Elgin Baylor vs. Zach LaVine Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Zach LaVine and Elgin Baylor, 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 / Stats / Stats Rankings

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.

Elgin Baylor played 14 years in the NBA, 2 more than Zach LaVine, who played 12. Elgin Baylor had the first of his seasons in 1958-59, while Zach LaVine had his rookie season in 2014-15. 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
Elgin Baylor 14 12 1958-59 to 1971-72
Zach LaVine 12 1 2014-15 to 2025-26

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12

Rookie Season

Elgin Baylor Zach LaVine
Season 1958-592014-15
Team Minneapolis LakersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rookie of the Year-
-Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 70 40.8 24.9 - - 15.0 4.1 - - - 3.9 8.6 21.2 .408 - - - 7.6 9.8 .777
difference:+7+16.1+14.8+12.2+0.5-1.8+4.9+12.4+.014+5.7+7.5+.065
Zach LaVine 77 24.7 10.1 0.4 2.4 2.8 3.6 0.7 0.1 2.5 2.1 3.7 8.8 .422 0.7 2.2 .341 1.9 2.3 .842
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 13 42.8 25.5 - - 12.0 3.3 - - - 4.0 9.4 23.3 .403 - - - 6.7 8.7 .770
Zach LaVine DNP------ --- ----------

Season 2

Elgin Baylor Zach LaVine
Season 1959-602015-16
Team Minneapolis LakersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Div FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 70 41.0 29.6 - - 16.4 3.5 - - - 3.3 10.8 25.4 .424 - - - 8.1 11.0 .732
difference:+12+13.0+15.6+13.6+0.4-0.9+5.5+13.7+.028+6.1+8.5+.061
Zach LaVine 82 28.0 14.0 0.3 2.5 2.8 3.1 0.8 0.2 1.9 2.4 5.3 11.7 .452 1.5 3.9 .389 2.0 2.5 .793
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 9 45.3 33.4 - - 14.1 3.4 - - - 4.2 12.3 26.0 .474 - - - 8.8 10.4 .840
Zach LaVine DNP------ --- ----------

Season 3

Elgin Baylor Zach LaVine
Season 1960-612016-17
Team Los Angeles LakersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Div FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 73 42.9 34.8 - - 19.8 5.1 - - - 3.8 12.8 29.7 .430 - - - 9.3 11.8 .783
difference:+26+5.7+15.9+16.4+2.1-1.6+5.9+14.6+.029+6.8+8.8+.053
Zach LaVine 47 37.2 18.9 0.4 3.0 3.4 3.0 0.9 0.2 1.8 2.2 6.9 15.1 .459 2.6 6.6 .387 2.5 3.0 .836
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 12 45.0 38.1 - - 15.3 4.6 - - - 3.7 14.2 30.2 .470 - - - 9.8 11.8 .824
Zach LaVine DNP------ --- ----------

Season 4

Elgin Baylor Zach LaVine
Season 1961-622017-18
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 48 44.4 38.3 - - 18.6 4.6 - - - 3.2 14.2 33.1 .428 - - - 9.9 13.1 .754
difference:+24+17.1+21.6+14.7+1.6-0.9+8.5+18.3+.045+6.3+8.6+.059
Zach LaVine 24 27.3 16.7 0.4 3.5 3.9 3.0 1.0 0.2 1.8 2.3 5.7 14.8 .383 1.8 5.1 .341 3.6 4.5 .813
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 13 43.9 38.6 - - 17.7 3.6 - - - 3.5 14.3 32.7 .438 - - - 10.0 12.9 .774
Zach LaVine DNP------ --- ----------

Season 5

Elgin Baylor Zach LaVine
Season 1962-632018-19
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 80 42.1 34.0 - - 14.3 4.8 - - - 2.8 12.9 28.4 .453 - - - 8.3 9.9 .837
difference:+17+7.6+10.3+9.6+0.3-0.6+4.5+10.4+.014+3.3+3.9+.005
Zach LaVine 63 34.5 23.7 0.6 4.0 4.7 4.5 1.0 0.4 3.4 2.2 8.4 18.0 .467 1.9 5.1 .374 5.0 6.0 .832
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 13 43.2 32.6 - - 13.6 4.5 - - - 3.7 12.3 27.8 .442 - - - 8.0 9.7 .825
Zach LaVine DNP------ --- ----------

Season 6

Elgin Baylor Zach LaVine
Season 1963-642019-20
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Div SemisDid Not Play
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 78 40.6 25.4 - - 12.0 4.4 - - - 3.0 9.7 22.8 .425 - - - 6.0 7.5 .804
difference:+18+5.8+0.1+7.2+0.2-0.8+0.7+2.8+.025+1.5+1.9+.002
Zach LaVine 60 34.8 25.5 0.7 4.1 4.8 4.2 1.5 0.5 3.4 2.2 9.0 20.0 .450 3.1 8.1 .380 4.5 5.6 .802
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 5 44.2 24.2 - - 11.6 5.6 - - - 3.4 9.0 23.8 .378 - - - 6.2 8.0 .775
Zach LaVine DNP------ --- ----------

