Jeremy Lin vs. Karl-Anthony Towns Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Karl-Anthony Towns and Jeremy Lin, 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 Rankings / Games against each other

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.

Jeremy Lin played 9 years in the NBA, 2 less than Karl-Anthony Towns, who played 11. Jeremy Lin had the first of his seasons in 2010-11, while Karl-Anthony Towns had his rookie season in 2015-16. 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
Jeremy Lin 9 4 2010-11 to 2018-19
Karl-Anthony Towns 11 5 2015-16 to 2025-26

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9

Rookie Season

Jeremy Lin Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2010-112015-16
Team Golden State WarriorsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards -Achievement Rookie of the Year
-Achievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid 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%
Jeremy Lin 29 9.8 2.6 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.4 1.1 0.3 0.6 1.1 1.0 2.5 .389 0.0 0.2 .200 0.7 0.9 .760
difference:+53+22.2+15.7+2.4+6.9+9.3+0.6+0.4+1.4-1.6-1.9+6.6+11.6+.153+0.4+0.9+.141+2.0+2.5+.051
Karl-Anthony Towns 82 32.0 18.3 2.8 7.7 10.5 2.0 0.7 1.7 2.2 3.0 7.6 14.1 .542 0.4 1.1 .341 2.7 3.4 .811
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Jeremy Lin nor Karl-Anthony Towns played in the postseason in their season 1

Season 2

Jeremy Lin Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2011-122016-17
Team New York KnicksMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid 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%
Jeremy Lin 35 26.9 14.6 0.5 2.5 3.1 6.2 1.6 0.3 3.6 2.2 4.9 10.9 .446 0.7 2.1 .320 4.2 5.2 .798
difference:+47+10.1+10.5+3.1+6.2+9.2+3.5+0.9+1.0-1.0-0.7+4.9+7.1+.096+0.5+1.3+.047+0.1+.034
Karl-Anthony Towns 82 37.0 25.1 3.6 8.7 12.3 2.7 0.7 1.3 2.6 2.9 9.8 18.0 .542 1.2 3.4 .367 4.3 5.2 .832
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Jeremy Lin nor Karl-Anthony Towns played in the postseason in their season 2

Season 3

Jeremy Lin Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2012-132017-18
Team Houston RocketsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdTimberwolves Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Jeremy Lin 82 32.2 13.4 0.4 2.6 3.0 6.1 1.6 0.4 2.9 2.5 4.8 10.9 .441 1.1 3.1 .339 2.6 3.4 .785
difference:+3.4+7.9+2.5+6.8+9.3+3.7+0.8+1.0-1.0-1.0+3.0+3.4+.104+0.4+0.4+.082+1.6+1.5+.073
Karl-Anthony Towns 82 35.6 21.3 2.9 9.4 12.3 2.4 0.8 1.4 1.9 3.5 7.8 14.3 .545 1.5 3.5 .421 4.2 4.9 .858
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Jeremy Lin 4 21.0 4.0 0.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 0.5 0.3 2.0 2.3 1.5 6.0 .250 0.5 3.0 .167 0.5 0.5 1.000
difference:+1+13.0+11.2+3.0+8.4+11.4+0.2+0.1+0.7-0.4-0.5+4.1+6.0+.217+0.1+0.8+.106+2.9+4.1+.261
Karl-Anthony Towns 5 34.0 15.2 3.0 10.4 13.4 2.2 0.4 1.0 2.4 2.8 5.6 12.0 .467 0.6 2.2 .273 3.4 4.6 .739

Season 4

Jeremy Lin Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2013-142018-19
Team Houston RocketsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdDid 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%
Jeremy Lin 71 28.9 12.5 0.5 2.2 2.6 4.1 1.0 0.4 2.5 2.3 4.2 9.3 .446 1.2 3.2 .358 3.1 3.7 .823
difference:+6+4.2+11.9+2.9+6.8+9.8+0.7+0.1+1.2-0.6-1.5+4.6+7.8+.072+0.6+1.4+.042+1.8+2.1+.013
Karl-Anthony Towns 77 33.1 24.4 3.4 9.0 12.4 3.4 0.9 1.6 3.1 3.8 8.8 17.1 .518 1.8 4.6 .400 4.9 5.8 .836
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Jeremy Lin 6 29.5 11.3 1.2 2.5 3.7 4.3 0.5 0.2 2.2 2.5 4.2 10.2 .410 0.8 3.8 .217 2.2 2.7 .813
Karl-Anthony Towns DNP------ --- ----------

Season 5

Jeremy Lin Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2014-152019-20
Team Los Angeles LakersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid 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%
Jeremy Lin 74 25.8 11.2 0.4 2.3 2.6 4.6 1.1 0.4 2.2 2.6 3.7 8.8 .424 0.9 2.4 .369 2.9 3.6 .795
difference:+39+8.1+15.3+2.3+5.8+8.2+0.2+0.2+0.8-0.9-0.7+5.3+9.0+.084+2.4+5.5+.043+2.2+2.9+.001
Karl-Anthony Towns 35 33.9 26.5 2.7 8.1 10.8 4.4 0.9 1.2 3.1 3.3 9.0 17.8 .508 3.3 7.9 .412 5.1 6.5 .796
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Jeremy Lin nor Karl-Anthony Towns played in the postseason in their season 5

