Rudy LaRusso
1959–60 to 1968–69 · 10 seasons
NBA player comparison
Rudy LaRusso vs. Willie Naulls: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Willie Naulls ranks higher in career impact
Willie Naulls
1956–57 to 1965–66 · 10 seasons
Impact comparison
#171Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#149Leads
+1.2Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+1.8Leads
+0.9Best 5 average impact+1.1Leads
19.3Best 3 average finishAverage league place; closer to No. 1 is better13.3Leads
+1,511 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+1,187 pts
29.2LeadsBest 10 average finishAverage league place; closer to No. 1 is better35.5
Career Impact Rank places Willie Naulls #149 and Rudy LaRusso #171. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. Rudy LaRusso 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 RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedRudy LaRusso22.227 · No. 171Willie Naulls19.467 · No. 149
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.
Rudy LaRusso
22.227 composite · No. 171 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 171964–65Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 181961–62Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 231963–64Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 19.333 | 50% | 9.667 |
| Best 5No. 171964–65Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 181961–62Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 231963–64Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 271962–63Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 271965–66Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 22.400 | 30% | 6.720 |
| Best 10No. 171964–65Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 181961–62Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 231963–64Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 271962–63Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 271965–66Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 271967–68Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 281960–61Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 291968–69Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 301959–60Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 661966–67Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 29.200 | 20% | 5.840 |
9.667 + 6.720 + 5.840= 22.227
Willie Naulls
19.467 composite · No. 149 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 111960–61Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 131959–60Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 161961–62Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 13.333 | 50% | 6.667 |
| Best 5No. 111960–61Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 131959–60Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 161961–62Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 261963–64Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 291957–58Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 19.000 | 30% | 5.700 |
| Best 10No. 111960–61Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 131959–60Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 161961–62Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 261963–64Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 291957–58Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 361958–59Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 411962–63Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 571964–65Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 611956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 651965–66Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 35.500 | 20% | 7.100 |
6.667 + 5.700 + 7.100= 19.467
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 | Rudy LaRusso | Willie Naulls |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #171 | #149Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average finish | 19.3 | 13.3Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average finish | 22.4 | 19.0Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average finish | 29.2Better result for this metric. | 35.5 |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Rudy LaRusso | Willie Naulls |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #275Better result for this metric. | #386 |
| Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average | +1.2 | +1.8Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average impact | +1.1 | +1.6Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average impact | +0.9 | +1.1Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average impact | +0.4Better result for this metric. | -0.0 |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +1,511 ptsBetter result for this metric. | +1,187 pts |
| 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 | Rudy LaRusso | Willie Naulls |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 736 | 716 |
| Minutes | 24,487 | 20,620 |
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 | Rudy LaRusso | Willie Naulls |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 50.4%Better result for this metric. | 45.7% |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 50.3%Better result for this metric. | 46.0% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Rudy LaRusso | Willie Naulls |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 43.1%Better result for this metric. | 40.6% |
| Three-point percentage | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Free-throw percentage | 76.7% | 81.2%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.
| Metric | Rudy LaRusso | Willie Naulls |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 9.1%Better result for this metric. | 7.1% |
| Assists per game | 2.1Better result for this metric. | 1.6 |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Rudy LaRusso | Willie Naulls |
|---|---|---|
| Rebounds per game | 9.4Better result for this metric. | 9.1 |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Rudy LaRusso | Willie Naulls |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 15.6 | 15.8Better 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.
Regular Season Impact
Willie Naulls ranks higher in career impact.
Rudy LaRussoMetricWillie Naulls
#171Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#149Leads
+1.2Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+1.8Leads
+0.9Best 5 average impact+1.1Leads
+1,511 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+1,187 pts
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.
Rudy LaRussoMetricWillie Naulls
615LeadsListed-team regular-season wins493
0.6%Listed-team winning percentage1.3%Leads
7Leads50-win team seasons3
5Leads60-win team seasons2
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.
Playoff Résumé
The advantages are split across the available measures.
Rudy LaRussoMetricWillie Naulls
9LeadsPlayoff appearances4
93LeadsPlayoff games35
44LeadsTeam playoff wins27
4LeadsFinals appearances3
0Championships3Leads
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
Rudy LaRusso leads every available measure below.
Rudy LaRussoMetricWillie Naulls
5LeadsAll-Star4
0MVP0
0All-NBA0
1LeadsAll-Defense0
0DPOY0
0Rookie 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.
Rudy LaRussoWillie NaullsPeak seasonHistorical source qualification
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average
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.
Rudy LaRussoNBA seasonWillie Naulls
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
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.