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Player profile · DET / NYK
Nat Clifton
Nat Clifton stats, teams and career impact
#238 all-timeCareer averages · 10.0 PPG · 8.2 RPG · 2.5 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Power forward
- Final NBA team
- Detroit Pistons
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) · 220 lb (100 kg)
- Born
- October 13, 1922
- Died
- August 31, 1990 (67 yrs old)
- College
- Xavier University of Louisiana
- NBA seasons
- 8 seasons · 1950–51 to 1957–58
Career summaryNat Clifton was a power forward who played 8 NBA seasons, from 1950–51 through 1957–58.
- Career PPG
- 10.0
- Career RPG
- 8.2
- Career APG
- 2.5
- #23 in 1951–52
- #238 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Nat Clifton ranks #238 all time
Nat Clifton ranks #238 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #25.3. His full-career value ranks #727, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
450+ minutes required per season
544 games · Career Value Rank #727
NBA honorsAll-StarContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Nat Clifton with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
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- Nat Clifton vs. Lew Hitch Same-era comparison
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- Nat Clifton vs. George King Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 36.1%FG%
- Three-point
- —3P%
- Free throw
- 63.3%FT%
544 career games · 16,233 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
Nat Clifton 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 | 7.7 | 5.9 | 1.1 | -2.15 | DET | 68 | 0 | 21.1 | 36.3% | — | 62.3% | #61 | -5.5 |
| 1956–57 | 10.7 | 7.8 | 2.3 | -1.00 | NYK | 71 | 0 | 31.4 | 37.7% | — | 67.3% | #46 | 51.3 |
| 1955–56 | 8.8 | 6.0 | 2.4 | -0.53 | NYK | 64 | 0 | 24.0 | 39.4% | — | 70.7% | #35 | 50.1 |
| 1954–55 | 13.1 | 8.5 | 2.8 | +0.28 | NYK | 72 | 0 | 33.2 | 38.6% | — | 68.3% | #28 | 115.3 |
| 1953–54 | 9.6 | 7.3 | 2.4 | +0.07 | NYK | 72 | 0 | 30.3 | 36.8% | — | 62.8% | #33 | 82.1 |
| 1952–53 | 10.6 | 10.9 | 3.3 | +0.66 | NYK | 70 | 0 | 35.7 | 34.3% | — | 58.3% | #25 | 128.7 |
| 1951–52 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 3.4 | +0.93 | NYK | 62 | 0 | 33.9 | 33.5% | — | 66.4% | #23 | 121.7 |
| 1950–51 | 8.6 | 7.6 | 2.5 | -1.68 | NYK | 65 | 0 | 28.7 | 32.2% | — | 53.2% | #76 | 11.8 |
| Career | 10.0 | 8.2 | 2.5 | — | DET/NYK | 544 | — | 29.8 | 36.1% | — | 63.3% | — | — |
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.
31.1 composite · lower is better
28.8 average league finish
556 total value
Career standing
How Nat Clifton 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 Score31.1
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
- 82.5
- Qualified seasons
- 8
- All-time rank
- #238
Strongest seasons
Every season
Nat Clifton 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 | DET | 35 | 68 | 1,435 | -2.15 | 21.1 | #61 | -5.5 | 18th | Modeled |
| 1956–57Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 34 | 71 | 2,231 | -1.00 | 43.0 | #46 | 51.3 | 53rd | Modeled |
| 1955–56Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 33 | 64 | 1,537 | -0.53 | 54.7 | #35 | 50.1 | 48th | Modeled |
| 1954–55Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 32 | 72 | 2,390 | +0.28 | 64.5 | #28 | 115.3 | 71st | Modeled |
| 1953–54Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 31 | 72 | 2,179 | +0.07 | 61.0 | #33 | 82.1 | 63rd | Modeled |
| 1952–53Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 30 | 70 | 2,496 | +0.66 | 74.5 | #25 | 128.7 | 81st | Modeled |
| 1951–52Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 29 | 62 | 2,101 | +0.93 | 76.8 | #23 | 121.7 | 81st | Modeled |
| 1950–51legacy estimate | NYK | 28 | 65 | 1,864 | -1.68 | 27.9 | #76 | 11.8 | 35th | Modeled |
Career movement
Nat Clifton's career impact by season
Peak +0.93 in 1951–52 · 8 seasons · 16,233 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.
Nat CliftonP.J. Washington
| NBA season | Nat Clifton | P.J. Washington |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -1.7 | -0.5 |
| 2 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| 3 | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| 4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| 5 | 0.3 | -1.5 |
| 6 | -0.5 | -1.3 |
| 7 | -1.0 | -1.6 |
| 8 | -2.2 | Did not play |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Nat Clifton
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.
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P.J. Washington
94career similarity score
86/100 closest-season score · 1951–52 ↔ 2022–23C · All-Time Career #252Arnie Risen
93career similarity score
92/100 closest-season score · 1951–52 ↔ 1953–54PF · All-Time Career #1198Michael Smith
93career similarity score
92/100 closest-season score · 1951–52 ↔ 2000–01Impact 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 →