Dereck Lively II vs. John Starks Season by Season Comparison
Side by side comparison of each NBA season of John Starks and Dereck Lively II, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.
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.
Dereck Lively II played 2 years in the NBA, 11 less than John Starks, who played 13. Dereck Lively II had the first of his seasons in 2023-24, while John Starks had his rookie season in 1988-89. 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 achievements, 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 |
| Dereck Lively II | 2 | 1 | 2023-24 to 2024-25 |
| John Starks | 13 | 9 | 1988-89 to 2001-02 |
Rookie Season |
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| Dereck Lively II | John Starks | |
| Season | 2023-24 | 1988-89 |
| Team | Dallas Mavericks | Golden State Warriors |
| Honors & Awards |  All-Rookie Second Team | - |
| Playoffs | Mavericks Lost NBA Finals | Did Not Play |
Rookie Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Dereck Lively II | 55 | 23.5 | 8.8 | 2.5 | 4.4 | 6.9 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 5.4 | .747 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 0.7 | 1.5 | .506 |
| difference: | +19 | +14.7 | +4.7 | +2.1 | +3.7 | +5.8 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +1.3 | -0.2 | -1.6 | +2.6 | +1.9 | +.339 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.2 | +0.1 | +.148 | |
| John Starks | 36 | 8.8 | 4.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 3.5 | .408 | 0.3 | 0.7 | .385 | 0.9 | 1.4 | .654 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Dereck Lively II | 21 | 22.0 | 7.9 | 2.7 | 4.7 | 7.4 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 4.5 | .674 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 1.7 | 2.9 | .590 |
| John Starks | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Note: John Starks didn't play in 1989-90.
Season 2 |
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| Dereck Lively II | John Starks | |
| Season | 2024-25 | 1990-91 |
| Team | Dallas Mavericks | New York Knicks |
| Honors & Awards | ||
| Playoffs | Did Not Play | Knicks Lost East Conf 1st Rd |
2nd Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Dereck Lively II | 36 | 23.1 | 8.7 | 2.9 | 4.6 | 7.5 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 3.7 | 5.3 | .702 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 1.3 | 2.0 | .630 |
| difference: | +25 | +3.9 | +1.1 | +2.4 | +2.9 | +5.4 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +1.3 | -0.1 | -0.6 | +0.7 | +1.4 | +.263 | +0.4 | +1.5 | +0.3 | +.122 | ||
| John Starks | 61 | 19.2 | 7.6 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 6.7 | .439 | 0.4 | 1.5 | .290 | 1.3 | 1.7 | .752 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Dereck Lively II | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| John Starks | 3 | 9.3 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.7 | .400 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.000 |
Additional Years |
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* John Starks played 11 seasons more than Dereck Lively II in the NBA. In that period—his seasons 3 to 13, from 1992 to 2002—John Starks played in 8 Playoffs. In those 11 extra years over Dereck Lively II, John Starks got these achievements: | |
| Honors & Awards | 1 All-Defensive Second Team 1 Sixth Man of the Year 1 All-Star Game |