Purvis Short
1978–79 to 1989–90 · 12 seasons
NBA player comparison
Purvis Short vs. Tom Sanders: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Tom Sanders ranks higher in career impact
Tom Sanders
1960–61 to 1972–73 · 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.
#639Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#181Leads
+1.0LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.9
+0.8LeadsBest 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.6
59.0Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better19.7Leads
+1,012 ptsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+1,050 ptsLeads
91.0Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better38.5Leads
Career Impact Rank places Tom Sanders #181 and Purvis Short #639. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. Purvis Short 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 calculatedPurvis Short67.080 · No. 639Tom Sanders24.193 · No. 181
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.
Purvis Short
67.080 composite · No. 639 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 521984–85Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 551979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 701986–87Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 59.000 | 50% | 29.500 |
| Best 5No. 521984–85Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 551979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 701986–87Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 721985–86Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 741981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 64.600 | 30% | 19.380 |
| Best 10No. 521984–85Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 551979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 701986–87Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 721985–86Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 741981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 801983–84Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1031982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1201980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1261987–88Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1581989–90Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 91.000 | 20% | 18.200 |
29.500 + 19.380 + 18.200= 67.080
Tom Sanders
24.193 composite · No. 181 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 181962–63Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 191963–64Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221961–62Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 19.667 | 50% | 9.833 |
| Best 5No. 181962–63Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 191963–64Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221961–62Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 231960–61Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 291964–65Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 22.200 | 30% | 6.660 |
| Best 10No. 181962–63Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 191963–64Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221961–62Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 231960–61Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 291964–65Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 391965–66Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 461968–69Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 561966–67Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 661969–70Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 671967–68Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 38.500 | 20% | 7.700 |
9.833 + 6.660 + 7.700= 24.193
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 | Purvis Short | Tom Sanders |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #639 | #181Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 59.0 | 19.7Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 64.6 | 22.2Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 91.0 | 38.5Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Purvis Short | Tom Sanders |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #454 | #436Better result for this metric. |
| Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +1.0Better result for this metric. | +0.9 |
| Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +1.0Better result for this metric. | +0.8 |
| Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +0.8Better result for this metric. | +0.6 |
| Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +0.2Better result for this metric. | +0.0 |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +1,012 pts | +1,050 ptsBetter result for this metric. |
| 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 | Purvis Short | Tom Sanders |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 842 | 916 |
| Minutes | 24,549 | 22,164 |
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 | Purvis Short | Tom Sanders |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 52.5%Better result for this metric. | 48.2% |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 53.0%Better result for this metric. | 48.6% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Purvis Short | Tom Sanders |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 47.4%Better result for this metric. | 42.8% |
| Three-point percentage | 28.2% | Unavailable |
| Free-throw percentage | 82.4%Better result for this metric. | 76.7% |
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.
| Metric | Purvis Short | Tom Sanders |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 13.9%Better result for this metric. | 6.3% |
| Assists per game | 2.5Better result for this metric. | 1.1 |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Purvis Short | Tom Sanders |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 10.8% | Unavailable |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Purvis Short | Tom Sanders |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 7.9% | Unavailable |
| Rebounds per game | 4.3 | 6.3Better result for this metric. |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Purvis Short | Tom Sanders |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.7% | Unavailable |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Purvis Short | Tom Sanders |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 0.4% | Unavailable |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Purvis Short | Tom Sanders |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 17.3Better result for this metric. | 9.6 |
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
Tom Sanders ranks higher in career impact.
Purvis ShortMetricTom Sanders
#639Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#181Leads
+1.0LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.9
+0.8LeadsBest 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.6
+1,012 ptsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+1,050 ptsLeads
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.
Purvis ShortMetricTom Sanders
415Listed-team regular-season wins967Leads
42.2%LeadsListed-team winning percentage0.5%
050-win team seasons13Leads
060-win team seasons10Leads
3Playoff team seasons11Leads
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
Tom Sanders leads every available measure below.
Purvis ShortMetricTom Sanders
3Playoff appearances11Leads
18Playoff games130Leads
6Team playoff wins91Leads
0Finals appearances8Leads
0Championships8Leads
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
No recorded measure separates these careers.
Purvis ShortMetricTom Sanders
Not availableAll-Star0
Not availableMVP0
Not availableAll-NBA0
Not availableAll-Defense1
Not availableDPOY0
Not availableRookie 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.
Purvis ShortTom SandersPeak 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.
Purvis ShortNBA seasonTom Sanders
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10
Season 11
Season 12
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.