The Index · Legend
Dave CowensBoston Celtics · #18
Dave Cowens is a retired center best known with the Boston Celtics. Undersized, relentless MVP center. Career averages: 17.6 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
Balladex Impact · 75
D
⬡ Epic
Boston Celtics · #18 · Center
Dave Cowens
Season avg8.1 pts · 6.9 reb · 2.1 ast · .444 fg
Career avg17.6 pts · 13.6 reb · 3.8 ast · .459 fg
IMPACTBalladex Impact 75 — Star starter tierINDEXDave Cowens · Boston CelticsIMPACTBalladex Impact 75 — Star starter tierINDEXDave Cowens · Boston Celtics
Scouting report
Dave Cowens — the report card
Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades from the DNA model + real production.
B-
Hall of Famer · center · Impact 75
Dave Cowens is a retired center best known with the Boston Celtics. Undersized, relentless MVP center. Career averages: 17.6 points, 13.6 rebounds and
C-
OffenseC-
DefenseC-
Feel / IQC-
Playmaking
Below average creator
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B-
Scoring
Strong scorer
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B
Rebounding
Excellent on the glass
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F
3PT / spacing
Below average spacing
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D
Perimeter D
Below average on the perimeter
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C
Paint / rim D
Average at the rim
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C
Clutch
Average late
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C+
Athleticism
Strong tools
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C-
Basketball IQ
Reads the game
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C-
Durability
Availability
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Act II
Where Dave Cowens stands
Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.
The laddersmodel · recomputes nightly
✦ Balladex Consensus: Star starter tier — a blend of Impact, production and résumé.
Futures & chases
—MVP odds
75Impact index
591Star score
Career scoring average17.6 ppg
Seasons in the index11
Accolades on file4
2× NBA Champion · 1× NBA MVP
Stat explorer
Dave Cowens — every number, three levels deep
Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.
B-
Scoring
8.1 PPG
drill in ↓
C-
Playmaking
2.1 APG
drill in ↓
B
Rebounding
6.9 RPG
drill in ↓
F
Shooting
.000 3P%
drill in ↓
The engine
How the model sees Dave Cowens
Projection = per-minute rate × projected minutes. Rates are recency- and health-weighted, aged along a per-stat curve, and adjusted for live usage/role. No black box — every number shows its work.
Projected 1983-84 71% confidence
7.0
pts
5.1–8.9
6.1
reb
5.1–7.1
1.9
ast
1.2–2.6
23.2
min
proj
53
gp
health
.462
fg%
~base
—
3p%
~base
Bands widen as confidence drops. Derived live from the real 11-season history below.
What moves the points line vs last season
Last season 8.1 → projected 7.0 PPG
Minutes / role
-0.7
Development (his trend)
-0.5
Age curve
+0.0
Live context
+0.1
Net vs last season-1.1 PPG
Everything it reads
📊
11 seasons of per-minute rates
every box line, minutes-normalized
real
⚖
Recency × games-played weight
recent, healthy seasons anchor the baseline
auto
📈
Weighted least-squares trend
his own trajectory, read season over season
+dev
🕰
Per-stat aging curves
age — — applied per stat
curve
🔌
Live role context
usage & role shifts fold in when the feed is present
+ctx
🏥
Durability signal
GP last 3: 68 / 66 / 40 → games & confidence
health
The real history it trains onsource: Basketball-Reference · verified
Dave Cowens career stats, season by season
| Season | GP | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-71 | 81 | 38.0 | 17.0 | 15.0 | 2.8 | .422 | |
| 1971-72 | 79 | 40.3 | 18.8 | 15.2 | 3.1 | .484 | |
| 1972-73 MVP | 82 | 41.8 | 20.5 | 16.2 | 4.1 | .452 | |
| 1973-74 CHIP | 80 | 41.9 | 19.0 | 15.7 | 4.4 | .437 | |
| 1974-75 | 65 | 40.5 | 20.4 | 14.7 | 4.6 | .475 | |
| 1975-76 CHIP | 78 | 39.8 | 19.0 | 16.0 | 4.2 | .468 | |
| 1976-77 | 50 | 37.8 | 16.4 | 13.9 | 5.0 | .434 | |
| 1977-78 | 77 | 41.8 | 18.6 | 14.0 | 4.6 | .490 | |
| 1978-79 | 68 | 37.0 | 16.6 | 9.6 | 3.6 | .483 | |
| 1979-80 | 66 | 32.7 | 14.2 | 8.1 | 3.1 | .453 | .083 |
| 1982-83 | 40 | 25.4 | 8.1 | 6.9 | 2.1 | .444 | .000 |
| Career | 766 | 38.6 | 17.6 | 13.6 | 3.8 |
Source: Basketball-Reference. Backtested against completed player-seasons in the index. The same engine powers Tonight's projection, EraLab, and the role simulator — one model, asked different questions. Illustrative.
Act III
The Lab
Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.
Gold = MVP / Championship season · hover any bar. Real per-game data; per-36 & totals derived.
EraLab · the stat time machinenovel
Re-express a season in today's pace-and-space.
—raw PPG
→
—in 2026 pace
why
Player DNA + compssimilarity model
Scoring map · clickable zonesShotChart
Team-tinted. Modeled where tracking data is absent.
Role simulatorpowered by GM engine
Change the roster around him — his projection updates live.
Projected line shifts to — usage , assists rise as primary initiator. Title odds . Illustrative.
Context
Are the Boston Celtics built to win?
Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.
63–19proj record
#2conf seed
+8.4net rtg
120off rtg
111.7def rtg
99%playoff odds
Roster delta · what changed
Drop coverage — Sits the big back to wall off the rim and lives with contested mid-range looks.. Core trending steady. Defensive anchors: Mitchell Robinson, Derrick White.
How his role moves
Projected 63–19, 2nd in the East. Real team projection from the roster + last-season baselines. His usage, minutes and creation load move with roster health.
Balladex Impact
75 of 99
Star starter tier.
Rarity
◆ Epic
Rank #45 of 715 in NBA.
Résumé
4 accolades
2× NBA Champion · 1× NBA MVP · 8× NBA All-Star
Act IV
The Ballad of Dave Cowens
Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.
Boston Celtics
Turning pro
Drafted 1970 as a Center.
true
Dave Cowens is a retired Hall of Famer. Undersized, relentless MVP center.
Chapter
He averaged 17.6 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists and won 2 championships over his career.
Where things stand
A Hall of Famer and Boston Celtics name.
▶
▶
Cowens's story
The documentary, narrated
Highlights
Off the court
Measurables ESPN
- Height
- 7'0"
- Weight
- 250 lb
- College
- Florida State
- NBA debut
- 1970
- Draft
- 1970
- Jersey
- #18
Legacy
Undersized, relentless MVP center.
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The person
A retired Hall of Famer and Boston Celtics name.
Hall of Fame
Boston Celtics
Champion
Verified profiles & sources
FAQ
Dave Cowens — frequently asked
The questions people ask most about Dave Cowens, answered.
What were Dave Cowens's career averages?
Dave Cowens averaged 17.6 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
Is Dave Cowens retired?
Yes — Dave Cowens is a retired center and a Hall of Famer.
Dave Cowens career stats & accolades are real, and team projections and recent-game home/away splits are computed from real production. DNA ratings, grades, tonight's projection, ladders, live win probability and simulator outputs are Balladex model output. Not affiliated with the NBA.
