Jerry Lucas vs. Dirk Nowitzki Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Dirk Nowitzki and Jerry Lucas, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Jerry Lucas played 11 years in the NBA, 10 less than Dirk Nowitzki, who played 21. Jerry Lucas had the first of his seasons in 1963-64, while Dirk Nowitzki had his rookie season in 1998-99. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Jerry Lucas 11 8 1963-64 to 1973-74
Dirk Nowitzki 21 15 1998-99 to 2018-19

Comparison Season by Season

Rookie Season

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season 1963-641998-99
Team Cincinnati RoyalsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Royals Lost East Div FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 79 41.4 17.7 - - 17.4 2.6 - - - 3.8 6.9 13.1 .527 - - - 3.9 5.0 .779
Dirk Nowitzki 47 20.4 8.2 0.9 2.6 3.4 1.0 0.6 0.6 1.6 2.2 2.9 7.1 .405 0.3 1.4 .206 2.1 2.7 .773
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 10 37.0 12.2 - - 12.5 3.4 - - - 3.7 4.8 12.3 .390 - - - 2.6 3.7 .703
Dirk Nowitzki ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season 1964-651999-00
Team Cincinnati RoyalsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Royals Lost East Div SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 66 43.4 21.4 - - 20.0 2.4 - - - 3.2 8.5 17.0 .498 - - - 4.5 5.5 .814
Dirk Nowitzki 82 35.8 17.5 1.2 5.2 6.5 2.5 0.8 0.8 1.7 3.1 6.3 13.6 .461 1.4 3.7 .379 3.5 4.2 .830
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 4 48.8 23.3 - - 21.0 2.3 - - - 3.0 9.5 18.8 .507 - - - 4.3 5.5 .773
Dirk Nowitzki ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season 1965-662000-01
Team Cincinnati RoyalsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Third Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Royals Lost East Div SemisMavericks Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 79 44.5 21.5 - - 21.1 2.7 - - - 3.5 8.7 19.3 .453 - - - 4.0 5.1 .787
Dirk Nowitzki 82 38.1 21.8 1.5 7.7 9.2 2.1 1.0 1.2 1.9 3.0 7.2 15.2 .474 1.8 4.8 .387 5.5 6.6 .838
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 5 46.2 21.4 - - 20.2 2.8 - - - 2.8 8.0 17.0 .471 - - - 5.4 7.0 .771
Dirk Nowitzki 10 39.9 23.4 1.4 6.7 8.1 1.4 1.1 0.8 1.4 3.7 6.9 16.3 .423 1.3 4.6 .283 8.3 9.4 .883

Season 4

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season 1966-672001-02
Team Cincinnati RoyalsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second TeamAchievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Royals Lost East Div SemisMavericks Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 81 43.9 17.8 - - 19.1 3.3 - - - 3.5 7.1 15.5 .459 - - - 3.5 4.4 .791
Dirk Nowitzki 76 38.0 23.4 1.6 8.4 9.9 2.4 1.1 1.0 1.9 2.9 7.9 16.6 .477 1.8 4.6 .397 5.8 6.8 .853
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 4 45.8 12.5 - - 19.3 2.0 - - - 3.8 6.0 13.8 .436 - - - 0.5 0.5 1.000
Dirk Nowitzki 8 44.6 28.4 2.1 11.0 13.1 2.3 2.0 0.8 2.8 3.4 9.1 20.5 .445 2.0 3.5 .571 8.1 9.3 .878

Season 5

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season 1967-682002-03
Team Cincinnati RoyalsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayMavericks Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 82 44.1 21.5 - - 19.0 3.1 - - - 3.0 8.6 16.6 .519 - - - 4.2 5.4 .778
Dirk Nowitzki 80 39.0 25.1 1.0 8.9 9.9 3.0 1.4 1.0 1.9 2.6 8.6 18.6 .463 1.9 4.9 .379 6.0 6.9 .881
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 17 42.5 25.3 0.9 10.6 11.5 2.2 1.2 0.9 2.4 3.1 8.8 18.4 .479 1.6 3.6 .443 6.1 6.6 .912

