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Player profile · CHI / CIN / MIL
Norm Van Lier
Norm Van Lier stats, teams and career impact
#286 all-timeCareer averages · 11.8 PPG · 4.8 RPG · 7.0 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Point guard
- Final NBA team
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) · 173 lb (78 kg)
- Born
- April 1, 1947
- Died
- February 26, 2009 (61 yrs old)
- College
- Saint Francis University
- NBA seasons
- 10 seasons · 1969–70 to 1978–79
Career summaryNorm Van Lier was a point guard who played 10 NBA seasons, from 1969–70 through 1978–79.
- Career PPG
- 11.8
- Career RPG
- 4.8
- Career APG
- 7.0
- #16 in 1972–73
- #286 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Norm Van Lier ranks #286 all time
Norm Van Lier ranks #286 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #22.7. His full-career value ranks #289 across 10 seasons. Career Impact Rank averages his best three, five, and ten season ranks, with the most weight on his peak.
450+ minutes required per season
746 games · Career Value Rank #289
NBA honors3× All-Star · All-NBA · 8× All-DefenseContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Norm Van Lier 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.
- Kenny Smith Similar career path
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- Wesley Person Similar career path
- Darrell Walker Similar career path
- Don Chaney Same-era comparison
- Lucius Allen Same-era comparison
- Phil Chenier Same-era comparison
- Elmore Smith Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Cincinnati Royals, Chicago Bulls, and Milwaukee Bucks
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 41.4%FG%
- Three-point
- —3P%
- Free throw
- 78.0%FT%
746 career games · 26,171 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
Norm Van Lier 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 →
| 1978–79 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 4.2 | -0.38 | MIL | 38 | 0 | 14.6 | 39.0% | — | 90.4% | #106 | 20.0 |
| 1977–78 | 7.3 | 3.6 | 6.8 | -0.76 | CHI | 78 | 0 | 32.4 | 41.9% | — | 75.1% | #122 | 66.0 |
| 1976–77 | 10.2 | 4.5 | 7.8 | -0.01 | CHI | 82 | 0 | 37.8 | 41.2% | — | 77.8% | #98 | 128.3 |
| 1975–76 | 12.6 | 5.4 | 6.6 | -0.25 | CHI | 76 | 0 | 39.8 | 36.6% | — | 73.7% | #77 | 111.0 |
| 1974–75 | 15.0 | 4.7 | 5.8 | +0.45 | CHI | 70 | 0 | 37.0 | 42.0% | — | 79.2% | #63 | 131.8 |
| 1973–74 | 14.3 | 4.7 | 6.8 | +0.32 | CHI | 80 | 0 | 35.8 | 40.6% | — | 77.8% | #61 | 145.2 |
| 1972–73 | 13.9 | 5.5 | 7.1 | +2.74 | CHI | 80 | 0 | 36.0 | 44.5% | — | 78.7% | #16 | 297.3 |
| 1971–72 | 11.5 | 4.5 | 6.9 | +2.13 | CHI/CIN | 79 | 0 | 30.6 | 43.9% | — | 79.0% | #22 | 226.1 |
| 1970–71 | 16.0 | 7.1 | 10.1 | +1.40 | CIN | 82 | 0 | 40.5 | 42.0% | — | 81.6% | #30 | 278.9 |
| 1969–70 | 9.5 | 5.0 | 6.2 | -0.91 | CIN | 81 | 0 | 35.7 | 40.3% | — | 74.1% | #84 | 77.7 |
| Career | 11.8 | 4.8 | 7.0 | — | CHI/CIN/MIL | 746 | — | 35.1 | 41.4% | — | 78.0% | — | — |
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.
36.4 composite · lower is better
38.4 average league finish
1,482 total value
Career standing
How Norm Van Lier 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 Score36.4
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
- 10
- All-time rank
- #286
Strongest seasons
Every season
Norm Van Lier 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
| 1978–79Historical Defense Estimate | MIL | 31 | 38 | 555 | -0.38 | 53.7 | #106 | 20.0 | 33rd | Standard |
| 1977–78Historical Defense Estimate | CHI | 30 | 78 | 2,524 | -0.76 | 48.7 | #122 | 66.0 | 56th | Broad |
| 1976–77Historical Defense Estimate | CHI | 29 | 82 | 3,097 | -0.01 | 60.1 | #98 | 128.3 | 75th | Broad |
| 1975–76Historical Defense Estimate | CHI | 28 | 76 | 3,026 | -0.25 | 59.6 | #77 | 111.0 | 69th | Broad |
| 1974–75Historical Defense Estimate | CHI | 27 | 70 | 2,590 | +0.45 | 66.8 | #63 | 131.8 | 73rd | Broad |
| 1973–74Historical Defense Estimate | CHI | 26 | 80 | 2,863 | +0.32 | 65.9 | #61 | 145.2 | 76th | Broad |
| 1972–73Historical Defense Estimate | CHI | 25 | 80 | 2,882 | +2.74 | 91.3 | #16 | 297.3 | 92nd | Modeled |
| 1971–72Historical Defense Estimate | CHI/CIN | 24 | 79 | 2,415 | +2.13 | 87.2 | #22 | 226.1 | 84th | Modeled |
| 1970–71Historical Defense Estimate | CIN | 23 | 82 | 3,324 | +1.40 | 82.6 | #30 | 278.9 | 89th | Modeled |
| 1969–70Historical Defense Estimate | CIN | 22 | 81 | 2,895 | -0.91 | 41.1 | #84 | 77.7 | 57th | Modeled |
Career movement
Norm Van Lier's career impact by season
Peak +2.74 in 1972–73 · 10 seasons · 26,171 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.
Norm Van LierKenny Smith
| NBA season | Norm Van Lier | Kenny Smith |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -0.9 | -1.3 |
| 2 | 1.4 | -0.9 |
| 3 | 2.1 | -1.6 |
| 4 | 2.7 | 2.4 |
| 5 | 0.3 | -0.1 |
| 6 | 0.5 | 1.9 |
| 7 | -0.2 | 0.0 |
| 8 | -0.0 | 2.1 |
| 9 | -0.8 | -1.2 |
| 10 | -0.4 | -1.4 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
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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.
PG · All-Time Career #603
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93career similarity score
97/100 closest-season score · 1972–73 ↔ 1990–91SG · All-Time Career #798Buddy Hield
93career similarity score
91/100 closest-season score · 1972–73 ↔ 2018–19SG · All-Time Career #350Pete Maravich
92career similarity score
90/100 closest-season score · 1972–73 ↔ 1973–74Impact 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 →