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Player profile · DET / FTW / SYR
George Yardley
George Yardley stats, teams and career impact
#86 all-timeCareer averages · 19.2 PPG · 8.9 RPG · 1.7 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Small forward
- Final NBA team
- Syracuse Nationals
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) · 190 lb (86 kg)
- Born
- November 3, 1928
- Died
- August 13, 2004 (75 yrs old)
- College
- Stanford
- NBA seasons
- 7 seasons · 1953–54 to 1959–60
Career summaryGeorge Yardley was a small forward who played 7 NBA seasons, from 1953–54 through 1959–60.
- Career PPG
- 19.2
- Career RPG
- 8.9
- Career APG
- 1.7
- #10 in 1957–58
- #86 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why George Yardley ranks #86 all time
George Yardley ranks #86 all time. 4 top-ten finishes give him a sustained run near the top of the league. His full-career value ranks #279, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
4 top-ten finishes
472 games · Career Value Rank #279
NBA honors6× All-Star · 2× All-NBAContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare George Yardley 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.
- Connie Hawkins Similar career path
- Harry Gallatin Similar career path
- Jack Coleman Similar career path
- Bob Gross Similar career path
- Bobby Wanzer Similar career path
- Sonny Parker Similar career path
- Neil Johnston Same-era comparison
- Dick McGuire Same-era comparison
- Bill Sharman Same-era comparison
- Billy Kenville Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Fort Wayne Pistons, Detroit Pistons, and Syracuse Nationals
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 42.2%FG%
- Three-point
- —3P%
- Free throw
- 78.0%FT%
472 career games · 15,767 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
George Yardley 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 →
| 1959–60 | 20.2 | 7.9 | 1.7 | +1.31 | SYR | 73 | 0 | 32.9 | 45.3% | — | 81.6% | #18 | 210.9 |
| 1958–59 | 19.8 | 7.1 | 1.1 | +1.59 | DET/SYR | 61 | 0 | 30.1 | 42.8% | — | 77.9% | #14 | 163.1 |
| 1957–58 | 27.8 | 10.7 | 1.3 | +2.87 | DET | 72 | 0 | 39.5 | 41.4% | — | 81.1% | #10 | 342.8 |
| 1956–57 | 21.5 | 10.5 | 2.0 | +2.75 | FTW | 72 | 0 | 37.4 | 41.0% | — | 78.7% | #5 | 286.9 |
| 1955–56 | 17.4 | 9.7 | 2.2 | +2.22 | FTW | 71 | 0 | 33.1 | 40.7% | — | 74.2% | #11 | 213.4 |
| 1954–55 | 17.3 | 9.9 | 2.1 | +1.66 | FTW | 60 | 0 | 35.8 | 41.8% | — | 74.5% | #10 | 165.0 |
| 1953–54 | 9.0 | 6.5 | 1.6 | +2.19 | FTW | 63 | 0 | 23.6 | 42.5% | — | 71.2% | #9 | 113.0 |
| Career | 19.2 | 8.9 | 1.7 | — | DET/FTW/SYR | 472 | — | 33.4 | 42.2% | — | 78.0% | — | — |
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.
13.0 composite · lower is better
9.0 average league finish
1,495 total value
Career standing
How George Yardley 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 Score13.0
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
- 7
- All-time rank
- #86
Strongest seasons
Every season
George Yardley 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
| 1959–60Historical Defense Estimate | SYR | 31 | 73 | 2,402 | +1.31 | 78.2 | #18 | 210.9 | 79th | Modeled |
| 1958–59Historical Defense Estimate | DET/SYR | 30 | 61 | 1,839 | +1.59 | 83.8 | #14 | 163.1 | 79th | Modeled |
| 1957–58Historical Defense Estimate | DET | 29 | 72 | 2,843 | +2.87 | 88.2 | #10 | 342.8 | 96th | Modeled |
| 1956–57Historical Defense Estimate | FTW | 28 | 72 | 2,691 | +2.75 | 94.9 | #5 | 286.9 | 95th | Modeled |
| 1955–56Historical Defense Estimate | FTW | 27 | 71 | 2,353 | +2.22 | 86.7 | #11 | 213.4 | 87th | Modeled |
| 1954–55Historical Defense Estimate | FTW | 26 | 60 | 2,150 | +1.66 | 88.2 | #10 | 165.0 | 84th | Modeled |
| 1953–54Historical Defense Estimate | FTW | 25 | 63 | 1,489 | +2.19 | 90.2 | #9 | 113.0 | 72nd | Modeled |
Career movement
George Yardley's career impact by season
Peak +2.87 in 1957–58 · 7 seasons · 15,767 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.
George YardleyConnie Hawkins
| NBA season | George Yardley | Connie Hawkins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2.2 | 3.4 |
| 2 | 1.7 | 3.4 |
| 3 | 2.2 | 2.8 |
| 4 | 2.8 | 2.1 |
| 5 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
| 6 | 1.6 | 0.0 |
| 7 | 1.3 | 1.1 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to George Yardley
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 #174
Connie Hawkins
94career similarity score
99/100 closest-season score · 1957–58 ↔ 1971–72PF · All-Time Career #74Harry Gallatin
93career similarity score
90/100 closest-season score · 1957–58 ↔ 1954–55PF · All-Time Career #82Jack Coleman
93career similarity score
92/100 closest-season score · 1957–58 ↔ 1952–53Impact 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 →