Season 6

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season 1968-692003-04
Team Cincinnati RoyalsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayMavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 74 41.6 18.3 - - 18.4 4.1 - - - 2.8 7.5 13.6 .551 - - - 3.3 4.4 .755
Dirk Nowitzki 77 37.9 21.8 1.2 7.5 8.7 2.7 1.2 1.4 1.8 2.8 7.9 17.0 .462 1.3 3.8 .341 4.8 5.5 .877
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 5 42.2 26.6 2.6 9.2 11.8 1.4 1.4 2.6 1.2 3.2 9.0 20.0 .450 1.4 3.0 .467 7.2 8.4 .857

Season 7

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season 1969-702004-05
Team Cincinnati Royals, San Francisco WarriorsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayMavericks Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 67 36.1 15.1 - - 14.2 2.6 - - - 2.4 6.0 11.9 .507 - - - 3.0 3.8 .784
Dirk Nowitzki 78 38.7 26.1 1.2 8.5 9.7 3.1 1.2 1.5 2.3 2.8 8.5 18.5 .459 1.2 2.9 .399 7.9 9.1 .869
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 13 42.5 23.7 1.9 8.2 10.1 3.3 1.4 1.6 2.5 3.2 7.9 19.7 .402 0.8 2.3 .333 7.1 8.5 .829

Season 8

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season 1970-712005-06
Team San Francisco WarriorsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Warriors Lost West Conf SemisMavericks Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 80 40.6 19.2 - - 15.8 3.7 - - - 2.5 7.8 15.6 .498 - - - 3.6 4.6 .787
Dirk Nowitzki 81 38.1 26.6 1.4 7.6 9.0 2.8 0.7 1.0 1.9 2.0 9.3 19.3 .480 1.4 3.3 .406 6.7 7.4 .901
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 5 34.2 17.8 - - 10.0 3.2 - - - 2.8 7.8 15.4 .506 - - - 2.2 3.2 .688
Dirk Nowitzki 23 42.7 27.0 2.0 9.6 11.7 2.9 1.1 0.6 2.1 2.8 8.5 18.2 .468 1.0 2.9 .343 8.9 10.0 .895

Season 9

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season 1971-722006-07
Team New York KnicksDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost NBA FinalsMavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 77 38.0 16.7 - - 13.1 4.1 - - - 2.8 7.1 13.8 .512 - - - 2.6 3.2 .791
Dirk Nowitzki 78 36.2 24.6 1.6 7.3 8.9 3.4 0.7 0.8 2.1 2.2 8.6 17.2 .502 0.9 2.2 .416 6.4 7.1 .904
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 16 46.1 18.6 - - 10.8 5.3 - - - 3.1 7.4 14.9 .500 - - - 3.7 4.4 .831
Dirk Nowitzki 6 39.8 19.7 4.2 7.2 11.3 2.3 1.8 1.3 2.3 3.3 6.0 15.7 .383 0.7 3.2 .211 7.0 8.3 .840

Season 10

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season 1972-732007-08
Team New York KnicksDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionMavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 71 28.2 9.9 - - 7.2 4.5 - - - 2.2 4.4 8.6 .513 - - - 1.1 1.4 .800
Dirk Nowitzki 77 36.0 23.6 1.2 7.3 8.6 3.5 0.7 0.9 2.1 2.6 8.2 17.1 .479 1.0 2.9 .359 6.2 7.1 .879
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 17 21.6 7.5 - - 5.0 2.3 - - - 2.8 3.2 6.6 .482 - - - 1.2 1.4 .870
Dirk Nowitzki 5 42.2 26.8 2.0 10.0 12.0 4.0 0.2 1.4 2.0 2.6 8.6 18.2 .473 1.2 3.6 .333 8.4 10.4 .808

Season 11

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season 1973-742008-09
Team New York KnicksDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Conf FinalsMavericks Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 73 22.3 6.2 0.8 4.3 5.1 3.2 0.4 0.3 - 1.8 2.7 5.8 .462 - - - 0.9 1.3 .698
Dirk Nowitzki 81 37.7 25.9 1.1 7.3 8.4 2.4 0.8 0.8 1.9 2.2 9.6 20.0 .479 0.8 2.1 .359 6.0 6.7 .890
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas 11 10.5 0.9 0.5 1.5 2.0 0.8 0.4 0.0 - 0.8 0.5 1.9 .238 - - - 0.0 0.0 -
Dirk Nowitzki 10 39.4 26.8 1.2 8.9 10.1 3.1 0.9 0.8 2.3 2.1 8.8 17.0 .518 0.6 2.1 .286 8.6 9.3 .925

