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Player profile · CIN / NYK / SFW

Jerry Lucas
Jerry Lucas stats, teams and career impact
#59 all-timeCareer averages · 17.0 PPG · 15.6 RPG · 3.3 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Power forward
- Final NBA team
- New York Knicks
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 8 in (203 cm) · 230 lb (104 kg)
- Born
- March 30, 1940 (86 yrs old)
- College
- Ohio State
- NBA seasons
- 11 seasons · 1963–64 to 1973–74
Career summaryJerry Lucas was a power forward who played 11 NBA seasons, from 1963–64 through 1973–74.
- Career PPG
- 17.0
- Career RPG
- 15.6
- Career APG
- 3.3
- #7 in 1971–72
- #59 all-time
Career overview
Why Jerry Lucas ranks #59 all time
Jerry Lucas ranks #59 all time. 4 top-ten finishes give him a sustained run near the top of the league. His full-career value ranks #79, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
450+ minutes required per season
829 games · Career Value Rank #79
NBA honors7× All-Star · 5× All-NBA · ROYContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Jerry Lucas with…
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- Jerry Lucas vs. Dave Cowens Similar career path
- Jerry Lucas vs. Kevin McHale Similar career path
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Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Cincinnati Royals, San Francisco Warriors, and New York Knicks
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 49.9%FG%
- Three-point
- —3P%
- Free throw
- 78.3%FT%
829 career games · 32,131 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
Jerry Lucas 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 →
| 1973–74 | 6.2 | 5.1 | 3.2 | +0.26 | NYK | 73 | 14 | 22.3 | 46.2% | — | 69.8% | #63 | 79.2 |
| 1972–73 | 9.9 | 7.2 | 4.5 | +3.42 | NYK | 71 | 38 | 28.2 | 51.3% | — | 80.0% | #8 | 239.1 |
| 1971–72 | 16.7 | 13.1 | 4.1 | +3.72 | NYK | 77 | 68 | 38.0 | 51.2% | — | 79.1% | #7 | 376.7 |
| 1970–71 | 19.2 | 15.8 | 3.7 | +2.54 | SFW | 80 | 0 | 40.6 | 49.8% | — | 78.7% | #13 | 349.3 |
| 1969–70 | 15.1 | 14.2 | 2.6 | +2.50 | CIN/SFW | 67 | 0 | 36.1 | 50.7% | — | 78.4% | #12 | 263.8 |
| 1968–69 | 18.3 | 18.4 | 4.1 | +3.48 | CIN | 74 | 0 | 41.6 | 55.1% | — | 75.5% | #6 | 398.8 |
| 1967–68 | 21.5 | 19.0 | 3.1 | +2.20 | CIN | 82 | 0 | 44.1 | 51.9% | — | 77.8% | #11 | 363.3 |
| 1966–67 | 17.8 | 19.1 | 3.3 | +1.01 | CIN | 81 | 0 | 43.9 | 45.9% | — | 79.1% | #20 | 264.5 |
| 1965–66 | 21.5 | 21.1 | 2.7 | +0.76 | CIN | 79 | 0 | 44.5 | 45.3% | — | 78.7% | #23 | 243.6 |
| 1964–65 | 21.4 | 20.0 | 2.4 | +1.86 | CIN | 66 | 0 | 43.4 | 49.8% | — | 81.4% | #9 | 267.0 |
| 1963–64 | 17.7 | 17.4 | 2.6 | +1.88 | CIN | 79 | 0 | 41.4 | 52.7% | — | 77.9% | #12 | 306.3 |
| Career | 17.0 | 15.6 | 3.3 | — | CIN/NYK/SFW | 829 | — | 38.8 | 49.9% | — | 78.3% | — | — |
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.
8.4 composite · lower is better
8.2 average league finish
3,152 total value
Career standing
How Jerry Lucas 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
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
- 135.0
- Qualified seasons
- 11
- All-time rank
- #59
Every season
Jerry Lucas 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
| 1973–74Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 33 | 73 | 1,627 | +0.26 | 64.8 | #63 | 79.2 | 58th | Broad |
| 1972–73Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 32 | 71 | 2,001 | +3.42 | 95.9 | #8 | 239.1 | 87th | Modeled |
| 1971–72Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 31 | 77 | 2,926 | +3.72 | 96.3 | #7 | 376.7 | 96th | Modeled |
| 1970–71Historical Defense Estimate | SFW | 30 | 80 | 3,251 | +2.54 | 92.8 | #13 | 349.3 | 95th | Modeled |
| 1969–70Historical Defense Estimate | CIN/SFW | 29 | 67 | 2,420 | +2.50 | 92.2 | #12 | 263.8 | 89th | Modeled |
| 1968–69Historical Defense Estimate | CIN | 28 | 74 | 3,075 | +3.48 | 96.2 | #6 | 398.8 | 96th | Modeled |
| 1967–68Historical Defense Estimate | CIN | 27 | 82 | 3,619 | +2.20 | 91.7 | #11 | 363.3 | 98th | Modeled |
| 1966–67Historical Defense Estimate | CIN | 26 | 81 | 3,558 | +1.01 | 81.0 | #20 | 264.5 | 91st | Modeled |
| 1965–66Historical Defense Estimate | CIN | 25 | 79 | 3,517 | +0.76 | 76.3 | #23 | 243.6 | 91st | Modeled |
| 1964–65Historical Defense Estimate | CIN | 24 | 66 | 2,864 | +1.86 | 91.0 | #9 | 267.0 | 91st | Modeled |
| 1963–64Historical Defense Estimate | CIN | 23 | 79 | 3,273 | +1.88 | 88.0 | #12 | 306.3 | 91st | Modeled |
Career movement
Jerry Lucas's career impact by season
Peak +3.72 in 1971–72 · 11 seasons · 32,131 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.
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.
| NBA season | Jerry Lucas | Dave Cowens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.9 | 0.9 |
| 2 | 1.9 | 2.6 |
| 3 | 0.8 | 3.2 |
| 4 | 1.0 | 1.9 |
| 5 | 2.2 | 3.7 |
| 6 | 3.5 | 3.2 |
| 7 | 2.5 | 2.6 |
| 8 | 2.5 | 3.2 |
| 9 | 3.7 | 0.0 |
| 10 | 3.4 | -0.1 |
| 11 | 0.3 | -0.3 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Jerry Lucas
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.
Dave Cowens
92career similarity score
93/100 closest-season score · 1971–72 ↔ 1977–78PF · All-Time Career #157Kevin McHale
92career similarity score
92/100 closest-season score · 1971–72 ↔ 1989–90PF · All-Time Career #405Pascal Siakam
91career similarity score
89/100 closest-season score · 1971–72 ↔ 2022–23Impact 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 →