Season 6

Jeremy Lin Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2015-162020-21
Team Charlotte HornetsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Hornets Lost East Conf 1st RdDid 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%
Jeremy Lin 78 26.3 11.7 0.5 2.7 3.2 3.0 0.7 0.5 1.9 2.1 3.8 9.3 .412 1.0 2.9 .336 3.1 3.7 .815
difference:+28+7.5+13.1+2.2+5.2+7.4+1.5+0.1+0.6-1.3-1.6+4.7+8.2+.074+1.4+3.4+.051+2.2+2.5+.044
Karl-Anthony Towns 50 33.8 24.8 2.7 7.9 10.6 4.5 0.8 1.1 3.2 3.7 8.5 17.5 .486 2.4 6.3 .387 5.3 6.2 .859
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Jeremy Lin 7 27.0 12.4 0.4 1.9 2.3 2.6 0.7 0.0 1.6 3.0 3.7 9.0 .413 0.4 2.0 .214 4.6 5.6 .821
Karl-Anthony Towns DNP------ --- ----------

Season 7

Jeremy Lin Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2016-172021-22
Team Brooklyn NetsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayTimberwolves Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Jeremy Lin 36 24.5 14.5 0.3 3.4 3.8 5.1 1.2 0.4 2.4 2.2 4.9 11.1 .438 1.6 4.3 .372 3.2 3.9 .816
difference:+38+9.0+10.1+2.3+3.8+6.0+1.5+0.2+0.7-0.7-1.4+3.8+5.3+.091+0.4+0.6+.038+2.0+2.4+.006
Karl-Anthony Towns 74 33.5 24.6 2.6 7.2 9.8 3.6 1.0 1.1 3.1 3.6 8.7 16.4 .529 2.0 4.9 .410 5.2 6.3 .822
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Jeremy Lin DNP------ --- ----------
Karl-Anthony Towns 6 37.0 21.8 1.8 9.0 10.8 2.2 0.7 2.0 4.5 4.2 6.5 13.3 .488 1.7 3.7 .455 7.2 8.3 .860

Season 8

Jeremy Lin Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2017-182022-23
Team Brooklyn NetsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayTimberwolves Lost West 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%
Jeremy Lin 1 25.0 18.0 0.0 0.0 0 4.0 0.0 0.0 3.0 3.0 5.0 12.0 .417 1.0 2.0 .500 7.0 7.0 1.000
difference:+28+8.0+2.8+1.7+6.5+8.1+0.8+0.7+0.6-0.8+2.3+2.8+.078+1.1+3.7+.134+2.9+2.3+.126
Karl-Anthony Towns 29 33.0 20.8 1.7 6.5 8.1 4.8 0.7 0.6 3.0 3.8 7.3 14.8 .495 2.1 5.7 .366 4.1 4.7 .874
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Jeremy Lin DNP------ --- ----------
Karl-Anthony Towns 5 36.0 18.2 1.2 9.0 10.2 2.0 0.6 0.8 3.6 4.2 6.4 14.0 .457 1.2 4.8 .250 4.2 5.6 .750

Season 9

Jeremy Lin Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2018-192023-24
Team Atlanta Hawks, Toronto RaptorsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionTimberwolves Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Jeremy Lin 74 19.4 9.6 0.3 2.1 2.4 3.1 0.6 0.2 1.7 1.9 3.2 7.3 .440 0.7 2.5 .294 2.4 2.8 .838
difference:+12+13.3+12.2+1.2+4.7+5.9+0.1+0.1+0.5-1.2-1.4+4.5+8.0+.064+1.5+2.8+.122+1.7+1.9+.035
Karl-Anthony Towns 62 32.7 21.8 1.5 6.8 8.3 3.0 0.7 0.7 2.9 3.3 7.7 15.3 .504 2.2 5.3 .416 4.1 4.7 .873
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Jeremy Lin 8 3.4 1.1 0.0 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.1 0.0 0.6 0.3 0.3 1.1 .222 0.1 0.3 .500 0.5 0.5 1.000
difference:+8+29.2+18.0+2.2+6.4+8.6+2.1+0.7+0.2-1.1-3.1+6.5+13.4+.244+1.8+4.9+.139+3.2+3.8+.145
Karl-Anthony Towns 16 32.6 19.1 2.2 6.8 9.0 2.6 0.8 0.2 1.7 3.4 6.8 14.5 .466 1.9 5.2 .361 3.7 4.3 .855

Additional Years

* Karl-Anthony Towns played 2 seasons more than Jeremy Lin in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 10 to 11, from 2025 to 2026—Karl-Anthony Towns played in one postseason.

In those 2 extra years over Jeremy Lin, Karl-Anthony Towns got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 1 All-NBA Third Team
Achievement 1 All-Star Game