Nate Thurmond vs. Gus Williams Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Gus Williams and Nate Thurmond, 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.

Nate Thurmond played 14 years in the NBA, 3 more than Gus Williams, who played 11. Nate Thurmond had the first of his seasons in 1963-64, while Gus Williams had his rookie season in 1975-76. 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
Nate Thurmond 14 9 1963-64 to 1976-77
Gus Williams 11 10 1975-76 to 1986-87

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Nate Thurmond Gus Williams
Season 1963-641975-76
Team San Francisco WarriorsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Warriors Lost NBA FinalsWarriors 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 %
Nate Thurmond 76 25.9 7.0 - - 10.4 1.1 - - - 2.4 2.9 7.3 .395 - - - 1.3 2.3 .549
Gus Williams 77 22.4 11.7 0.8 1.3 2.1 3.1 1.8 0.3 - 1.9 4.7 11.1 .428 - - - 2.2 3.0 .742
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 12 34.2 10.0 - - 12.3 0.8 - - - 3.8 3.5 8.0 .438 - - - 3.0 4.4 .679
Gus Williams 11 16.2 6.7 0.5 0.8 1.3 2.4 1.0 0.0 - 2.0 2.7 7.7 .353 - - - 1.3 1.9 .667

Season 2

Nate Thurmond Gus Williams
Season 1964-651976-77
Team San Francisco WarriorsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
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 %
Nate Thurmond 77 41.2 16.5 - - 18.1 2.0 - - - 3.0 6.7 16.1 .419 - - - 3.1 4.6 .658
Gus Williams 82 23.5 9.3 0.9 2.0 2.8 3.6 1.5 0.2 - 2.7 4.0 8.5 .464 - - - 1.4 1.8 .747
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Gus Williams 10 18.4 8.8 0.9 0.6 1.5 2.5 0.8 0.1 - 3.0 3.5 7.0 .500 - - - 1.8 2.1 .857

Season 3

Nate Thurmond Gus Williams
Season 1965-661977-78
Team San Francisco WarriorsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlaySupersonics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 73 39.6 16.3 - - 18.0 1.5 - - - 3.1 6.2 15.3 .406 - - - 3.8 5.9 .654
Gus Williams 79 32.6 18.1 1.1 2.2 3.2 3.7 2.3 0.5 2.4 2.5 7.6 16.9 .451 - - - 2.9 3.5 .817
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Gus Williams 22 31.9 18.3 1.4 2.5 3.9 4.0 2.0 0.5 2.5 3.2 7.4 15.5 .477 - - - 3.5 4.8 .726

Season 4

Nate Thurmond Gus Williams
Season 1966-671978-79
Team San Francisco WarriorsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Warriors Lost NBA FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 65 42.5 18.7 - - 21.3 2.6 - - - 2.8 7.2 16.4 .437 - - - 4.3 6.8 .629
Gus Williams 76 29.8 19.2 1.5 1.8 3.2 4.0 2.1 0.4 2.5 2.1 8.0 16.1 .495 - - - 3.2 4.2 .775
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 15 46.0 15.9 - - 23.1 3.1 - - - 3.5 6.2 14.3 .433 - - - 3.5 6.1 .571
Gus Williams 17 36.4 26.6 2.1 2.0 4.1 3.7 2.0 0.6 2.5 2.5 10.7 22.5 .476 - - - 5.3 7.5 .709

Season 5

Nate Thurmond Gus Williams
Season 1967-681979-80
Team San Francisco WarriorsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlaySupersonics 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 %
Nate Thurmond 51 43.6 20.5 - - 22.0 4.2 - - - 2.7 7.5 18.2 .411 - - - 5.5 8.6 .644
Gus Williams 82 36.2 22.1 1.5 1.8 3.4 4.8 2.4 0.5 2.2 2.0 9.0 18.7 .482 0.1 0.4 .194 4.0 5.1 .788
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Gus Williams 15 37.6 23.7 2.0 2.0 4.0 5.6 2.3 0.5 3.1 2.5 9.7 18.9 .514 0.1 0.3 .200 4.1 5.7 .721

Note: Gus Williams didn't play in 1980-81.

