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Player profile · KCK / MIL / NYK
Ernie Grunfeld
Ernie Grunfeld stats, teams and career impact
#780 all-timeCareer averages · 7.4 PPG · 2.6 RPG · 2.0 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Small forward
- Final NBA team
- New York Knicks
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) · 210 lb (95 kg)
- Born
- April 24, 1955 (71 yrs old)
- College
- Tennessee
- NBA seasons
- 9 seasons · 1977–78 to 1985–86
Career summaryErnie Grunfeld was a small forward who played 9 NBA seasons, from 1977–78 through 1985–86.
- Career PPG
- 7.4
- Career RPG
- 2.6
- Career APG
- 2.0
- #35 in 1981–82
- #780 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Ernie Grunfeld ranks #780 all time
Ernie Grunfeld ranks #780 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #56.7. His full-career value ranks #830, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
450+ minutes required per season
693 games · Career Value Rank #830
Head to head
Compare Ernie Grunfeld with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Ernie Grunfeld vs. Francisco García Similar career path
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- Ernie Grunfeld vs. Mike Glenn Same-era comparison
- Ernie Grunfeld vs. Mitch Kupchak Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Milwaukee Bucks, Kansas City Kings, and New York Knicks
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 47.7%FG%
- Three-point
- 33.7%3P%
- Free throw
- 77.0%FT%
693 career games · 12,916 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
Ernie Grunfeld 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 →
| 1985–86 | 5.4 | 2.7 | 1.6 | -0.64 | NYK | 76 | 0 | 18.4 | 41.7% | 42.6% | 83.3% | #129 | 39.1 |
| 1984–85 | 6.6 | 2.2 | 1.5 | +0.66 | NYK | 69 | 0 | 15.4 | 49.0% | 25.0% | 74.0% | #65 | 58.6 |
| 1983–84 | 5.2 | 1.6 | 1.4 | -2.81 | NYK | 76 | 6 | 14.7 | 45.9% | 22.2% | 77.1% | #210 | -18.7 |
| 1982–83 | 5.4 | 2.1 | 1.8 | -2.37 | NYK | 77 | 0 | 18.5 | 44.3% | 0.0% | 82.7% | #199 | -10.7 |
| 1981–82 | 12.7 | 2.2 | 3.4 | +1.88 | KCK | 81 | 11 | 23.4 | 51.1% | 14.3% | 82.1% | #35 | 155.6 |
| 1980–81 | 7.5 | 2.6 | 2.6 | +0.37 | KCK | 79 | 0 | 20.1 | 53.5% | — | 74.3% | #89 | 79.1 |
| 1979–80 | 5.9 | 2.9 | 1.4 | -1.20 | KCK | 80 | 0 | 17.5 | 44.3% | 50.0% | 77.1% | #141 | 24.0 |
| 1978–79 | 10.3 | 4.4 | 2.6 | +0.47 | MIL | 82 | 0 | 21.7 | 49.3% | — | 76.1% | #70 | 97.4 |
| 1977–78 | 6.9 | 2.7 | 2.0 | -1.07 | MIL | 73 | 0 | 17.3 | 44.3% | — | 65.7% | #135 | 26.7 |
| Career | 7.4 | 2.6 | 2.0 | — | KCK/MIL/NYK | 693 | — | 18.6 | 47.7% | 33.7% | 77.0% | — | — |
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.
78.1 composite · lower is better
77.6 average league finish
451 total value
Career standing
How Ernie Grunfeld 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 Score78.1
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
- 250.0
- Qualified seasons
- 9
- All-time rank
- #780
Strongest seasons
Every season
Ernie Grunfeld 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
| 1985–86Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 30 | 76 | 1,402 | -0.64 | 49.6 | #129 | 39.1 | 45th | Broad |
| 1984–85Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 29 | 69 | 1,061 | +0.66 | 74.7 | #65 | 58.6 | 54th | Broad |
| 1983–84Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 28 | 76 | 1,119 | -2.81 | 15.7 | #210 | -18.7 | 15th | Broad |
| 1982–83Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 27 | 77 | 1,422 | -2.37 | 21.7 | #199 | -10.7 | 21st | Broad |
| 1981–82Historical Defense Estimate | KCK | 26 | 81 | 1,892 | +1.88 | 86.6 | #35 | 155.6 | 83rd | Broad |
| 1980–81Historical Defense Estimate | KCK | 25 | 79 | 1,584 | +0.37 | 64.5 | #89 | 79.1 | 60th | Broad |
| 1979–80Historical Defense Estimate | KCK | 24 | 80 | 1,397 | -1.20 | 39.4 | #141 | 24.0 | 39th | Broad |
| 1978–79Historical Defense Estimate | MIL | 23 | 82 | 1,778 | +0.47 | 69.6 | #70 | 97.4 | 64th | Broad |
| 1977–78Historical Defense Estimate | MIL | 22 | 73 | 1,261 | -1.07 | 43.2 | #135 | 26.7 | 38th | Broad |
Career movement
Ernie Grunfeld's career impact by season
Peak +1.88 in 1981–82 · 9 seasons · 12,916 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 impactMinutes
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.
Ernie GrunfeldFrancisco García
| NBA season | Ernie Grunfeld | Francisco García |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -1.1 | -0.9 |
| 2 | 0.5 | -0.9 |
| 3 | -1.2 | 0.1 |
| 4 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| 5 | 1.9 | 0.1 |
| 6 | -2.4 | 1.3 |
| 7 | -2.8 | -0.0 |
| 8 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| 9 | -0.6 | -1.7 |
| 10 | Did not play | -7.1 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Ernie Grunfeld
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 #1200
Francisco García
92career similarity score
89/100 closest-season score · 1981–82 ↔ 2008–09SF · All-Time Career #928Ken Norman
92career similarity score
91/100 closest-season score · 1981–82 ↔ 1990–91SF · All-Time Career #949Keith Van Horn
92career similarity score
89/100 closest-season score · 1981–82 ↔ 2001–02Impact 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 →