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Player profile · CHH / DET / UTA
Kelly Tripucka
Kelly Tripucka stats, teams and career impact
#630 all-timeCareer averages · 17.2 PPG · 3.8 RPG · 3.0 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Small forward
- Final NBA team
- Charlotte Hornets
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) · 220 lb (100 kg)
- Born
- February 16, 1959 (67 yrs old)
- College
- Notre Dame
- NBA seasons
- 10 seasons · 1981–82 to 1990–91
Career summaryKelly Tripucka was a small forward who played 10 NBA seasons, from 1981–82 through 1990–91.
- Career PPG
- 17.2
- Career RPG
- 3.8
- Career APG
- 3.0
- #43 in 1982–83
- #630 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Kelly Tripucka ranks #630 all time
Kelly Tripucka ranks #630 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #51.0. His full-career value ranks #448, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.
450+ minutes required per season
707 games · Career Value Rank #448
NBA honors2× All-StarContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Kelly Tripucka with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Kelly Tripucka vs. Willie Naulls Similar career path
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- Kelly Tripucka vs. Chris Ford Similar career path
- Kelly Tripucka vs. Darnell Valentine Same-era comparison
- Kelly Tripucka vs. Mike Woodson Same-era comparison
- Kelly Tripucka vs. Cliff Robinson Same-era comparison
- Kelly Tripucka vs. Mark Eaton Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz, and Charlotte Hornets
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 47.3%FG%
- Three-point
- 36.1%3P%
- Free throw
- 84.9%FT%
707 career games · 20,959 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
Kelly Tripucka 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.
Box impact is an estimate in points per 100 possessions, not the 0–100 Impact Rate score. Zero is league average; higher is better. Rate rank is a league place: No. 1 is best.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Box impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| pts/100 · higher is better | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–91 | 7.0 | 2.3 | 2.1 | -0.85 | CHH | 77 | 1 | 16.7 | 45.4% | 33.3% | 91.0% | #156 | 29.9 |
| 1989–90 | 15.6 | 4.1 | 2.8 | -0.90 | CHH | 79 | 73 | 30.4 | 43.0% | 36.5% | 88.3% | #151 | 54.0 |
| 1988–89 | 22.6 | 3.8 | 3.2 | +1.30 | CHH | 71 | 65 | 32.4 | 46.7% | 35.7% | 86.6% | #57 | 158.6 |
| 1987–88 | 7.5 | 2.4 | 2.1 | -1.06 | UTA | 49 | 21 | 19.9 | 45.9% | 41.9% | 86.8% | #143 | 19.3 |
| 1986–87 | 10.1 | 3.1 | 3.1 | -0.02 | UTA | 79 | 76 | 23.6 | 46.9% | 36.5% | 87.2% | #96 | 79.5 |
| 1985–86 | 20.0 | 4.3 | 3.3 | +1.54 | DET | 81 | 81 | 32.4 | 49.8% | 48.0% | 85.6% | #53 | 201.6 |
| 1984–85 | 19.1 | 4.0 | 2.5 | +0.22 | DET | 55 | 43 | 30.5 | 47.7% | 40.0% | 88.5% | #96 | 81.3 |
| 1983–84 | 21.3 | 4.0 | 3.0 | -0.48 | DET | 76 | 75 | 32.8 | 45.9% | 11.8% | 81.5% | #121 | 82.1 |
| 1982–83 | 26.5 | 4.6 | 4.1 | +1.83 | DET | 58 | 58 | 38.8 | 48.9% | 37.8% | 84.5% | #43 | 190.3 |
| 1981–82 | 21.6 | 5.4 | 3.3 | -0.08 | DET | 82 | 82 | 37.5 | 49.6% | 22.7% | 79.7% | #100 | 128.2 |
| Career | 17.2 | 3.8 | 3.0 | — | CHH/DET/UTA | 707 | — | 29.6 | 47.3% | 36.1% | 84.9% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average, from the historical box-score model. Zero is league average; higher is better. Historical defense estimates are included where labeled. This is not the live model's lineup-adjusted estimate.
