John Drew vs. Nate Thurmond Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Nate Thurmond and John Drew, 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.

John Drew played 11 years in the NBA, 3 less than Nate Thurmond, who played 14. John Drew had the first of his seasons in 1974-75, while Nate Thurmond had his rookie season in 1963-64. 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
John Drew 11 5 1974-75 to 1984-85
Nate Thurmond 14 9 1963-64 to 1976-77

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

Rookie Season

John Drew Nate Thurmond
Season 1974-751963-64
Team Atlanta HawksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayWarriors Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew 78 29.3 18.5 4.6 6.1 10.7 1.8 1.5 0.5 - 3.5 6.8 15.8 .428 - - - 5.0 7.0 .713
Nate Thurmond 76 25.9 7.0 - - 10.4 1.1 - - - 2.4 2.9 7.3 .395 - - - 1.3 2.3 .549
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 12 34.2 10.0 - - 12.3 0.8 - - - 3.8 3.5 8.0 .438 - - - 3.0 4.4 .679

Season 2

John Drew Nate Thurmond
Season 1975-761964-65
Team Atlanta HawksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew 77 30.5 21.6 3.7 4.9 8.6 1.9 1.8 0.4 - 3.4 7.6 15.2 .502 - - - 6.3 8.5 .744
Nate Thurmond 77 41.2 16.5 - - 18.1 2.0 - - - 3.0 6.7 16.1 .419 - - - 3.1 4.6 .658
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 3

John Drew Nate Thurmond
Season 1976-771965-66
Team Atlanta HawksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew 74 36.3 24.2 3.8 5.3 9.1 1.8 1.4 0.4 - 3.7 9.3 19.1 .487 - - - 5.6 7.8 .714
Nate Thurmond 73 39.6 16.3 - - 18.0 1.5 - - - 3.1 6.2 15.3 .406 - - - 3.8 5.9 .654
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 4

John Drew Nate Thurmond
Season 1977-781966-67
Team Atlanta HawksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Hawks Lost East Conf 1st RdWarriors Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew 70 31.5 23.2 3.0 4.3 7.3 2.0 1.7 0.4 3.0 3.5 8.5 17.7 .480 - - - 6.2 8.2 .760
Nate Thurmond 65 42.5 18.7 - - 21.3 2.6 - - - 2.8 7.2 16.4 .437 - - - 4.3 6.8 .629
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew 2 39.5 26.0 4.5 3.0 7.5 1.5 0.5 0.5 2.0 4.5 10.5 24.5 .429 - - - 5.0 8.0 .625
Nate Thurmond 15 46.0 15.9 - - 23.1 3.1 - - - 3.5 6.2 14.3 .433 - - - 3.5 6.1 .571

Season 5

John Drew Nate Thurmond
Season 1978-791967-68
Team Atlanta HawksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Hawks Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew 79 30.5 22.7 2.8 3.8 6.6 1.5 1.6 0.2 2.7 4.2 8.2 17.4 .473 - - - 6.3 8.6 .731
Nate Thurmond 51 43.6 20.5 - - 22.0 4.2 - - - 2.7 7.5 18.2 .411 - - - 5.5 8.6 .644
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew 9 30.6 16.1 2.2 4.4 6.7 0.8 1.0 0.4 1.8 4.0 6.1 14.6 .420 - - - 3.9 5.1 .761
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 6

John Drew Nate Thurmond
Season 1979-801968-69
Team Atlanta HawksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Hawks Lost East Conf SemisWarriors Lost West Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew 80 28.8 19.5 2.5 3.4 5.9 1.3 1.1 0.3 3.0 3.9 6.7 14.8 .453 0.0 0.1 .000 6.1 8.1 .757
Nate Thurmond 71 45.2 21.5 - - 19.7 3.6 - - - 2.4 8.0 19.6 .410 - - - 5.4 8.7 .615
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew 5 30.0 14.6 2.0 4.0 6.0 0.8 1.4 0.0 2.4 4.2 4.8 12.6 .381 0.0 0.0 - 5.0 7.0 .714
Nate Thurmond 6 43.8 16.7 - - 19.5 4.7 - - - 3.0 6.7 17.0 .392 - - - 3.3 5.7 .588

