John Gianelli vs. Damian Lillard Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Damian Lillard and John Gianelli, 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.

John Gianelli played 8 years in the NBA, 4 less than Damian Lillard, who played 12. John Gianelli had the first of his seasons in 1972-73, while Damian Lillard had his rookie season in 2012-13. 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
John Gianelli 8 4 1972-73 to 1979-80
Damian Lillard 12 9 2012-13 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

John Gianelli Damian Lillard
Season 1972-732012-13
Team New York KnicksPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards -Achievement Rookie of the Year
-Achievement All-Rookie First Team
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 %
John Gianelli 52 9.9 3.5 - - 2.9 0.5 - - - 1.4 1.5 3.4 .451 - - - 0.4 0.6 .697
Damian Lillard 82 38.6 19.0 0.5 2.6 3.1 6.5 0.9 0.2 3.0 2.1 6.7 15.7 .429 2.3 6.1 .368 3.3 3.9 .844
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Gianelli 7 7.9 3.6 - - 1.9 0.1 - - - 0.9 1.6 2.9 .550 - - - 0.4 1.0 .429
Damian Lillard ------- --- ----------

Season 2

John Gianelli Damian Lillard
Season 1973-742013-14
Team New York KnicksPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Conf FinalsTrail Blazers 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 %
John Gianelli 70 20.3 7.3 1.6 3.3 4.9 1.1 0.3 0.6 - 2.3 3.0 6.2 .479 - - - 1.3 1.7 .760
Damian Lillard 82 35.8 20.7 0.4 3.1 3.5 5.6 0.8 0.3 2.4 2.4 6.7 15.9 .424 2.7 6.8 .394 4.5 5.2 .871
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Gianelli 12 28.2 7.3 3.3 4.1 7.3 1.9 0.3 0.5 - 3.4 2.9 7.2 .407 - - - 1.5 2.1 .720
Damian Lillard 11 42.4 22.9 1.1 4.0 5.1 6.5 1.0 0.1 2.7 2.6 7.5 17.2 .439 2.5 6.4 .386 5.4 6.0 .894

Season 3

John Gianelli Damian Lillard
Season 1974-752014-15
Team New York KnicksPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Conf 1st RdTrail Blazers 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 %
John Gianelli 80 35.0 10.3 2.7 5.9 8.6 2.0 0.5 1.5 - 3.3 4.3 9.1 .472 - - - 1.7 2.4 .692
Damian Lillard 82 35.7 21.0 0.6 4.0 4.6 6.2 1.2 0.3 2.7 2.0 7.2 16.6 .434 2.4 7.0 .343 4.2 4.9 .864
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Gianelli 3 31.0 8.3 1.7 3.0 4.7 0.7 0.0 1.3 - 3.3 3.7 8.0 .458 - - - 1.0 1.0 1.000
Damian Lillard 5 40.2 21.6 0.4 3.6 4.0 4.6 0.4 0.6 2.4 3.0 7.8 19.2 .406 1.0 6.2 .161 5.0 6.4 .781

Season 4

John Gianelli Damian Lillard
Season 1975-762015-16
Team New York KnicksPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayTrail Blazers 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 %
John Gianelli 82 28.4 9.3 2.3 4.5 6.7 1.4 0.3 0.8 - 2.4 4.0 8.4 .473 - - - 1.4 2.0 .713
Damian Lillard 75 35.7 25.1 0.6 3.4 4.0 6.8 0.9 0.4 3.2 2.2 8.2 19.7 .419 3.1 8.1 .375 5.5 6.2 .892
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Gianelli ------- --- ----------
Damian Lillard 11 39.7 26.5 1.1 3.2 4.3 6.3 1.3 0.3 3.0 2.1 8.1 22.0 .368 3.8 9.7 .393 6.5 7.1 .910

Season 5

John Gianelli Damian Lillard
Season 1976-772016-17
Team New York Knicks, Buffalo BravesPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayTrail Blazers 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 %
John Gianelli 76 25.2 7.9 2.0 4.2 6.3 1.1 0.5 1.3 - 2.3 3.4 7.6 .444 - - - 1.2 1.6 .720
Damian Lillard 75 35.9 27.0 0.6 4.3 4.9 5.9 0.9 0.3 2.6 2.0 8.8 19.8 .444 2.9 7.7 .370 6.5 7.3 .895
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Gianelli ------- --- ----------
Damian Lillard 4 37.8 27.8 1.0 3.5 4.5 3.3 1.3 0.5 3.3 2.8 9.8 22.5 .433 2.3 8.0 .281 6.0 6.3 .960