- Impact Rate
- A 0–100 score comparing performance within one season. Higher is better. This is a score, not points per possession.
- Impact estimate
- The season model's final estimated points per 100 possessions above league average, before conversion to the 0–100 Impact Rate score. It includes lineup evidence where available. Zero is league average; higher is better.
- Impact Rate rank
- The player's place among qualified players in that season's Impact Rate ranking. No. 1 is best. This is a rank, not an impact score.
- 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.
66.5 composite · lower is better
69.0 average league finish
1,025 total value
- Impact Rate
- 0–100 score within one season. Higher is better.
- Box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above league average, from the historical model. Zero is average; higher is better.
Career standing
How Kelly Tripucka 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 Score66.5
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
- 256.0
- Qualified seasons
- 10
- All-time rank
- #630
Strongest seasons
Every season
Kelly Tripucka 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
| pts/100 · higher is better | 0–100 · higher is better | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–91Historical Defense Estimate | CHH | 31 | 77 | 1,289 | -0.85 | 46.7 | #156 | 29.9 | 46th | Broad |
| 1989–90Historical Defense Estimate | CHH | 30 | 79 | 2,404 | -0.90 | 47.7 | #151 | 54.0 | 55th | Broad |
| 1988–89Historical Defense Estimate | CHH | 29 | 71 | 2,302 | +1.30 | 78.7 | #57 | 158.6 | 80th | Broad |
| 1987–88Historical Defense Estimate | UTA | 28 | 49 | 976 | -1.06 | 43.2 | #143 | 19.3 | 39th | Standard |
| 1986–87Historical Defense Estimate | UTA | 27 | 79 | 1,865 | -0.02 | 62.9 | #96 | 79.5 | 66th | Broad |
| 1985–86Historical Defense Estimate | DET | 26 | 81 | 2,626 | +1.54 | 79.5 | #53 | 201.6 | 88th | Broad |
| 1984–85Historical Defense Estimate | DET | 25 | 55 | 1,675 | +0.22 | 62.5 | #96 | 81.3 | 62nd | Broad |
| 1983–84Historical Defense Estimate | DET | 24 | 76 | 2,493 | -0.48 | 51.6 | #121 | 82.1 | 58th | Broad |
| 1982–83Historical Defense Estimate | DET | 23 | 58 | 2,252 | +1.83 | 83.4 | #43 | 190.3 | 83rd | Broad |
| 1981–82Historical Defense Estimate | DET | 22 | 82 | 3,077 | -0.08 | 61.0 | #100 | 128.2 | 78th | Broad |
Career movement
Kelly Tripucka's box impact by season
Peak box impact +1.83 points per 100 possessions in 1982–83 · 10 seasons · 20,959 minutes
Box impact estimates points per 100 possessions above each season's league average. Zero is average; higher is better. Rank labels show Impact Rate league places, not ranks on this chart's box-impact scale.
Box impact · points per 100 possessionsMinutes
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.
Kelly TripuckaWillie Naulls
| NBA season | Kelly Tripucka | Willie Naulls |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -0.1 | -1.6 |
| 2 | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| 3 | -0.5 | -0.4 |
| 4 | 0.2 | 1.8 |
| 5 | 1.5 | 1.8 |
| 6 | -0.0 | 1.3 |
| 7 | -1.1 | -0.7 |
| 8 | 1.3 | -0.0 |
| 9 | -0.9 | -1.4 |
| 10 | -0.9 | -1.5 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Kelly Tripucka
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 #149
Willie Naulls
96career similarity score
95/100 closest-season score · 1982–83 ↔ 1959–60SF · All-Time Career #949Keith Van Horn
95career similarity score
91/100 closest-season score · 1982–83 ↔ 2001–02SF · All-Time Career #881Wally Szczerbiak
94career similarity score
94/100 closest-season score · 1982–83 ↔ 1999–00Impact 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 →