Season 7

John Drew Nate Thurmond
Season 1980-811969-70
Team Atlanta HawksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew 67 31.0 21.7 2.2 3.6 5.7 1.2 1.5 0.2 2.9 3.9 7.5 16.4 .456 0.0 0.1 .000 6.8 8.6 .787
Nate Thurmond 43 44.6 21.9 - - 17.7 3.5 - - - 2.6 7.9 19.2 .414 - - - 6.1 8.0 .754
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 8

John Drew Nate Thurmond
Season 1981-821970-71
Team Atlanta HawksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Playoffs Hawks Lost East Conf 1st RdWarriors 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 %
John Drew 70 29.1 18.5 2.4 2.9 5.4 1.4 0.9 0.0 2.5 3.6 6.6 13.7 .486 0.1 0.2 .333 5.2 7.0 .741
Nate Thurmond 82 40.9 20.0 - - 13.8 3.1 - - - 2.3 7.6 17.1 .445 - - - 4.8 6.6 .730
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew 2 29.5 11.5 3.0 2.0 5.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 2.5 5.5 4.0 11.0 .364 0.0 0.0 - 3.5 6.0 .583
Nate Thurmond 5 38.4 17.6 - - 10.2 3.0 - - - 4.0 7.2 19.4 .371 - - - 3.2 4.0 .800

Season 9

John Drew Nate Thurmond
Season 1982-831971-72
Team Utah JazzGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayWarriors 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 %
John Drew 44 27.4 21.2 2.2 3.1 5.3 2.2 0.8 0.2 3.1 3.5 7.2 15.3 .474 0.0 0.1 .000 6.7 8.9 .755
Nate Thurmond 78 43.1 21.4 - - 16.1 2.9 - - - 2.7 8.1 18.6 .432 - - - 5.3 7.2 .743
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 5 46.0 25.4 - - 17.8 5.2 - - - 2.4 10.6 24.4 .434 - - - 4.2 5.6 .750

Season 10

John Drew Nate Thurmond
Season 1983-841972-73
Team Utah JazzGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Jazz Lost West Conf SemisWarriors 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 %
John Drew 81 22.2 17.7 1.8 2.4 4.2 1.7 1.1 0.0 2.4 2.6 6.3 13.2 .479 0.1 0.3 .273 5.0 6.4 .778
Nate Thurmond 79 43.3 17.1 - - 17.1 3.5 - - - 3.0 6.5 14.7 .446 - - - 4.0 5.6 .718
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew 11 15.6 10.2 0.9 1.4 2.3 0.8 0.4 0.0 1.0 2.4 3.9 7.7 .506 0.0 0.0 - 2.4 3.0 .788
Nate Thurmond 11 41.8 14.5 - - 13.2 3.6 - - - 2.7 5.8 14.6 .398 - - - 2.9 3.6 .800

Season 11

John Drew Nate Thurmond
Season 1984-851973-74
Team Utah JazzGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew 19 24.4 16.2 1.9 2.4 4.3 1.8 1.2 0.1 2.2 3.4 5.6 13.7 .412 0.0 0.2 .000 4.9 6.4 .770
Nate Thurmond 62 39.7 13.0 4.0 10.1 14.2 2.7 0.7 2.9 - 2.9 5.0 11.2 .444 - - - 3.1 4.6 .666
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 12

John Drew Nate Thurmond
Season -1974-75
Team -Chicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Bulls 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 %
John Drew ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 80 34.5 7.9 3.2 8.1 11.3 4.1 0.6 2.4 - 3.4 3.1 8.6 .364 - - - 1.7 2.8 .589
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 13 19.5 3.5 1.8 4.8 6.7 2.4 0.4 1.6 - 2.8 1.1 2.9 .368 - - - 1.4 2.8 .486

Season 13

John Drew Nate Thurmond
Season -1975-76
Team -Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Cavaliers Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 78 17.9 4.4 1.5 3.8 5.3 1.2 0.3 1.3 - 2.1 1.8 4.3 .421 - - - 0.8 1.6 .504
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 13 28.8 6.7 2.9 6.1 9.0 2.2 0.5 2.2 - 4.0 2.8 6.1 .468 - - - 1.0 2.5 .406

Season 14

John Drew Nate Thurmond
Season -1976-77
Team -Cleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Cavaliers Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 49 20.3 5.5 2.5 5.2 7.6 1.7 0.3 1.7 - 2.6 2.0 5.0 .407 - - - 1.4 2.2 .642
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Drew ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond 1 1.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 - 0.0 0.0 0.0 - - - - 0.0 0.0 -