Walt Frazier vs. Nate Thurmond Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Nate Thurmond and Walt Frazier, 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.

Walt Frazier played 13 years in the NBA, 1 less than Nate Thurmond, who played 14. Walt Frazier had the first of his seasons in 1967-68, 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
Walt Frazier 13 8 1967-68 to 1979-80
Nate Thurmond 14 9 1963-64 to 1976-77

Comparison Season by Season

Rookie Season

Walt Frazier Nate Thurmond
Season 1967-681963-64
Team New York KnicksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Div SemisWarriors Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Walt Frazier 74 21.5 9.0 - - 4.2 4.1 - - - 2.7 3.5 7.7 .451 - - - 2.1 3.2 .655
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 %
Walt Frazier 4 29.8 9.5 - - 5.5 6.3 - - - 3.0 3.0 8.3 .364 - - - 3.5 4.5 .778
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

Walt Frazier Nate Thurmond
Season 1968-691964-65
Team New York KnicksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks 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 %
Walt Frazier 80 36.9 17.5 - - 6.2 7.9 - - - 3.1 6.6 13.2 .505 - - - 4.3 5.7 .746
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 %
Walt Frazier 10 41.5 21.2 - - 7.4 9.1 - - - 3.0 8.9 17.7 .503 - - - 3.4 5.7 .596
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Walt Frazier Nate Thurmond
Season 1969-701965-66
Team New York KnicksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement 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 %
Walt Frazier 77 39.5 20.9 - - 6.0 8.2 - - - 2.6 7.8 15.0 .518 - - - 5.3 7.1 .748
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 %
Walt Frazier 19 43.9 16.0 - - 7.8 8.2 - - - 2.8 6.2 13.0 .478 - - - 3.6 4.7 .764
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Walt Frazier Nate Thurmond
Season 1970-711966-67
Team New York KnicksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Conf FinalsWarriors Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Walt Frazier 80 43.2 21.7 - - 6.8 6.7 - - - 3.0 8.1 16.5 .494 - - - 5.4 7.0 .779
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 %
Walt Frazier 12 41.8 22.6 - - 5.8 4.5 - - - 3.8 9.0 17.0 .529 - - - 4.6 6.3 .733
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

Walt Frazier Nate Thurmond
Season 1971-721967-68
Team New York KnicksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Walt Frazier 77 40.6 23.2 - - 6.7 5.8 - - - 2.4 8.7 17.0 .512 - - - 5.8 7.2 .808
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 %
Walt Frazier 16 44.0 24.3 - - 7.0 6.1 - - - 3.0 9.3 17.3 .536 - - - 5.8 7.8 .736
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Walt Frazier Nate Thurmond
Season 1972-731968-69
Team New York KnicksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First TeamAchievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionWarriors 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 %
Walt Frazier 78 40.8 21.1 - - 7.3 5.9 - - - 2.4 8.7 17.8 .490 - - - 3.7 4.5 .817
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 %
Walt Frazier 17 45.0 21.9 - - 7.3 6.2 - - - 3.1 8.8 17.2 .514 - - - 4.3 5.5 .777
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

Walt Frazier Nate Thurmond
Season 1973-741969-70
Team New York KnicksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Walt Frazier 80 41.7 20.5 1.5 5.2 6.7 6.9 2.0 0.2 - 2.7 8.4 17.9 .472 - - - 3.7 4.4 .838
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 %
Walt Frazier 12 40.9 22.5 1.8 6.2 7.9 4.0 1.8 0.3 - 3.4 9.4 18.8 .502 - - - 3.7 4.1 .898
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Walt Frazier Nate Thurmond
Season 1974-751970-71
Team New York KnicksSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First TeamAchievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Knicks 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 %
Walt Frazier 78 41.1 21.5 1.2 4.8 6.0 6.1 2.4 0.2 - 2.6 8.6 17.8 .483 - - - 4.2 5.1 .828
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 %
Walt Frazier 3 41.3 23.7 1.0 5.7 6.7 7.0 3.7 0.0 - 1.3 9.7 15.3 .630 - - - 4.3 5.3 .813
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

Walt Frazier Nate Thurmond
Season 1975-761971-72
Team New York KnicksGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
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 %
Walt Frazier 59 41.1 19.1 1.3 5.4 6.8 5.9 1.8 0.2 - 2.8 8.0 16.4 .485 - - - 3.2 3.8 .823
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 %
Walt Frazier ------- --- ----------
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

Walt Frazier Nate Thurmond
Season 1976-771972-73
Team New York KnicksGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayWarriors 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 %
Walt Frazier 76 35.4 17.4 0.7 3.2 3.9 5.3 1.7 0.1 - 2.6 7.0 14.3 .489 - - - 3.4 4.4 .771
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 %
Walt Frazier ------- --- ----------
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

Walt Frazier Nate Thurmond
Season 1977-781973-74
Team Cleveland CavaliersGolden 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 %
Walt Frazier 51 32.6 16.2 1.1 3.0 4.1 4.1 1.5 0.3 2.2 2.4 6.6 14.0 .471 - - - 3.0 3.5 .850
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 %
Walt Frazier ------- --- ----------
Nate Thurmond ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Walt Frazier Nate Thurmond
Season 1978-791974-75
Team Cleveland CavaliersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayBulls 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 %
Walt Frazier 12 23.3 10.8 0.6 1.1 1.7 2.7 1.1 0.2 1.8 1.8 4.5 10.2 .443 - - - 1.8 2.3 .778
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 %
Walt Frazier ------- --- ----------
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

Walt Frazier Nate Thurmond
Season 1979-801975-76
Team Cleveland CavaliersChicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayCavaliers 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 %
Walt Frazier 3 9.0 3.3 0.3 0.7 1.0 2.7 0.7 0.3 1.3 0.7 1.3 3.7 .364 0.0 0.3 .000 0.7 0.7 1.000
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 %
Walt Frazier ------- --- ----------
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

Walt Frazier 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 %
Walt Frazier ------- --- ----------
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 %
Walt Frazier ------- --- ----------
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 -