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Denver Nuggets: How Alex English compared to James Worthy

By Mathew Huff

INGLEWOOD, CA - CIRCA 1987: Alex English #2 of the Denver Nuggets posts up against James Worthy #42 of the Los Angeles Lakers circa 1987 at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1987 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CA - CIRCA 1987: Alex English #2 of the Denver Nuggets posts up against James Worthy #42 of the Los Angeles Lakers circa 1987 at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1987 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The 1980’s saw two of the best small forwards ever to grace an NBA court. The Denver Nuggets’ Alex English and the Los Angeles Lakers’ James Worthy.

So, how well do these two hall of famers compare? You may be surprised at how similar they are in terms of greatness and how effective they were during their careers.

Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets /

Denver Nuggets

Without further adieu, let’s get started and take a look. Per basketball reference, English had a career field goal percentage per 36 minutes of 50.7% and Worthy possessed a field goal percentage of 52. 1% in the same category.

In terms of three point percentage, Worthy had a percentage of 24.1% and English had one of 21.7%. I know these are not impressive, but keep in mind the league did not emphasize the three point shot as much as they do nowadays.

In terms of points per game, English had an average of 21.5 and Worthy had an average of 17.6 per game (do not forget, Worthy played with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar.) Now comes the advanced analytics category for these two legendary players.

Both players had an identical block percentage at 1.2% while they also had similar steal percentages. English possessed one of 1.3% and Worthy had one of 1.7%.

In terms of true shooting percentage, each player was very impressive in this department. English had a true shooting percentage of 55% and Worthy had almost an identical one of 55.9%. The one end where these two players do differ though, is the defensive side of the floor.

It is no secret that English was never going to be a lock down defender. Worthy on the other hand, was underrated throughout his career at defense. Worthy possessed a steal average of 1.1 per game with a defensive rating of 108. English didn’t even average a steal per game and possessed a career defensive rating of 110.

All in all, one cannot deny the greatness of either of these two hall of famers.

Next. Top 10 Nuggets of all time. dark

Take your pick because you cannot really go wrong with either of these star wings from the 80’s.