Kyrie Irving vs. Karl-Anthony Towns Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Karl-Anthony Towns and Kyrie Irving, 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 / Scoring / Stats / 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.

Kyrie Irving played 14 years in the NBA, 4 more than Karl-Anthony Towns, who played 10. Kyrie Irving had the first of his seasons in 2011-12, 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
Kyrie Irving 14 7 2011-12 to 2024-25
Karl-Anthony Towns 10 5 2015-16 to 2024-25

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

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

Rookie Season

Kyrie Irving Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2011-122015-16
Team Cleveland CavaliersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the YearAchievement Rookie of the Year
Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement 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%
Kyrie Irving 51 30.5 18.5 0.9 2.9 3.7 5.4 1.1 0.4 3.1 2.2 6.9 14.6 .469 1.4 3.6 .399 3.4 3.8 .872
difference:+31+1.5+0.2+1.9+4.8+6.8+3.4+0.4+1.3-0.9-0.8+0.7+0.5+.073+1.0+2.5+.058+0.7+0.4+.061
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 Kyrie Irving nor Karl-Anthony Towns played in the postseason in their season 1

Season 2

Kyrie Irving Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2012-132016-17
Team Cleveland CavaliersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
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%
Kyrie Irving 59 34.7 22.5 0.6 3.1 3.7 5.9 1.5 0.4 3.2 2.5 8.2 18.1 .452 1.8 4.7 .391 4.2 4.9 .855
difference:+23+2.3+2.6+3.0+5.6+8.6+3.2+0.8+0.9-0.6-0.4+1.6+0.1+.090+0.6+1.3+.024+0.1+0.3+.023
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 Kyrie Irving nor Karl-Anthony Towns played in the postseason in their season 2

Season 3

Kyrie Irving Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2013-142017-18
Team Cleveland CavaliersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Did Not PlayTimberwolves 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%
Kyrie Irving 71 35.2 20.8 0.7 2.9 3.6 6.1 1.5 0.3 2.7 2.3 7.5 17.4 .430 1.7 4.8 .358 4.1 4.8 .861
difference:+11+0.4+0.5+2.2+6.5+8.7+3.7+0.7+1.1-0.8-1.2+0.3+3.1+.115+0.2+1.3+.063+0.1+0.1+.003
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%
Kyrie Irving DNP------ --- ----------
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

Kyrie Irving Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2014-152018-19
Team Cleveland CavaliersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Cavaliers 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%
Kyrie Irving 75 36.4 21.7 0.7 2.4 3.2 5.2 1.5 0.3 2.5 1.9 7.7 16.5 .468 2.1 5.0 .415 4.2 4.9 .863
difference:+2+3.3+2.7+2.7+6.6+9.2+1.8+0.6+1.3-0.6-1.9+1.1+0.6+.050+0.3+0.4+.015+0.7+0.9+.027
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%
Kyrie Irving 13 35.7 19.0 0.8 2.8 3.6 3.8 1.3 0.8 1.5 2.2 6.2 14.2 .438 2.1 4.6 .450 4.5 5.3 .841
Karl-Anthony Towns DNP------ --- ----------

Season 5

Kyrie Irving Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2015-162019-20
Team Cleveland CavaliersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid 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%
Kyrie Irving 53 31.5 19.6 0.8 2.1 3.0 4.7 1.1 0.3 2.3 2.0 7.4 16.6 .448 1.6 4.9 .321 3.2 3.6 .885
difference:+18+2.4+6.9+1.9+6.0+7.8+0.3+0.2+0.9-0.8-1.3+1.6+1.2+.060+1.7+3.0+.091+1.9+2.9+.089
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
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kyrie Irving 21 36.9 25.2 0.7 2.2 3.0 4.7 1.7 0.6 2.3 2.2 9.6 20.1 .475 2.4 5.5 .440 3.7 4.2 .875
Karl-Anthony Towns DNP------ --- ----------

