LaMelo Ball vs. Derek Fisher Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Derek Fisher and LaMelo Ball, 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

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.

LaMelo Ball played 6 years in the NBA, 12 less than Derek Fisher, who played 18. LaMelo Ball had the first of his seasons in 2020-21, while Derek Fisher had his rookie season in 1996-97. 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
LaMelo Ball 6 0 2020-21 to 2025-26
Derek Fisher 18 16 1996-97 to 2013-14

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6

Rookie Season

LaMelo Ball Derek Fisher
Season 2020-211996-97
Team Charlotte HornetsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Playoffs Did Not PlayLakers Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball 51 28.8 15.7 1.2 4.7 5.9 6.1 1.6 0.4 2.8 2.7 5.7 13.2 .436 1.8 5.1 .352 2.5 3.2 .758
difference:+29+17.3+11.8+0.9+3.8+4.7+4.6+1.1+0.3-1.9-1.6+4.4+9.9+.039+1.5+4.2+.051+1.5+1.7+.100
Derek Fisher 80 11.5 3.9 0.3 0.9 1.2 1.5 0.5 0.1 0.9 1.1 1.3 3.3 .397 0.3 0.9 .301 1.0 1.5 .658
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball DNP------ --- ----------
Derek Fisher 6 5.7 1.3 0.0 0.5 0.5 1.0 0.2 0.0 1.0 0.7 0.5 1.8 .273 0.0 0.8 .000 0.3 0.5 .667

Season 2

LaMelo Ball Derek Fisher
Season 2021-221997-98
Team Charlotte HornetsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayLakers Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball 75 32.3 20.1 1.4 5.2 6.7 7.6 1.6 0.4 3.3 3.2 7.2 16.7 .429 2.9 7.5 .389 2.8 3.2 .872
difference:+7+10.8+14.3+0.9+3.3+4.3+3.5+0.7+0.3-1.8-1.7+5.2+12.1+.005+2.5+6.5+.006+1.4+1.3+.115
Derek Fisher 82 21.5 5.8 0.5 1.9 2.4 4.1 0.9 0.1 1.5 1.5 2.0 4.6 .434 0.4 1.0 .383 1.4 1.9 .757
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball DNP------ --- ----------
Derek Fisher 13 21.5 6.0 0.2 1.8 1.9 3.8 1.3 0.0 1.2 2.5 2.1 5.2 .397 0.5 1.5 .300 1.4 2.2 .621

Season 3

LaMelo Ball Derek Fisher
Season 2022-231998-99
Team Charlotte HornetsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayLakers Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball 36 35.2 23.3 1.2 5.3 6.4 8.4 1.3 0.3 3.6 3.3 8.2 20.0 .411 4.0 10.6 .376 2.8 3.4 .836
difference:+14+12.6+17.4+0.8+3.9+4.6+4.5+0.1+0.3-2.1-1.4+6.2+14.7+.035+3.2+8.7+.016+1.6+1.8+.077
Derek Fisher 50 22.6 5.9 0.4 1.4 1.8 3.9 1.2 0.0 1.5 1.9 2.0 5.3 .376 0.8 1.9 .392 1.2 1.6 .759
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball DNP------ --- ----------
Derek Fisher 8 29.8 9.8 0.8 2.9 3.6 4.9 1.0 0.0 1.4 2.5 3.5 8.4 .418 1.3 3.6 .345 1.5 1.9 .800

Season 4

LaMelo Ball Derek Fisher
Season 2023-241999-00
Team Charlotte HornetsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball 22 32.3 23.9 1.3 3.8 5.1 8.0 1.8 0.2 3.8 3.6 8.3 19.2 .433 3.2 9.0 .355 4.1 4.7 .865
difference:+56+9.2+17.6+1.0+2.2+3.3+5.2+0.8+0.2-2.8-1.7+6.2+13.0+.087+2.5+6.9+.042+2.8+2.8+.141
Derek Fisher 78 23.1 6.3 0.3 1.6 1.8 2.8 1.0 0.0 1.0 1.9 2.1 6.2 .346 0.7 2.1 .313 1.3 1.9 .724
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball DNP------ --- ----------
Derek Fisher 21 15.3 4.7 0.2 0.9 1.0 2.0 0.5 0.0 0.4 1.4 1.6 3.8 .430 0.6 1.4 .414 0.9 1.2 .760

Season 5

LaMelo Ball Derek Fisher
Season 2024-252000-01
Team Charlotte HornetsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball 47 32.0 25.2 1.0 3.9 4.9 7.4 1.1 0.3 3.6 3.3 8.6 21.3 .405 3.8 11.2 .339 4.1 4.9 .843
difference:+27+3.5+13.7+0.7+1.2+1.9+3.0+0.9+0.2-2.1-0.8+4.7+11.9+.007+2.5+8.0+.058+1.6+1.8+.037
Derek Fisher 20 35.5 11.5 0.3 2.7 3.0 4.4 2.0 0.1 1.5 2.5 3.9 9.4 .412 1.3 3.2 .397 2.5 3.1 .806
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball DNP------ --- ----------
Derek Fisher 16 35.8 13.4 0.3 3.5 3.8 3.0 1.3 0.1 0.8 2.8 4.8 9.9 .484 2.2 4.3 .515 1.6 2.1 .765

Season 6

LaMelo Ball Derek Fisher
Season 2025-262001-02
Team Charlotte HornetsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball 4 32.5 26.3 1.8 6.5 8.3 9.5 1.8 0.3 4.0 3.8 8.5 19.0 .447 4.3 10.8 .395 5.0 6.3 .800
difference:+66+4.3+15.1+1.6+4.6+6.2+6.9+0.9+0.2-3.1-2.1+4.6+9.5+.036+2.2+5.8+.018+3.7+4.7+.047
Derek Fisher 70 28.2 11.2 0.2 1.9 2.1 2.6 0.9 0.1 0.9 1.7 3.9 9.5 .411 2.1 5.0 .413 1.3 1.6 .847
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
LaMelo Ball DNP------ --- ----------
Derek Fisher 19 34.2 10.2 0.5 2.7 3.3 2.7 1.0 0.1 1.1 2.6 3.2 8.8 .357 1.5 4.3 .358 2.3 2.9 .786

Additional Years

* Derek Fisher played 12 seasons more than LaMelo Ball in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 7 to 18, from 2003 to 2014—Derek Fisher played in 10 Playoffs and won two NBA Championships.