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While some NBA stars are known for their flashiness, others are characterized by their consistency; such was the case with Carlos Boozer and David West in the 2000s – both steady producers night in and night out, they were among the best power forwards of their generation. One was a nightly double-double threat in his prime, the other more of a hard-nosed rebounder and defender, yet still outstanding offensively, each was an integral part of winning franchises throughout his career. For two stars who perhaps never quite received the recognition or acclaim they deserved, the comparison between their overlapping careers is in many ways a natural head-to-head matchup:
Who was better – Carlos Boozer or David West?
The Beginning
Despite both being All-Americans in college, neither Boozer nor West was considered a blue-chip NBA prospect and thus, both were drafted outside the lottery with little expectations of becoming stars.
As one of five children in a military family, Boozer was born in what was then West Germany, but grew up in Juneau, Alaska; a high school basketball star who was twice named a Parade All-American (Third Team as a junior, First Team as a senior) and won back-to-back state titles, he graduated on to play at Duke for legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. There, he helped the Blue Devils win a national title in his sophomore season in 2001 and was subsequently First Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Third Team All-American as a junior. Though he declared early for the 2002 NBA Draft, Boozer was not selected until the 35th overall pick in the second round by the Cleveland Cavaliers – as a rookie, he averaged 10.0 points (on 53.6% shooting), 7.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game to make the All-Rookie team.
Meanwhile, West was born in New Jersey, but attended high school in both North Carolina and Virginia before going on to play college basketball at Xavier. From his freshman year, he was a star for the Musketeers: an All-Rookie selection in his first season, he then went on to earn three consecutive First Team All-Atlantic 10 selections and Atlantic 10 Player of the Year awards, culminating with a slew of honors as a senior, including First Team All-American honors, the Oscar Robertson Trophy, and AP National Player of the Year honors. Despite his sterling NCAA career, however, West lasted until the 18th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, when he was selected by the then-New Orleans Hornets; as a rookie, he played sparingly, averaging just 3.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game off the bench in roughly 13 minutes nightly.
Career Comparison
During the 2000s, Boozer and West were among the most productive players in the Association, with each starring across numerous teams and earning multiple All-Star selections in his prime.
In his second season, Boozer became a full-time starter and averaged a double-double with 15.5 points (on 52.3% shooting) and 11.4 rebounds per game to go with 2.0 assists per game. As a restricted free agent, he became a source of controversy when the Cavaliers released him from his rookie contract (which they did not have to do) to sign a lucrative long-term deal with the team and serve as LeBron James’ sidekick, but he instead signed an even bigger deal with the Utah Jazz. The controversy did not impact his on-court performance, though, as he put up 17.8 points on 52.1% shooting with 9.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in his first season with Utah, but would miss a large portion of the second half of the season. After a 2005-2006 season that saw him further limited by injuries to just 33 games played, Boozer would then have the two best seasons of his career playing alongside star point guard Deron Williams and make consecutive All-Star teams:
- 2006-2007: 20.9 points (on 56.1% shooting) with a career-high 11.7 rebounds per game plus 3.0 assists per game
- 2007-2008: a career-high 21.1 points per game on 54.7% shooting with 10.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game; also named Third Team All-NBA
Though he never made another All-Star team, Boozer continued to average a double-double for the next couple of years (but again was limited by injuries in 2008-2009) – this included a 2009-2010 season that saw him average 19.5 points per game on a career-best 56.2% shooting with 11.2 rebounds and a career-best 3.2 assists per game. After the season, he joined the Chicago Bulls on a sign-and-trade deal; in Chicago, his first season was his best with 17.5 points (51.0% shooting), 9.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, though he again missed 23 games with injuries. From there, his production waned to around 15-16 points per game, though he still averaged close to double-digit rebounds nightly. Following a disappointing 2013-2014 season in which Boozer averaged just 13.7 points per game on a career-worst 45.6% shooting, he was released via the amnesty clause and would join the Los Angeles Lakers in a reserve role for the 2014-2015; at season’s end, he would spend a season in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) with the Guangdong Southern Tigers before announcing his retirement in 2017, having last played in the NBA at age 33.
Following a similarly quiet sophomore NBA campaign, West earned a starting job in 2005-2006 and proceeded to break through with 17.1 points (on 51.2% shooting), 7.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game, in the process finishing second for Most Improved Player to Boris Diaw; the next year, he increased those numbers to 18.3 points per game on 47.6% shooting with 8.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 52 games played. Like Boozer with Williams, West was also partnered with an elite point guard in Chris Paul (who was drafted one pick after Williams) and would have back-to-back All-Star seasons in the mid-to-late 2000s:
- 2007-2008: 20.6 points (48.2% shooting), a career-high 8.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game
- 2008-2009: a career-best 21.0 points (47.2% shooting), 8.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game
Entering his 30s at the turn of the decade, West posted two more strong seasons with the Hornets, averaging around 19 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting 50%+ from the field. However, he tore his left ACL towards the end of the 2010-2011 season and opted out in the offseason to become a free agent, eventually signing with the Indiana Pacers. As he recovered from this major injury, West was never quite the same player – in his first season with Indiana, he only tallied 12.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game before improving in 2012-2013 to 17.1 points (on 49.8% shooting) with 7.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Unfortunately, this would be the best of his four years with the Pacers as his numbers declined year-over-year; at the conclusion of the 2014-2015, West signed as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs and spent a year there as a reserve. Finally, he would spend his last two NBA seasons as a veteran presence off the bench with the Golden State Warriors while (successfully) chasing an elusive title before retiring at age 37 post the 2017-2018 season.
