Gary Payton II vs. Nate Thurmond Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Nate Thurmond and Gary Payton II that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

Gary Payton II

vs.

Nate Thurmond

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Gary Payton II: 2016-17 to 2023-24
Nate Thurmond: 1963-64 to 1976-77

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Gary Payton II 1 Nate Thurmond 0

NBA Seasons Gary Payton II 8 Nate Thurmond 14

Playoffs Played Gary Payton II 2 Nate Thurmond 9

All-Star Games Gary Payton II 0 Nate Thurmond 7

Honors and Awards

All-Defensive 1st Team Gary Payton II 0 Nate Thurmond 2 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Gary Payton II 0 Nate Thurmond 5

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Gary Payton II 5.2 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Rebounds Per Game Gary Payton II 2.8 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Assists Per Game Gary Payton II 1.1 Nate Thurmond 2.7

Steals Per Game Gary Payton II 1.0 Nate Thurmond 0.5 *

Blocks Per Game Gary Payton II 0.3 Nate Thurmond 2.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Gary Payton II 1,081 Nate Thurmond 14,437

Total Rebounds Gary Payton II 578 Nate Thurmond 14,464

Total Assists Gary Payton II 229 Nate Thurmond 2,575

Total Steals Gary Payton II 209 Nate Thurmond 125 *

Total Blocks Gary Payton II 61 Nate Thurmond 553 *

Total Games Gary Payton II 208 Nate Thurmond 964

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Gary Payton II .551 Nate Thurmond .421

3-Point Percentage Gary Payton II .345 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Gary Payton II .596 Nate Thurmond .667

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Gary Payton II 7.1 (2022) Nate Thurmond 21.9 (1970)

Rebounds Per Game Gary Payton II 3.5 (2022) Nate Thurmond 22.0 (1968)

Assists Per Game Gary Payton II 2.2 (2017) Nate Thurmond 4.2 (1968)

Steals Per Game Gary Payton II 1.4 (2022) Nate Thurmond 0.7 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Gary Payton II 0.7 (2017) Nate Thurmond 2.9 (1974) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Gary Payton II 6.7 Nate Thurmond 11.9

Rebounds Per Game Gary Payton II 3.4 Nate Thurmond 13.6

Assists Per Game Gary Payton II 1.0 Nate Thurmond 2.8

Steals Per Game Gary Payton II 0.9 Nate Thurmond 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game Gary Payton II 0.5 Nate Thurmond 1.9 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Gary Payton II 160 Nate Thurmond 966

Total Rebounds Gary Payton II 81 Nate Thurmond 1,101

Total Assists Gary Payton II 25 Nate Thurmond 225

Total Steals Gary Payton II 22 Nate Thurmond 11 *

Total Blocks Gary Payton II 13 Nate Thurmond 51 *

Total Games Gary Payton II 24 Nate Thurmond 81

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Gary Payton II .663 Nate Thurmond .416

3-Point Percentage Gary Payton II .400 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Gary Payton II .667 Nate Thurmond .621

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Gary Payton II 6.8 (2023) Nate Thurmond 25.4 (1972)

Rebounds Per Game Gary Payton II 3.7 (2023) Nate Thurmond 23.1 (1967)

Assists Per Game Gary Payton II 1.3 (2022) Nate Thurmond 5.2 (1972)

Steals Per Game Gary Payton II 1.2 (2022) Nate Thurmond 0.5 (1976) *

Blocks Per Game Gary Payton II 0.6 (2022) Nate Thurmond 2.2 (1976) *

Notes: * Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. ** Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat.