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Player profile · DET / PHI / WSB
Jeff Ruland
Jeff Ruland stats, teams and career impact
#360 all-timeCareer averages · 17.4 PPG · 10.2 RPG · 3.0 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Center
- Final NBA team
- Detroit Pistons
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 10 in (208 cm) · 240 lb (109 kg)
- Born
- December 16, 1958 (67 yrs old)
- College
- Iona College
- NBA seasons
- 8 seasons · 1981–82 to 1992–93
Career summaryJeff Ruland was a center who played 8 NBA seasons, from 1981–82 through 1992–93.
- Career PPG
- 17.4
- Career RPG
- 10.2
- Career APG
- 3.0
- #10 in 1985–86
- #360 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Jeff Ruland ranks #360 all time
Jeff Ruland ranks #360 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #15.3. His full-career value ranks #457, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
450+ minutes required per season
332 games · Career Value Rank #457
NBA honors2× All-StarContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Jeff Ruland with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Jeff Ruland vs. John Williams Similar career path
- Jeff Ruland vs. George McGinnis Similar career path
- Jeff Ruland vs. Daniel Gafford Similar career path
- Jeff Ruland vs. Brandon Clarke Similar career path
- Jeff Ruland vs. Mitchell Robinson Similar career path
- Jeff Ruland vs. Neil Johnston Similar career path
- Jeff Ruland vs. Rodney McCray Same-era comparison
- Jeff Ruland vs. Darrell Walker Same-era comparison
- Jeff Ruland vs. Johnny Moore Same-era comparison
- Jeff Ruland vs. Bill Laimbeer Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Washington Bullets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Detroit Pistons
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 56.4%FG%
- Three-point
- 15.8%3P%
- Free throw
- 71.8%FT%
332 career games · 11,088 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
Jeff Ruland 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 →
| 1992–93 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 0.2 | -10.39 | DET | 11 | 0 | 5.0 | 45.5% | — | 50.0% | — | -9.0 |
| 1991–92 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 0.4 | -8.16 | PHI | 13 | 5 | 16.1 | 52.6% | — | 68.8% | — | -25.1 |
| 1986–87 | 9.4 | 5.6 | 2.0 | -4.54 | PHI | 5 | 2 | 23.2 | 67.9% | — | 75.0% | — | -6.0 |
| 1985–86 | 19.0 | 10.7 | 5.3 | +4.40 | WSB | 30 | 24 | 37.1 | 55.4% | 0.0% | 72.5% | #10 | 147.1 |
| 1984–85 | 18.9 | 11.1 | 4.4 | +1.93 | WSB | 37 | 36 | 38.8 | 56.9% | 0.0% | 68.5% | #38 | 117.8 |
| 1983–84 | 22.2 | 12.3 | 3.9 | +3.04 | WSB | 75 | 75 | 41.1 | 57.9% | 14.3% | 73.3% | #18 | 315.2 |
| 1982–83 | 19.4 | 11.0 | 3.0 | +3.15 | WSB | 79 | 47 | 36.2 | 55.2% | 33.3% | 68.9% | #18 | 305.1 |
| 1981–82 | 14.4 | 9.3 | 1.6 | +1.38 | WSB | 82 | 0 | 27.0 | 56.1% | 33.3% | 75.2% | #45 | 155.0 |
| Career | 17.4 | 10.2 | 3.0 | — | DET/PHI/WSB | 332 | — | 33.4 | 56.4% | 15.8% | 71.8% | — | — |
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.
43.5 composite · lower is better
25.8 average league finish
1,000 total value
Career standing
How Jeff Ruland 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 Score43.5
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
- 255.0
- Qualified seasons
- 5
- All-time rank
- #360
Strongest seasons
Every season
Jeff Ruland 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
| 1992–93Historical Defense Estimate | DET | 34 | 11 | 55 | -10.39 | — | — | -9.0 | — | Limited |
| 1991–92Historical Defense Estimate | PHI | 33 | 13 | 209 | -8.16 | — | — | -25.1 | — | Limited |
| 1986–87Historical Defense Estimate | PHI | 28 | 5 | 116 | -4.54 | — | — | -6.0 | — | Limited |
| 1985–86Historical Defense Estimate | WSB | 27 | 30 | 1,114 | +4.40 | 96.5 | #10 | 147.1 | 79th | Broad |
| 1984–85Historical Defense Estimate | WSB | 26 | 37 | 1,436 | +1.93 | 85.4 | #38 | 117.8 | 72nd | Broad |
| 1983–84Historical Defense Estimate | WSB | 25 | 75 | 3,082 | +3.04 | 93.1 | #18 | 315.2 | 95th | Broad |
| 1982–83Historical Defense Estimate | WSB | 24 | 79 | 2,862 | +3.15 | 93.3 | #18 | 305.1 | 95th | Broad |
| 1981–82Historical Defense Estimate | WSB | 23 | 82 | 2,214 | +1.38 | 82.7 | #45 | 155.0 | 83rd | Broad |
Career movement
Jeff Ruland's career impact by season
Peak +4.40 in 1985–86 · 8 seasons · 11,088 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
—’88
—’89
—’90
—’91
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.
Jeff RulandJohn Williams
| NBA season | Jeff Ruland | John Williams |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.4 | 2.5 |
| 2 | 3.1 | 0.9 |
| 3 | 3.0 | 5.2 |
| 4 | 1.9 | 2.8 |
| 5 | 4.4 | 0.6 |
| 6 | -4.5 | -1.1 |
| 7 | -8.2 | -1.3 |
| 8 | -10.4 | -8.0 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Jeff Ruland
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 #440
John Williams
84career similarity score
84/100 closest-season score · 1985–86 ↔ 1989–90PF · All-Time Career #325George McGinnis
84career similarity score
79/100 closest-season score · 1985–86 ↔ 1981–82C · All-Time Career #665Daniel Gafford
83career similarity score
91/100 closest-season score · 1985–86 ↔ 2024–25Impact 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 →