Season 12

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season -2009-10
Team -Dallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Mavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 81 37.5 25.0 1.0 6.7 7.7 2.7 0.9 1.0 1.8 2.6 8.9 18.5 .481 0.6 1.5 .421 6.6 7.2 .915
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 6 38.8 26.7 1.2 7.0 8.2 3.0 0.8 0.7 1.7 2.5 9.7 17.7 .547 0.7 1.2 .571 6.7 7.0 .952

Season 13

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season -2010-11
Team -Dallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -NBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 73 34.3 23.0 0.7 6.3 7.0 2.6 0.5 0.6 1.9 2.4 8.4 16.2 .517 0.9 2.3 .393 5.4 6.1 .892
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 21 39.3 27.7 0.6 7.6 8.1 2.5 0.6 0.6 3.1 2.2 9.1 18.9 .485 1.1 2.4 .460 8.3 8.9 .941

Season 14

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season -2011-12
Team -Dallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Mavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 62 33.5 21.6 0.7 6.0 6.7 2.2 0.7 0.5 1.9 2.1 7.6 16.7 .457 1.3 3.4 .368 5.1 5.7 .896
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 4 38.5 26.8 0.8 5.5 6.3 1.8 0.8 0.0 2.5 2.3 8.5 19.3 .442 0.3 1.5 .167 9.5 10.5 .905

Season 15

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season -2012-13
Team -Dallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Did Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 53 31.3 17.3 0.7 6.2 6.8 2.5 0.7 0.7 1.3 1.8 6.5 13.7 .471 1.2 3.0 .414 3.1 3.6 .860
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki ------- --- ----------

Season 16

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season -2013-14
Team -Dallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Mavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 80 32.9 21.7 0.5 5.7 6.2 2.7 0.9 0.6 1.5 2.1 7.9 15.9 .497 1.6 4.1 .398 4.2 4.7 .899
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 7 37.6 19.1 0.7 7.3 8.0 1.6 0.9 0.9 2.1 2.9 7.7 18.0 .429 0.1 1.7 .083 3.6 4.4 .806

Season 17

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season -2014-15
Team -Dallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Mavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 77 29.6 17.3 0.6 5.4 5.9 1.9 0.5 0.4 1.1 2.1 6.3 13.8 .459 1.4 3.6 .380 3.3 3.8 .882
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 5 36.2 21.2 0.8 9.6 10.4 2.4 0.4 0.4 2.0 3.2 7.6 16.8 .452 0.8 3.4 .235 5.2 5.6 .929

Season 18

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season -2015-16
Team -Dallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Mavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 75 31.5 18.3 0.7 5.8 6.5 1.8 0.7 0.7 1.1 2.1 6.6 14.8 .448 1.7 4.6 .368 3.3 3.7 .893
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 5 34.0 20.4 0.6 4.2 4.8 1.6 0.4 0.6 1.4 1.8 8.2 16.6 .494 0.8 2.2 .364 3.2 3.4 .941

Season 19

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season -2016-17
Team -Dallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Did Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 54 26.4 14.2 0.4 6.1 6.5 1.5 0.6 0.7 0.9 2.1 5.5 12.6 .437 1.5 3.9 .378 1.8 2.1 .875
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki ------- --- ----------

Season 20

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season -2017-18
Team -Dallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Did Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 77 24.7 12.0 0.3 5.4 5.7 1.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 1.9 4.5 9.8 .456 1.8 4.4 .409 1.3 1.4 .898
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki ------- --- ----------

Season 21

Jerry Lucas Dirk Nowitzki
Season -2018-19
Team -Dallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Did Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki 51 15.6 7.3 0.1 3.0 3.1 0.7 0.2 0.4 0.4 1.5 2.6 7.4 .359 1.3 4.0 .312 0.8 1.0 .780
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
Dirk Nowitzki ------- --- ----------