Season 6

John Gianelli Damian Lillard
Season 1977-782017-18
Team Milwaukee BucksPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bucks Lost West Conf SemisTrail Blazers 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 %
John Gianelli 82 28.4 8.5 2.0 4.2 6.2 2.3 0.7 1.1 1.8 2.3 3.7 7.7 .488 - - - 1.0 1.5 .642
Damian Lillard 73 36.6 26.9 0.8 3.6 4.5 6.6 1.1 0.4 2.8 1.6 8.5 19.4 .439 3.1 8.6 .361 6.8 7.4 .916
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Gianelli 9 32.2 7.8 1.8 4.7 6.4 1.6 0.9 1.2 1.4 2.7 2.8 6.6 .424 - - - 2.2 2.9 .769
Damian Lillard 4 40.5 18.5 0.8 3.8 4.5 4.8 1.3 0.0 4.0 2.0 6.3 17.8 .352 2.3 7.5 .300 3.8 4.3 .882

Season 7

John Gianelli Damian Lillard
Season 1978-792018-19
Team Milwaukee BucksPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayTrail Blazers 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 %
John Gianelli 82 25.1 7.1 1.5 3.5 5.0 2.0 0.5 0.7 1.3 2.4 3.1 6.4 .486 - - - 0.9 1.2 .706
Damian Lillard 80 35.5 25.8 0.9 3.8 4.6 6.9 1.1 0.4 2.7 1.9 8.5 19.2 .444 3.0 8.0 .369 5.9 6.4 .912
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Gianelli ------- --- ----------
Damian Lillard 16 40.6 26.9 0.5 4.3 4.8 6.6 1.7 0.3 3.8 2.5 8.6 20.6 .418 3.7 9.9 .373 5.9 7.1 .833

Season 8

John Gianelli Damian Lillard
Season 1979-802019-20
Team Utah JazzPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayTrail Blazers 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 %
John Gianelli 17 16.8 3.2 0.8 2.8 3.6 1.0 0.4 0.4 1.3 1.5 1.4 3.9 .348 0.0 0.0 - 0.5 0.9 .563
Damian Lillard 66 37.5 30.0 0.5 3.8 4.3 8.0 1.1 0.3 2.9 1.7 9.5 20.4 .463 4.1 10.2 .401 7.0 7.8 .888
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Gianelli ------- --- ----------
Damian Lillard 4 35.8 24.3 0.3 3.3 3.5 4.3 0.5 0.3 3.5 1.0 6.5 16.0 .406 3.3 8.3 .394 8.0 8.3 .970

Season 9

John Gianelli Damian Lillard
Season -2020-21
Team -Portland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Trail Blazers 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 %
John Gianelli ------- --- ----------
Damian Lillard 67 35.8 28.8 0.5 3.7 4.2 7.5 0.9 0.3 3.0 1.5 9.0 19.9 .451 4.1 10.5 .391 6.7 7.2 .928
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Gianelli ------- --- ----------
Damian Lillard 6 41.3 34.3 0.2 4.2 4.3 10.2 1.0 0.7 2.2 1.5 10.3 22.3 .463 5.8 13.0 .449 7.8 8.3 .940

Season 10

John Gianelli Damian Lillard
Season -2021-22
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 %
John Gianelli ------- --- ----------
Damian Lillard 29 36.4 24.0 0.4 3.7 4.1 7.3 0.6 0.4 2.9 1.3 7.7 19.0 .402 3.2 9.8 .324 5.5 6.2 .878
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Gianelli ------- --- ----------
Damian Lillard ------- --- ----------

Season 11

John Gianelli Damian Lillard
Season -2022-23
Team -Portland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
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 %
John Gianelli ------- --- ----------
Damian Lillard 58 36.3 32.2 0.8 4.0 4.8 7.3 0.9 0.3 3.3 1.9 9.6 20.7 .463 4.2 11.3 .371 8.8 9.6 .914
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Gianelli ------- --- ----------
Damian Lillard ------- --- ----------

Season 12

John Gianelli Damian Lillard
Season -2023-24
Team -Milwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs -Bucks 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 %
John Gianelli ------- --- ----------
Damian Lillard 73 35.3 24.3 0.5 3.9 4.4 7.0 1.0 0.2 2.6 1.8 7.4 17.5 .424 3.0 8.5 .354 6.5 7.0 .920
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Gianelli ------- --- ----------
Damian Lillard 4 39.0 31.3 0.5 2.8 3.3 5.0 1.0 0.0 2.3 2.0 8.5 20.3 .420 5.0 12.0 .417 9.3 9.5 .974