result for this metric.
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+193 ptsBetter result for this metric.+173 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: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Willie Norwood
MetricMichael Kidd-GilchristWillie Norwood
Games446430
Minutes10,9787,341

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: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Willie Norwood
MetricMichael Kidd-GilchristWillie Norwood
True shooting percentage52.4%53.8%Better result for this metric.
True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile52.6%53.1%Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Shooting
Shooting: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Willie Norwood
MetricMichael Kidd-GilchristWillie Norwood
Field-goal percentage47.4%48.8%Better result for this metric.
Three-point percentage27.2%Unavailable
Free-throw percentage71.5%Better result for this metric.69.7%

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: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Willie Norwood
MetricMichael Kidd-GilchristWillie Norwood
Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile7.4%Better result for this metric.6.9%
Assists per game1.2Better result for this metric.0.8
Show more stats: Passing
Passing: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Willie Norwood
MetricMichael Kidd-GilchristWillie Norwood
Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile10.0%Better result for this metric.20.7%

Rebounding

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

Rebounding: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Willie Norwood
MetricMichael Kidd-GilchristWillie Norwood
Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile12.1%Better result for this metric.10.9%
Rebounds per game5.4Better result for this metric.3.7

Defense

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

Defense: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Willie Norwood
MetricMichael Kidd-GilchristWillie Norwood
Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile1.4%2.0%Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Defense
Defense: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Willie Norwood
MetricMichael Kidd-GilchristWillie Norwood
Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile2.3%Better result for this metric.0.3%

Scoring

Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.

Scoring: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Willie Norwood
MetricMichael Kidd-GilchristWillie Norwood
Points per game8.4Better result for this metric.7.5

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

Willie Norwood ranks higher in career impact.

Michael Kidd-GilchristMetricWillie Norwood
#1797Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#977Leads
+0.4Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.6Leads
-0.7Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-0.6Leads
+193 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+173 pts

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

Context

Team Success

The advantages are split across the available measures.

Michael Kidd-GilchristMetricWillie Norwood
322Listed-team regular-season wins546Leads
45.1%LeadsListed-team winning percentage0.5%
050-win team seasons6Leads
060-win team seasons5Leads
3Playoff team seasons4Leads

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

Willie Norwood leads every available measure below.

Michael Kidd-GilchristMetricWillie Norwood
2Playoff appearances3Leads
10Playoff games14Leads
2Team playoff wins7Leads
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.

Michael Kidd-GilchristMetricWillie Norwood
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
Michael Kidd-GilchristWillie NorwoodPeak seasonHistorical source qualification

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

S1
S2
S3
S4
S5
S6
S7
S8

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.