Best league finish
Menu
Player profile · CHI / GSW / LAL / NYK
Cazzie Russell
Cazzie Russell stats, teams and career impact
#393 all-timeCareer averages · 15.1 PPG · 3.8 RPG · 2.2 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Small forward
- Final NBA team
- Chicago Bulls
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) · 218 lb (99 kg)
- Born
- June 7, 1944 (82 yrs old)
- College
- Michigan
- NBA seasons
- 12 seasons · 1966–67 to 1977–78
Career summaryCazzie Russell was a small forward who played 12 NBA seasons, from 1966–67 through 1977–78.
- Career PPG
- 15.1
- Career RPG
- 3.8
- Career APG
- 2.2
- #37 in 1971–72
- #393 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Cazzie Russell ranks #393 all time
Cazzie Russell ranks #393 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #38.3. His full-career value ranks #493, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
450+ minutes required per season
817 games · Career Value Rank #493
NBA honorsAll-StarContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Cazzie Russell with…
Ten suggested matchups, selected from familiar debates, similar careers, and players from the same era. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Purvis Short Similar career path
- Jack Marin Similar career path
- Sean Elliott Similar career path
- John Johnson Similar career path
- Clarence Weatherspoon Similar career path
- Bryon Russell Similar career path
- Dick Van Arsdale Same-era comparison
- Dick Snyder Same-era comparison
- Dave Bing Same-era comparison
- Jim Barnett Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Chicago Bulls
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 46.4%FG%
- Three-point
- —3P%
- Free throw
- 82.7%FT%
817 career games · 22,213 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Cazzie Russell stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1977–78 | 8.8 | 2.3 | 1.7 | -2.70 | CHI | 36 | 0 | 21.9 | 43.8% | — | 86.0% | #203 | -11.7 |
| 1976–77 | 16.4 | 3.6 | 2.6 | -0.04 | LAL | 82 | 82 | 31.5 | 49.0% | — | 85.8% | #101 | 110.2 |
| 1975–76 | 11.8 | 2.5 | 1.6 | -1.35 | LAL | 74 | 0 | 22.0 | 46.3% | — | 89.2% | #119 | 23.6 |
| 1974–75 | 15.7 | 2.9 | 2.7 | -0.12 | LAL | 40 | 0 | 26.4 | 45.5% | — | 89.4% | #85 | 44.1 |
| 1973–74 | 20.5 | 4.3 | 2.3 | -0.10 | GSW | 82 | 0 | 31.4 | 48.2% | — | 83.5% | #80 | 111.2 |
| 1972–73 | 15.7 | 4.4 | 2.3 | -0.36 | GSW | 80 | 0 | 30.4 | 45.8% | — | 86.4% | #75 | 92.9 |
| 1971–72 | 21.4 | 5.4 | 3.1 | +1.01 | GSW | 79 | 0 | 36.7 | 45.5% | — | 83.3% | #37 | 205.8 |
| 1970–71 | 9.2 | 3.4 | 1.4 | -0.08 | NYK | 57 | 15 | 18.5 | 42.9% | — | 77.3% | #65 | 47.5 |
| 1969–70 | 11.5 | 3.0 | 1.7 | +0.78 | NYK | 78 | 18 | 20.0 | 49.8% | — | 77.5% | #33 | 103.6 |
| 1968–69 | 18.3 | 4.2 | 2.3 | -0.95 | NYK | 50 | 46 | 32.9 | 45.0% | — | 79.6% | #81 | 40.4 |
| 1967–68 | 16.9 | 4.6 | 2.4 | +0.32 | NYK | 82 | 45 | 28.0 | 46.2% | — | 80.8% | #45 | 130.0 |
| 1966–67 | 11.3 | 3.3 | 2.4 | -1.50 | NYK | 77 | 25 | 22.0 | 43.6% | — | 78.5% | #62 | 20.9 |
| Career | 15.1 | 3.8 | 2.2 | — | CHI/GSW/LAL/NYK | 817 | — | 27.2 | 46.4% | — | 82.7% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
47.0 composite · lower is better
48.4 average league finish
918 total value
Career standing
How Cazzie Russell ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score47.0
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- —
- Qualified seasons
- 12
- All-time rank
- #393
Strongest seasons
Every season
Cazzie Russell advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1977–78Historical Defense Estimate | CHI | 33 | 36 | 789 | -2.70 | 14.4 | #203 | -11.7 | 16th | Standard |
| 1976–77Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 32 | 82 | 2,583 | -0.04 | 58.8 | #101 | 110.2 | 69th | Broad |
| 1975–76Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 31 | 74 | 1,625 | -1.35 | 37.2 | #119 | 23.6 | 39th | Broad |
| 1974–75Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 30 | 40 | 1,055 | -0.12 | 55.1 | #85 | 44.1 | 47th | Broad |
| 1973–74Historical Defense Estimate | GSW | 29 | 82 | 2,574 | -0.10 | 55.1 | #80 | 111.2 | 68th | Broad |
| 1972–73Historical Defense Estimate | GSW | 28 | 80 | 2,429 | -0.36 | 57.0 | #75 | 92.9 | 62nd | Modeled |
| 1971–72Historical Defense Estimate | GSW | 27 | 79 | 2,902 | +1.01 | 78.0 | #37 | 205.8 | 79th | Modeled |
| 1970–71Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 26 | 57 | 1,056 | -0.08 | 61.7 | #65 | 47.5 | 43rd | Modeled |
| 1969–70Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 25 | 78 | 1,563 | +0.78 | 77.3 | #33 | 103.6 | 63rd | Modeled |
| 1968–69Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 24 | 50 | 1,645 | -0.95 | 39.8 | #81 | 40.4 | 41st | Modeled |
| 1967–68Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 23 | 82 | 2,296 | +0.32 | 63.3 | #45 | 130.0 | 67th | Modeled |
| 1966–67Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 22 | 77 | 1,696 | -1.50 | 39.0 | #62 | 20.9 | 40th | Modeled |
Career movement
Cazzie Russell's career impact by season
Peak +1.01 in 1971–72 · 12 seasons · 22,213 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutesModeled estimate
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Cazzie RussellPurvis Short
| NBA season | Cazzie Russell | Purvis Short |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -1.5 | -2.3 |
| 2 | 0.3 | 1.0 |
| 3 | -1.0 | -0.4 |
| 4 | 0.8 | 0.5 |
| 5 | -0.1 | 0.1 |
| 6 | 1.0 | 0.3 |
| 7 | -0.4 | 1.0 |
| 8 | -0.1 | 0.9 |
| 9 | -0.1 | 0.7 |
| 10 | -1.4 | -0.7 |
| 11 | -0.0 | -2.3 |
| 12 | -2.7 | -1.0 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Cazzie Russell
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
SF · All-Time Career #639
Purvis Short
96career similarity score
97/100 closest-season score · 1971–72 ↔ 1984–85SF · All-Time Career #403Jack Marin
94career similarity score
99/100 closest-season score · 1971–72 ↔ 1971–72SF · All-Time Career #1092Sean Elliott
94career similarity score
99/100 closest-season score · 1971–72 ↔ 1995–96Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →