Tom Heinsohn vs. Nick Van Exel Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Nick Van Exel and Tom Heinsohn, 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.

Tom Heinsohn played 9 years in the NBA, 4 less than Nick Van Exel, who played 13. Tom Heinsohn had the first of his seasons in 1956-57, while Nick Van Exel had his rookie season in 1993-94. 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
Tom Heinsohn 9 9 1956-57 to 1964-65
Nick Van Exel 13 7 1993-94 to 2005-06

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Tom Heinsohn Nick Van Exel
Season 1956-571993-94
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the Year-
-Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn 72 29.9 16.2 - - 9.8 1.6 - - - 4.2 6.2 15.6 .397 - - - 3.8 4.8 .790
Nick Van Exel 81 33.3 13.6 0.6 2.4 2.9 5.8 1.0 0.1 1.8 1.9 5.1 13.0 .394 1.5 4.5 .338 1.9 2.4 .781
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn 10 37.0 22.9 - - 11.7 2.0 - - - 4.0 9.0 23.1 .390 - - - 4.9 6.9 .710
Nick Van Exel ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Tom Heinsohn Nick Van Exel
Season 1957-581994-95
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsLakers 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 %
Tom Heinsohn 69 32.0 17.8 - - 10.2 1.8 - - - 4.0 6.8 17.8 .382 - - - 4.3 5.7 .746
Nick Van Exel 80 36.8 16.9 0.3 2.5 2.8 8.3 1.2 0.1 2.8 2.0 5.8 13.8 .420 2.3 6.4 .358 2.9 3.8 .783
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn 11 31.7 17.5 - - 10.8 1.6 - - - 4.7 6.2 17.6 .351 - - - 5.1 6.5 .778
Nick Van Exel 10 46.4 20.0 0.9 2.9 3.8 7.3 2.1 0.3 2.2 3.3 6.7 16.2 .414 2.1 6.6 .318 4.5 5.9 .763

Season 3

Tom Heinsohn Nick Van Exel
Season 1958-591995-96
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionLakers 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 %
Tom Heinsohn 66 31.7 18.8 - - 9.7 2.5 - - - 4.1 7.0 18.1 .390 - - - 4.7 5.9 .798
Nick Van Exel 74 34.0 14.9 0.4 2.1 2.4 6.9 0.9 0.1 2.1 1.6 5.4 12.8 .417 1.9 5.4 .357 2.2 2.8 .799
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn 11 31.6 19.9 - - 8.9 2.9 - - - 3.7 8.3 20.0 .414 - - - 3.4 5.1 .661
Nick Van Exel 4 34.3 11.8 1.0 3.0 4.0 6.8 0.5 0.0 2.8 2.5 4.0 13.5 .296 1.3 4.0 .313 2.5 3.3 .769

Season 4

Tom Heinsohn Nick Van Exel
Season 1959-601996-97
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionLakers 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 %
Tom Heinsohn 75 32.3 21.7 - - 10.6 2.3 - - - 3.7 9.0 21.2 .423 - - - 3.8 5.1 .733
Nick Van Exel 79 37.2 15.3 0.6 2.3 2.9 8.5 0.9 0.1 2.7 1.4 5.5 13.6 .402 2.2 5.9 .378 2.1 2.5 .825
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn 13 32.5 21.8 - - 9.7 2.1 - - - 4.1 8.6 20.5 .419 - - - 4.6 6.2 .750
Nick Van Exel 9 39.2 14.4 0.7 2.8 3.4 6.4 1.1 0.0 2.0 2.1 5.0 13.2 .378 1.3 4.9 .273 3.1 3.8 .824

Season 5

Tom Heinsohn Nick Van Exel
Season 1960-611997-98
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionLakers 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 %
Tom Heinsohn 74 30.5 21.3 - - 9.9 1.9 - - - 3.5 8.5 21.2 .400 - - - 4.4 5.7 .767
Nick Van Exel 64 32.1 13.8 0.5 2.5 3.0 6.9 1.0 0.1 1.6 1.9 4.9 11.6 .419 1.9 4.9 .389 2.1 2.7 .791
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn 10 29.1 19.7 - - 9.9 2.0 - - - 3.6 8.2 20.1 .408 - - - 3.3 4.3 .767
Nick Van Exel 13 28.3 11.6 0.7 1.8 2.5 4.2 0.6 0.1 1.7 2.3 3.8 11.6 .331 1.7 5.4 .314 2.2 3.1 .725

