Dirk Nowitzki vs. Jaylen Wells Season by Season Comparison
Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jaylen Wells and Dirk Nowitzki, 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.
Dirk Nowitzki played 21 years in the NBA, 19 more than Jaylen Wells, who played 2. Dirk Nowitzki had the first of his seasons in 1998-99, while Jaylen Wells had his rookie season in 2024-25. 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 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 21 | 15 | 1998-99 to 2018-19 |
| Jaylen Wells | 2 | 0 | 2024-25 to 2025-26 |
Rookie Season |
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| Dirk Nowitzki | Jaylen Wells | |
| Season | 1998-99 | 2024-25 |
| Team | Dallas Mavericks | Memphis Grizzlies |
| Honors & Awards | - |  All-Rookie First Team |
| Playoffs | Did not play | 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 | % | ||||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 47 | 20.4 | 8.2 | 0.9 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 7.1 | .405 | 0.3 | 1.4 | .206 | 2.1 | 2.7 | .773 |
| difference: | +32 | +5.5 | +2.2 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.5 | -0.7 | -0.4 | +0.7 | +1.5 | +.020 | +1.4 | +3.6 | +.146 | +0.7 | +1.0 | +.049 | ||
| Jaylen Wells | 79 | 25.9 | 10.4 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 3.6 | 8.6 | .425 | 1.7 | 5.0 | .352 | 1.4 | 1.7 | .822 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Neiher Dirk Nowitzki nor Jaylen Wells played in the postseason in their season 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Season 2 |
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| Dirk Nowitzki | Jaylen Wells | |
| Season | 1999-00 | 2025-26 |
| Team | Dallas Mavericks | Memphis Grizzlies |
| Honors & Awards | ||
| Playoffs | Did not play | Did not play (season in progress) |
2nd Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Dirk Nowitzki | 82 | 35.8 | 17.5 | 1.2 | 5.2 | 6.5 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 6.3 | 13.6 | .461 | 1.4 | 3.7 | .379 | 3.5 | 4.2 | .830 |
| difference: | +50 | +8.2 | +5.1 | +0.3 | +2.4 | +2.9 | +0.7 | +0.2 | +0.7 | -0.6 | -1.0 | +2.1 | +3.8 | +.032 | +0.4 | +1.3 | +.029 | +1.3 | +1.4 | +.041 |
| Jaylen Wells | 32 | 27.6 | 12.4 | 0.9 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 4.2 | 9.8 | .429 | 1.8 | 5.0 | .350 | 2.2 | 2.8 | .789 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Neiher Dirk Nowitzki nor Jaylen Wells played in the postseason in their season 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Additional Years |
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* Dirk Nowitzki played 19 seasons more than Jaylen Wells in the NBA. In that period—his seasons 3 to 21, from 2001 to 2019—Dirk Nowitzki played in 15 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those 19 extra years over Jaylen Wells, Dirk Nowitzki got these achievements: | |
| Honors & Awards | 1 Finals MVP 1 Season MVP 4 All-NBA First Team 5 All-NBA Second Team 3 All-NBA Third Team 14 All-Star Game |