With nearly overlapping careers, West played more games and seasons in the NBA, sticking around later in his career as a little-used veteran presence; as such, Boozer has the statistical edge in nearly every category: more points (16.2 vs 13.6 points per game) and more rebounds (9.5 vs. 6.4 rebounds per game) with identical assists (2.2 assists per game) and more efficient shooting from the field (though West was better from the line). In their primes, both were 2x All-Star selections, with Boozer also making an All-NBA Team and the All-Rookie Team. Interestingly, the advanced metrics are a mixed bag: Boozer had the higher Player Efficiency Rating (PER) at 19.5 vs. 18.6, while West accumulated more career Win-Shares (85.9 to 80.3). Head-to-head, the duo faced off 31 times in the regular season, with Boozer holding the 19-12 edge record-wise on similar averages: 13.5 points (on 48.5% shooting), 8.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game for Boozer vs. 14.5 points (on 46.6% shooting), 7.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game for West. Ultimately, while both players were valuable contributors throughout their illustrious NBA careers, neither is likely to make the Hall of Fame.
Regular Season Statistics
| Carlos Boozer | Player | David West |
| 13 (2002-2015) | Seasons | 15 (2003-2018) |
| 861 | Games Played | 1,034 |
| 16.2 | Points | 13.6 |
| 9.5 | Rebounds | 6.4 |
| 2.2 | Assists | 2.2 |
| 52.1% | Field Goal % | 49.5% |
| 72.2% | Free Throw % | 81.7% |
| 19.5 | PER | 18.6 |
| 80.3 | Win Shares | 85.9 |
| 2x | All-Star Games | 2x |
| 1x | All-NBA | – |
| – | MVP | – |
| – | NBA Titles | 2x |
| – | NBA Finals MVP | – |
| All-Rookie | Other Awards | – |
| – | Hall of Fame Induction | – |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
In their primes, both Boozer and West consistently led their teams to the playoffs, but neither was able to get over that championship hump until West joined the Warriors at the end of his career.
Boozer’s eight playoff appearances were split evenly between the Jazz and Bulls, though his best performances came with Utah. On both an individual and team basis, the 2006-2007 playoffs were his best, as he averaged 23.5 points and 12.2 rebounds per game while leading the team all the way to the Western Conference Finals before falling to Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs in five games; later, in 2009-2010, he would lead the playoffs with 13.2 rebounds per game. Additionally, the Bulls would make it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2010-2011 before losing to the Miami Heat and their triumvirate of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in five games, but Boozer only averaged 12.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game across 16 total postseason games.
Similarly, West was a 9x playoff participant across his time with the Hornets, Pacers, Spurs, and Warriors, with his personal-best performance coming in 2007-2008 with New Orleans (21.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game). Notably, he helped Indiana to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals in 2012-2013 and 2013-2014, losing both times to Heat; it was not until he joined Golden State that West would win consecutive titles in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, albeit in a limited role off the bench.
On the international stage, Boozer was a member of both the disappointing Team USA that took bronze at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, as well as the 2008 “Redeem Team” in Beijing that once again won gold.
Playoff Statistics
| Carlos Boozer | Player | David West |
| 83 | Games Played | 118 |
| 17.1 | Points | 11.3 |
| 11.1 | Rebounds | 5.6 |
| 2.3 | Assists | 2.2 |
| 48.3% | Field Goal % | 47.6% |
| 72.6% | Free Throw % | 79.6% |
| 17.4 | PER | 16.8 |
| 5.6 | Win Shares | 7.7 |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; in their second NBA decades, as is the case with most players as they age, both Boozer and West evolved from star players into complementary veteran presences. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Carlos Boozer | Player | David West |
| 2003-2013 | Decade of Dominance | 2005-2015 |
| 633 | Games Played | 714 |
| 17.8 | Points | 17.1 |
| 10.2 | Rebounds | 7.6 |
| 2.5 | Assists | 2.5 |
| 52.9% | Field Goal % | 49.0% |
| 72.1% | Free Throw % | 82.6% |
| 20.3 | PER | 18.8 |
| 68.7 | Win Shares | 71.5 |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
Across their respective decades of dominance, the comparison is closer, but Boozer still maintains the statistical edge in most categories, with the exception again being the fact that West accumulated more Win-Shares.
My Thoughts
As two of the most statistically productive power forwards of their generation, I think there are a couple of things that separate Carlos Boozer and David West. From a pure numbers perspective, Boozer was not only statistically better in his prime (particularly in scoring and rebounding), but was able to maintain that level of play for a longer period of time; however, he was not a two-way player and was generally regarded as somewhat of a sieve on defense. In contrast, West’s offensive peak was not as high in the NBA, but he was a tough-nosed two-way player who could score, rebound, pass, and play strong defense. Consequently, I think each was better-suited to a particular role – on an average team, Boozer would be a strong second option who could average close to 20-and-10 on a nightly basis, while on an elite team, West would be an elite third option who could excel on both ends of the court. Overall, based on this analysis, I think Boozer was a little bit more of a top-end option, especially in his prime (as evidenced by his selection on back-to-back Olympic teams), but West would have him beat in terms of intangibles.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Carlos Boozer
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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