Season 6

Tom Heinsohn Nick Van Exel
Season 1961-621998-99
Team Boston CelticsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn 79 30.2 22.1 - - 9.5 2.1 - - - 3.5 8.8 20.4 .429 - - - 4.5 5.5 .819
Nick Van Exel 50 36.0 16.5 0.3 2.0 2.3 7.4 0.8 0.1 2.4 1.8 6.1 15.4 .398 1.4 4.7 .308 2.8 3.5 .811
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn 14 31.8 20.7 - - 8.2 2.4 - - - 4.1 8.3 20.8 .399 - - - 4.1 5.4 .763
Nick Van Exel ------- --- ----------

Season 7

Tom Heinsohn Nick Van Exel
Season 1962-631999-00
Team Boston CelticsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn 76 26.4 18.9 - - 7.5 1.3 - - - 3.6 7.2 17.1 .423 - - - 4.5 5.4 .835
Nick Van Exel 79 37.3 16.1 0.4 3.5 3.9 9.0 0.9 0.1 2.8 1.9 6.0 15.4 .390 1.7 5.1 .332 2.5 3.0 .817
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn 13 31.8 24.7 - - 8.9 1.2 - - - 4.2 9.5 20.8 .456 - - - 5.8 7.5 .765
Nick Van Exel ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Tom Heinsohn Nick Van Exel
Season 1963-642000-01
Team Boston CelticsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn 76 26.8 16.5 - - 6.1 2.4 - - - 3.5 6.4 16.1 .398 - - - 3.7 4.5 .827
Nick Van Exel 71 37.9 17.7 0.6 2.8 3.4 8.5 0.9 0.3 2.3 1.5 6.5 15.7 .414 1.9 5.0 .377 2.9 3.5 .819
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn 10 30.8 17.4 - - 8.0 2.6 - - - 3.6 7.0 18.0 .389 - - - 3.4 4.2 .810
Nick Van Exel ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Tom Heinsohn Nick Van Exel
Season 1964-652001-02
Team Boston CelticsDenver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionMavericks 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 %
Tom Heinsohn 67 25.5 13.6 - - 6.0 2.3 - - - 3.8 5.4 14.2 .383 - - - 2.7 3.4 .795
Nick Van Exel 72 34.7 18.4 0.4 3.1 3.5 6.6 0.6 0.2 2.2 1.4 7.0 17.0 .409 1.7 4.9 .340 2.8 3.5 .801
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn 12 23.0 12.7 - - 7.0 1.9 - - - 3.8 5.5 15.1 .365 - - - 1.7 2.7 .625
Nick Van Exel 8 32.8 11.1 0.9 2.1 3.0 3.9 1.0 0.0 1.5 3.3 4.6 12.6 .366 0.9 4.3 .206 1.0 1.5 .667

Season 10

Tom Heinsohn Nick Van Exel
Season -2002-03
Team -Dallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Mavericks 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 %
Tom Heinsohn ------- --- ----------
Nick Van Exel 73 27.8 12.5 0.5 2.4 2.8 4.3 0.6 0.1 1.7 1.2 4.7 11.4 .412 1.6 4.3 .378 1.5 2.0 .764
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn ------- --- ----------
Nick Van Exel 20 33.7 19.5 0.9 2.5 3.4 4.1 0.6 0.0 2.0 2.4 7.5 16.3 .460 2.2 5.6 .393 2.3 3.2 .703

Season 11

Tom Heinsohn Nick Van Exel
Season -2003-04
Team -Golden State Warriors
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 %
Tom Heinsohn ------- --- ----------
Nick Van Exel 39 32.2 12.6 0.4 2.3 2.7 5.3 0.5 0.1 2.0 1.5 4.8 12.3 .390 1.2 3.8 .307 1.8 2.5 .707
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn ------- --- ----------
Nick Van Exel ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Tom Heinsohn Nick Van Exel
Season -2004-05
Team -Portland Trail Blazers
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 %
Tom Heinsohn ------- --- ----------
Nick Van Exel 53 30.5 11.1 0.4 2.7 3.0 4.3 0.8 0.0 1.7 1.3 4.0 10.6 .381 1.9 4.8 .389 1.1 1.4 .784
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn ------- --- ----------
Nick Van Exel ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Tom Heinsohn Nick Van Exel
Season -2005-06
Team -San Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Spurs 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 %
Tom Heinsohn ------- --- ----------
Nick Van Exel 65 15.2 5.5 0.1 1.3 1.4 1.9 0.2 0.0 0.9 0.9 2.1 5.3 .397 0.8 2.4 .357 0.4 0.6 .683
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tom Heinsohn ------- --- ----------
Nick Van Exel 12 11.1 2.2 0.1 0.9 1.0 1.4 0.3 0.2 0.4 1.2 0.6 2.7 .219 0.3 0.8 .300 0.8 0.8 1.000