Season 6

Nate Thurmond Gus Williams
Season 1968-691981-82
Team San Francisco WarriorsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Warriors Lost West Div SemisSupersonics 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 %
Nate Thurmond 71 45.2 21.5 - - 19.7 3.6 - - - 2.4 8.0 19.6 .410 - - - 5.4 8.7 .615
Gus Williams 80 36.0 23.4 1.2 1.9 3.1 6.9 2.2 0.5 2.5 2.0 9.7 19.9 .486 0.1 0.5 .225 4.0 5.5 .734
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 6 43.8 16.7 - - 19.5 4.7 - - - 3.0 6.7 17.0 .392 - - - 3.3 5.7 .588
Gus Williams 8 39.4 26.3 1.5 1.8 3.3 8.1 1.6 0.6 2.3 1.6 10.3 23.3 .441 0.3 0.8 .333 5.5 7.0 .786

Season 7

Nate Thurmond Gus Williams
Season 1969-701982-83
Team San Francisco WarriorsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlaySupersonics 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 %
Nate Thurmond 43 44.6 21.9 - - 17.7 3.5 - - - 2.6 7.9 19.2 .414 - - - 6.1 8.0 .754
Gus Williams 80 34.5 20.0 0.9 1.7 2.6 8.0 2.3 0.3 2.9 1.5 8.3 17.3 .477 0.0 0.5 .047 3.5 4.6 .751
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Gus Williams 2 40.5 32.5 2.0 1.5 3.5 4.0 2.5 0.0 3.0 2.5 13.0 23.5 .553 0.0 1.0 .000 6.5 7.5 .867

Season 8

Nate Thurmond Gus Williams
Season 1970-711983-84
Team San Francisco WarriorsSeattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Playoffs Warriors Lost West Conf SemisSupersonics 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 %
Nate Thurmond 82 40.9 20.0 - - 13.8 3.1 - - - 2.3 7.6 17.1 .445 - - - 4.8 6.6 .730
Gus Williams 80 35.2 18.7 0.8 1.7 2.6 8.4 2.4 0.3 2.9 1.9 7.5 16.3 .458 0.1 0.3 .160 3.7 5.0 .750
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 5 38.4 17.6 - - 10.2 3.0 - - - 4.0 7.2 19.4 .371 - - - 3.2 4.0 .800
Gus Williams 5 43.0 23.4 0.4 2.0 2.4 11.4 1.6 0.6 2.8 1.4 10.0 19.6 .510 0.4 1.2 .333 3.0 4.2 .714

Season 9

Nate Thurmond Gus Williams
Season 1971-721984-85
Team Golden State WarriorsWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Playoffs Warriors Lost West Conf SemisBullets 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 %
Nate Thurmond 78 43.1 21.4 - - 16.1 2.9 - - - 2.7 8.1 18.6 .432 - - - 5.3 7.2 .743
Gus Williams 79 37.5 20.0 0.9 1.6 2.5 7.7 2.3 0.4 2.7 2.0 8.1 18.8 .430 0.6 2.2 .290 3.2 4.4 .725
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 5 46.0 25.4 - - 17.8 5.2 - - - 2.4 10.6 24.4 .434 - - - 4.2 5.6 .750
Gus Williams 4 39.8 18.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 5.0 1.3 0.3 3.3 1.3 7.5 17.8 .423 0.8 2.5 .300 2.3 3.0 .750

Season 10

Nate Thurmond Gus Williams
Season 1972-731985-86
Team Golden State WarriorsWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Warriors Lost West Conf FinalsBullets 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 %
Nate Thurmond 79 43.3 17.1 - - 17.1 3.5 - - - 3.0 6.5 14.7 .446 - - - 4.0 5.6 .718
Gus Williams 77 29.7 13.5 0.7 1.5 2.2 5.9 1.2 0.2 2.1 1.5 5.6 13.2 .428 0.4 1.5 .259 1.8 2.4 .734
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond 11 41.8 14.5 - - 13.2 3.6 - - - 2.7 5.8 14.6 .398 - - - 2.9 3.6 .800
Gus Williams 5 39.8 18.2 0.8 1.2 2.0 6.6 2.2 0.0 1.4 2.2 7.6 15.8 .481 0.2 2.0 .100 2.8 3.6 .778

Season 11

Nate Thurmond Gus Williams
Season 1973-741986-87
Team Golden State WarriorsAtlanta Hawks
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 %
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
Gus Williams 33 14.6 4.2 0.2 1.0 1.2 4.2 0.5 0.2 1.6 1.6 1.6 4.4 .363 0.2 0.5 .278 0.8 1.2 .675
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------
Gus Williams ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Nate Thurmond Gus Williams
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 %
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
Gus Williams ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
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
Gus Williams ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Nate Thurmond Gus Williams
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 %
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
Gus Williams ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
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
Gus Williams ------- --- ----------

Season 14

Nate Thurmond Gus Williams
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 %
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
Gus Williams ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
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 -
Gus Williams ------- --- ----------