Season 7

Elgin Baylor Zach LaVine
Season 1964-652020-21
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 74 41.3 27.1 - - 12.8 3.8 - - - 3.2 10.3 25.7 .401 - - - 6.5 8.2 .792
difference:+16+6.2+0.3+7.8+1.1-0.8+0.5+6.3+.106+2.1+3.1+.057
Zach LaVine 58 35.1 27.4 0.6 4.4 5.0 4.9 0.8 0.5 3.5 2.4 9.8 19.4 .507 3.4 8.2 .419 4.4 5.1 .849
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 1 5.0 0.0 - - 0 1.0 - - - 0.0 0.0 2.0 .000 - - - 0.0 0.0 -
Zach LaVine DNP------ --- ----------

Season 8

Elgin Baylor Zach LaVine
Season 1965-662021-22
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsBulls Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 65 30.4 16.6 - - 9.6 3.4 - - - 2.4 6.4 15.9 .401 - - - 3.8 5.2 .739
difference:+2+4.3+7.8+5.0+1.1-0.6+2.0+1.8+.075+1.0+0.4+.114
Zach LaVine 67 34.7 24.4 0.3 4.3 4.6 4.5 0.6 0.3 2.6 1.8 8.4 17.7 .476 2.8 7.1 .389 4.8 5.6 .853
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 14 41.9 26.8 - - 14.1 3.7 - - - 2.7 10.4 23.4 .442 - - - 6.1 7.5 .810
difference:+10+3.6+7.5+8.8+2.3-0.4+3.6+7.6+.013+2.6+3.7+.123
Zach LaVine 4 38.3 19.3 0.0 5.3 5.3 6.0 0.8 0.3 3.0 2.3 6.8 15.8 .429 2.3 6.0 .375 3.5 3.8 .933

Season 9

Elgin Baylor Zach LaVine
Season 1966-672022-23
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Div SemisDid Not Play
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 70 38.7 26.6 - - 12.8 3.1 - - - 3.0 10.2 23.7 .429 - - - 6.3 7.7 .813
difference:+7+2.8+1.8+8.3+1.1-0.9+1.5+5.7+.056+1.6+2.1+.035
Zach LaVine 77 35.9 24.8 0.5 3.9 4.5 4.2 0.9 0.2 2.5 2.1 8.7 18.0 .485 2.6 7.1 .375 4.7 5.6 .848
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 3 40.3 23.7 - - 13.0 3.0 - - - 2.0 9.3 25.3 .368 - - - 5.0 6.7 .750
Zach LaVine DNP------ --- ----------

Season 10

Elgin Baylor Zach LaVine
Season 1967-682023-24
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 77 39.3 26.0 - - 12.2 4.6 - - - 3.0 9.8 22.2 .443 - - - 6.3 8.1 .786
difference:+52+4.4+6.5+7.0+0.7-0.7+3.0+7.2+.009+2.8+4.0+.068
Zach LaVine 25 34.9 19.5 0.3 4.8 5.2 3.9 0.8 0.3 2.1 2.3 6.8 15.0 .452 2.4 6.8 .349 3.5 4.1 .854
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 15 42.2 28.5 - - 14.5 4.0 - - - 2.7 11.7 25.1 .468 - - - 5.1 7.5 .679
Zach LaVine DNP------ --- ----------

Season 11

Elgin Baylor Zach LaVine
Season 1968-692024-25
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
11th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 76 40.3 24.8 - - 10.6 5.4 - - - 2.7 9.6 21.5 .447 - - - 5.5 7.5 .743
difference:+2+5.1+1.5+6.3+1.2-1.1+1.2+5.0+.064+2.3+3.6+.082
Zach LaVine 74 35.2 23.3 0.3 4.0 4.3 4.2 0.8 0.2 2.8 1.6 8.4 16.5 .511 3.2 7.2 .446 3.2 3.9 .825
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 18 35.6 15.4 - - 9.2 4.1 - - - 3.1 5.9 15.4 .385 - - - 3.5 5.4 .649
Zach LaVine DNP------ --- ----------

Season 12

Elgin Baylor Zach LaVine
Season 1969-702025-26
Team Los Angeles LakersSacramento Kings
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
12th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 54 41.0 24.0 - - 10.4 5.4 - - - 2.4 9.5 19.5 .486 - - - 5.1 6.6 .773
difference:+37+7.6+3.9+7.2+3.2-0.1+2.3+4.9+.004+2.0+3.2+.124
Zach LaVine 17 33.4 20.1 0.2 3.0 3.2 2.2 0.7 0.1 2.4 2.3 7.2 14.6 .490 2.6 7.1 .375 3.1 3.4 .897
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 18 37.1 18.7 - - 9.6 4.6 - - - 2.8 7.7 16.4 .466 - - - 3.3 4.5 .741
Zach LaVine DNP------ --- ----------

Additional Years

* Elgin Baylor played 2 seasons more than Zach LaVine in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 13 to 14, from 1971 to 1972—Elgin Baylor didn't play in the postseason.