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Player profile · FTW / MLH / NYK
Mel Hutchins
Mel Hutchins stats, teams and career impact
#137 all-timeCareer averages · 11.1 PPG · 9.6 RPG · 3.0 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Power forward
- Final NBA team
- New York Knicks
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) · 200 lb (91 kg)
- Born
- November 22, 1928
- Died
- December 19, 2018 (90 yrs old)
- College
- BYU
- NBA seasons
- 7 seasons · 1951–52 to 1957–58
Career summaryMel Hutchins was a power forward who played 7 NBA seasons, from 1951–52 through 1957–58.
- Career PPG
- 11.1
- Career RPG
- 9.6
- Career APG
- 3.0
- #5 in 1952–53
- #137 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Mel Hutchins ranks #137 all time
Mel Hutchins ranks #137 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #10.3. His full-career value ranks #412, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
1 top-ten finishes
437 games · Career Value Rank #412
NBA honors4× All-Star · ROYContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Mel Hutchins 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.
- George McGinnis Similar career path
- Harry Gallatin Similar career path
- Jack Coleman Similar career path
- Kenny Sears Similar career path
- Bob Kauffman Similar career path
- Bob Gross Similar career path
- Andy Phillip Same-era comparison
- Vern Mikkelsen Same-era comparison
- Bobby Wanzer Same-era comparison
- George King Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Milwaukee Hawks, Fort Wayne Pistons, and New York Knicks
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 38.9%FG%
- Three-point
- —3P%
- Free throw
- 67.3%FT%
437 career games · 16,574 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
Mel Hutchins 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 →
| 1957–58 | 7.0 | 4.8 | 1.9 | -2.13 | NYK | 18 | 0 | 21.3 | 38.9% | — | 55.8% | — | -1.2 |
| 1956–57 | 12.4 | 7.9 | 2.9 | +0.44 | FTW | 72 | 0 | 36.8 | 38.7% | — | 73.8% | #26 | 145.0 |
| 1955–56 | 12.0 | 7.5 | 2.7 | +1.03 | FTW | 66 | 0 | 33.9 | 42.5% | — | 64.3% | #18 | 146.1 |
| 1954–55 | 12.0 | 9.2 | 3.4 | +0.40 | FTW | 72 | 0 | 39.7 | 37.8% | — | 70.8% | #25 | 143.8 |
| 1953–54 | 10.3 | 9.7 | 2.9 | +1.64 | FTW | 72 | 0 | 40.8 | 40.1% | — | 67.7% | #15 | 193.5 |
| 1952–53 | 11.7 | 11.2 | 3.2 | +3.22 | MLH | 71 | 0 | 40.7 | 37.9% | — | 65.4% | #5 | 274.1 |
| 1951–52 | 9.2 | 13.3 | 2.9 | +2.20 | MLH | 66 | 0 | 39.7 | 36.5% | — | 64.4% | #11 | 208.0 |
| Career | 11.1 | 9.6 | 3.0 | — | FTW/MLH/NYK | 437 | — | 37.9 | 38.9% | — | 67.3% | — | — |
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.
18.2 composite · lower is better
14.8 average league finish
1,109 total value
Career standing
How Mel Hutchins 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 Score18.2
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
- 6
- All-time rank
- #137
Strongest seasons
Every season
Mel Hutchins 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
| 1957–58Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 29 | 18 | 384 | -2.13 | — | — | -1.2 | — | Modeled |
| 1956–57Historical Defense Estimate | FTW | 28 | 72 | 2,647 | +0.44 | 68.4 | #26 | 145.0 | 77th | Modeled |
| 1955–56Historical Defense Estimate | FTW | 27 | 66 | 2,240 | +1.03 | 77.3 | #18 | 146.1 | 76th | Modeled |
| 1954–55Historical Defense Estimate | FTW | 26 | 72 | 2,860 | +0.40 | 68.4 | #25 | 143.8 | 78th | Modeled |
| 1953–54Historical Defense Estimate | FTW | 25 | 72 | 2,934 | +1.64 | 82.9 | #15 | 193.5 | 89th | Modeled |
| 1952–53Historical Defense Estimate | MLH | 24 | 71 | 2,891 | +3.22 | 95.7 | #5 | 274.1 | 95th | Modeled |
| 1951–52Historical Defense Estimate | MLH | 23 | 66 | 2,618 | +2.20 | 89.5 | #11 | 208.0 | 92nd | Modeled |
Career movement
Mel Hutchins's career impact by season
Peak +3.22 in 1952–53 · 7 seasons · 16,574 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.
Mel HutchinsGeorge McGinnis
| NBA season | Mel Hutchins | George McGinnis |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2.2 | 3.8 |
| 2 | 3.2 | 2.5 |
| 3 | 1.6 | 1.7 |
| 4 | 0.4 | 2.6 |
| 5 | 1.0 | 0.1 |
| 6 | 0.4 | -0.4 |
| 7 | -2.1 | 0.6 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Mel Hutchins
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.
PF · All-Time Career #325
George McGinnis
92career similarity score
92/100 closest-season score · 1952–53 ↔ 1975–76PF · All-Time Career #74Harry Gallatin
92career similarity score
90/100 closest-season score · 1952–53 ↔ 1953–54PF · All-Time Career #82Jack Coleman
92career similarity score
88/100 closest-season score · 1952–53 ↔ 1950–51Impact 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 →