Ja Morant vs. Mel Payton Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Mel Payton and Ja Morant, 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.

Ja Morant played 5 years in the NBA, 3 more than Mel Payton, who played 2. Ja Morant had the first of his seasons in 2019-20, while Mel Payton had his rookie season in 1951-52. 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
Ja Morant 5 3 2019-20 to 2023-24
Mel Payton 2 2 1951-52 to 1952-53

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5

Rookie Season

Ja Morant Mel Payton
Season 2019-201951-52
Team Memphis GrizzliesPhiladelphia Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Playoffs Did Not PlayWarriors Lost East Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ja Morant 67 31.0 17.8 0.8 3.1 3.9 7.3 0.9 0.3 3.3 1.6 6.7 14.0 .477 0.9 2.7 .335 3.6 4.6 .776
Mel Payton 45 10.5 2.9 - - 1.8 1.0 - - - 1.5 1.2 3.1 .386 - - - 0.5 0.6 .750
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ja Morant ------- --- ----------
Mel Payton 3 6.0 1.3 - - 1.0 0.3 - - - 2.0 0.3 0.7 .500 - - - 0.7 0.7 1.000

Season 2

Ja Morant Mel Payton
Season 2020-211952-53
Team Memphis GrizzliesIndianapolis Olympians
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Grizzlies Lost West Conf 1st RdOlympians Lost West Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ja Morant 63 32.6 19.1 0.9 3.1 4.0 7.4 0.9 0.2 3.2 1.4 6.8 15.2 .449 1.2 3.8 .303 4.3 5.9 .728
Mel Payton 66 21.6 7.1 - - 4.7 1.2 - - - 1.8 2.6 7.3 .357 - - - 1.8 2.4 .745
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ja Morant 5 40.6 30.2 1.4 3.4 4.8 8.2 0.4 0.0 3.4 1.8 11.0 22.6 .487 2.0 6.2 .323 6.2 8.0 .775
Mel Payton 2 18.0 10.5 - - 3.0 0.0 - - - 3.5 3.5 8.5 .412 - - - 3.5 4.0 .875

Season 3

Ja Morant Mel Payton
Season 2021-22-
Team Memphis Grizzlies-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Most Improved Player-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Grizzlies 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 %
Ja Morant 57 33.1 27.4 1.4 4.4 5.7 6.7 1.2 0.4 3.4 1.5 10.2 20.6 .493 1.5 4.5 .344 5.5 7.3 .761
Mel Payton ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ja Morant 9 37.6 27.1 1.4 6.6 8.0 9.8 2.0 0.4 3.6 2.4 9.0 20.4 .440 1.9 5.6 .340 7.2 9.7 .747
Mel Payton ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Ja Morant Mel Payton
Season 2022-23-
Team Memphis Grizzlies-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Grizzlies 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 %
Ja Morant 61 31.9 26.2 1.0 4.9 5.9 8.1 1.1 0.3 3.4 1.6 9.3 19.9 .466 1.5 4.9 .307 6.1 8.1 .748
Mel Payton ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ja Morant 5 37.4 24.6 1.6 5.2 6.8 7.0 1.8 0.2 3.4 2.4 9.0 21.2 .425 2.6 6.2 .419 4.0 5.2 .769
Mel Payton ------- --- ----------

Season 5

Ja Morant Mel Payton
Season 2023-24-
Team Memphis Grizzlies-
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 %
Ja Morant 9 35.3 25.1 0.7 4.9 5.6 8.1 0.8 0.6 3.0 2.1 8.9 18.9 .471 1.6 5.7 .275 5.8 7.1 .813
Mel Payton ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ja Morant ------- --- ----------
Mel Payton ------- --- ----------