Season 6

Kyrie Irving Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2016-172020-21
Team Cleveland CavaliersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost NBA FinalsDid 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%
Kyrie Irving 72 35.1 25.2 0.7 2.5 3.2 5.8 1.2 0.3 2.5 2.2 9.3 19.7 .473 2.5 6.1 .401 4.1 4.6 .905
difference:+22+1.3+0.4+2.0+5.4+7.4+1.3+0.4+0.8-0.7-1.5+0.8+2.2+.013+0.1+0.2+.014+1.2+1.6+.046
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%
Kyrie Irving 18 36.3 25.9 0.7 2.1 2.8 5.3 1.3 0.4 2.7 2.1 9.6 20.6 .468 2.4 6.6 .373 4.2 4.7 .905
Karl-Anthony Towns DNP------ --- ----------

Season 7

Kyrie Irving Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2017-182021-22
Team Boston CelticsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement 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%
Kyrie Irving 60 32.2 24.4 0.6 3.2 3.8 5.1 1.1 0.3 2.3 2.0 8.9 18.1 .491 2.8 6.8 .408 3.9 4.4 .889
difference:+14+1.3+0.2+2.0+4.0+6.0+1.5+0.1+0.8-0.8-1.6+0.2+1.7+.038+0.8+1.9+.002+1.3+1.9+.067
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%
Kyrie Irving 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

Kyrie Irving Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2018-192022-23
Team Boston CelticsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisTimberwolves 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%
Kyrie Irving 67 33.0 23.8 1.1 3.9 5.0 6.9 1.5 0.5 2.6 2.5 9.0 18.5 .487 2.6 6.5 .401 3.2 3.7 .873
difference:+38+3.0+0.6+2.6+3.1+2.1+0.8+0.1-0.4-1.3+1.7+3.7+.008+0.5+0.8+.035+0.9+1.0+.001
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%
Kyrie Irving 9 36.7 21.3 0.6 3.8 4.3 7.0 1.4 0.4 3.1 2.9 7.7 19.9 .385 2.0 6.4 .310 4.0 4.4 .900
difference:+4+0.7+3.1+0.6+5.2+5.9+5.0+0.8+0.4-0.5-1.3+1.3+5.9+.072+0.8+1.6+.060+0.2+1.2+.150
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

Kyrie Irving Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2019-202023-24
Team Brooklyn NetsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayTimberwolves 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%
Kyrie Irving 20 32.9 27.4 1.1 4.1 5.2 6.4 1.4 0.5 2.6 2.7 10.0 20.8 .478 2.8 7.1 .394 4.7 5.1 .922
difference:+42+0.2+5.6+0.4+2.7+3.1+3.4+0.7+0.2-0.3-0.6+2.3+5.5+.026+0.6+1.8+.022+0.6+0.4+.049
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%
Kyrie Irving DNP------ --- ----------
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

Season 10

Kyrie Irving Karl-Anthony Towns
Season 2020-212024-25
Team Brooklyn NetsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third TeamAchievement All-NBA Third Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Nets Lost East Conf SemisKnicks Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kyrie Irving 54 34.9 26.9 1.0 3.8 4.8 6.0 1.4 0.7 2.4 2.6 10.2 20.1 .506 2.8 7.0 .402 3.7 4.0 .922
difference:+18+0.1+2.5+1.9+6.0+8.0+2.9+0.4-0.3-0.9+1.3+3.2+.020+0.8+2.3+.018+1.0+1.7+.093
Karl-Anthony Towns 72 35.0 24.4 2.9 9.8 12.8 3.1 1.0 0.7 2.7 3.5 8.9 16.9 .526 2.0 4.7 .420 4.7 5.7 .829
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Kyrie Irving 9 36.1 22.7 1.3 4.4 5.8 3.4 1.0 0.6 1.2 2.1 8.6 18.1 .472 2.7 7.2 .369 2.9 3.1 .929
difference:+9+0.6+1.3+0.8+5.1+5.8+2.1+0.3+0.1-1.0-2.2+0.9+2.3+.016+1.3+3.1+.018+1.7+2.3+.084
Karl-Anthony Towns 18 35.5 21.4 2.1 9.5 11.6 1.3 0.7 0.7 2.2 4.3 7.7 15.8 .488 1.4 4.1 .351 4.6 5.4 .845

Additional Years

* Kyrie Irving played 4 seasons more than Karl-Anthony Towns in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 11 to 14, from 2022 to 2025—Kyrie Irving played in two Playoffs.

In those 4 extra years over Karl-Anthony Towns, Kyrie Irving got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 2 All-Star Game