Tom Burleson
1974–75 to 1980–81 · 7 seasons
NBA player comparison
Tom Burleson vs. Willie Cauley-Stein: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Tom Burleson ranks higher in career impact
Willie Cauley-Stein
2015–16 to 2021–22 · 7 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.
#819LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#1330
+1.6LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.5
55.3LeadsBest 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better89.0
+469 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+408 pts
151.6LeadsBest 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better237.9
+0.4Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.4
Career Impact Rank places Tom Burleson #819 and Willie Cauley-Stein #1330. 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.
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedTom Burleson80.247 · No. 819Willie Cauley-Stein131.200 · No. 1,330
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.
Tom Burleson
80.247 composite · No. 819 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 321975–76Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 661974–75Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 681977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 55.333 | 50% | 27.667 |
| Best 5No. 321975–76Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 661974–75Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 681977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 751976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1301978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 74.200 | 30% | 22.260 |
| Best 10No. 321975–76Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 661974–75Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 681977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 751976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1301978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate5 open slots × No. 229 | 151.600 | 20% | 30.320 |
27.667 + 22.260 + 30.320= 80.247
Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 229, this player's stored replacement finish.
Willie Cauley-Stein
131.200 composite · No. 1,330 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 792019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 892018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 992017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 89.000 | 50% | 44.500 |
| Best 5No. 792019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 892018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 992017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1862016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1992015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 130.400 | 30% | 39.120 |
| Best 10No. 792019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 892018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 992017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1862016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1992015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 2672020–214 open slots × No. 365 | 237.900 | 20% | 47.580 |
44.500 + 39.120 + 47.580= 131.200
Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 365, 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 | Tom Burleson | Willie Cauley-Stein |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #819Better result for this metric. | #1330 |
| Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 55.3Better result for this metric. | 89.0 |
| Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 74.2Better result for this metric. | 130.4 |
| Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 151.6Better result for this metric. | 237.9 |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Tom Burleson | Willie Cauley-Stein |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #815Better result for this metric. | #877 |
| Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +1.6Better result for this metric. | +1.5 |
| Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +0.9 | +1.2Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +0.4 | +0.4 |
| Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +469 ptsBetter result for this metric. | +408 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 | Tom Burleson | Willie Cauley-Stein |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 446 | 422 |
| Minutes | 9,425 | 9,276 |
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 | Tom Burleson | Willie Cauley-Stein |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 50.3% | 56.4%Better result for this metric. |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 50.8% | 58.0%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Tom Burleson | Willie Cauley-Stein |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 44.5% | 54.4%Better result for this metric. |
| Three-point percentage | 0.0% | 18.8%Better result for this metric. |
| Free-throw percentage | 72.6%Better result for this metric. | 61.2% |
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 | Tom Burleson | Willie Cauley-Stein |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 8.7% | 9.1%Better result for this metric. |
| Assists per game | 1.3 | 1.4Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Tom Burleson | Willie Cauley-Stein |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 15.2% | 10.7%Better result for this metric. |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Tom Burleson | Willie Cauley-Stein |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 15.7%Better result for this metric. | 14.5% |
| Rebounds per game | 6.3Better result for this metric. | 5.9 |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Tom Burleson | Willie Cauley-Stein |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.5% | 1.8%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Tom Burleson | Willie Cauley-Stein |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 3.4% | 3.5%Better result for this metric. |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Tom Burleson | Willie Cauley-Stein |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 9.4Better result for this metric. | 8.7 |
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 Burleson ranks higher in career impact.
Tom BurlesonMetricWillie Cauley-Stein
#819LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#1330
+1.6LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.5
+0.4Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.4
+469 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+408 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.
Tom BurlesonMetricWillie Cauley-Stein
361LeadsListed-team regular-season wins334
0.9%Listed-team winning percentage47.4%Leads
250-win team seasons2
2Leads60-win team seasons0
4Playoff team seasons4
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 Burleson leads every available measure below.
Tom BurlesonMetricWillie Cauley-Stein
2LeadsPlayoff appearances1
15LeadsPlayoff games6
6LeadsTeam playoff wins3
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.
Awards
No recorded measure separates these careers.
Tom BurlesonMetricWillie Cauley-Stein
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.
Tom BurlesonWillie Cauley-SteinPeak 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.
Tom BurlesonNBA seasonWillie Cauley-Stein
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
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.