LaMelo Ball vs. Franz Wagner Season by Season Comparison
Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Franz Wagner 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 / Games against each other
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.
LaMelo Ball played 5 years in the NBA, 1 more than Franz Wagner, who played 4. LaMelo Ball had the first of his seasons in 2020-21, while Franz Wagner had his rookie season in 2021-22. 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 | 5 | 0 | 2020-21 to 2024-25 |
| Franz Wagner | 4 | 2 | 2021-22 to 2024-25 |
Rookie Season |
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| LaMelo Ball | Franz Wagner | |
| Season | 2020-21 | 2021-22 |
| Team | Charlotte Hornets | Orlando Magic |
| Honors & Awards |  Rookie of the Year | - |
| All-Rookie First Team | All-Rookie First Team | |
| Playoffs | Did Not Play | Did Not Play |
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Rookie Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | 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: | +28 | +1.9 | +0.5 | +0.1 | +1.3 | +1.4 | +3.2 | +0.7 | -1.3 | -0.6 | +0.1 | +0.9 | +.032 | +0.6 | +1.7 | +.002 | +0.1 | +0.4 | +.105 | |
| Franz Wagner | 79 | 30.7 | 15.2 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 5.8 | 12.3 | .468 | 1.2 | 3.4 | .354 | 2.4 | 2.8 | .863 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Neiher LaMelo Ball nor Franz Wagner played in the postseason in their season 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Season 2 |
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| LaMelo Ball | Franz Wagner | |
| Season | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
| Team | Charlotte Hornets | Orlando Magic |
| Honors & Awards | All-Star Game | - |
| Playoffs | Did Not Play | Did Not Play |
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | 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: | +5 | +0.3 | +1.5 | +0.5 | +2.0 | +2.6 | +4.1 | +0.6 | +0.2 | -1.2 | -0.9 | +0.4 | +2.7 | +.056 | +1.3 | +3.0 | +.028 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +.030 |
| Franz Wagner | 80 | 32.6 | 18.6 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 6.8 | 14.0 | .485 | 1.6 | 4.5 | .361 | 3.4 | 4.0 | .842 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Neiher LaMelo Ball nor Franz Wagner played in the postseason in their season 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Season 3 |
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| LaMelo Ball | Franz Wagner | |
| Season | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
| Team | Charlotte Hornets | Orlando Magic |
| Honors & Awards | ||
| Playoffs | Did Not Play | Magic Lost East Conf 1st Rd |
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | 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: | +36 | +2.7 | +3.6 | +0.2 | +1.0 | +1.1 | +4.7 | +0.2 | +0.1 | -1.7 | -1.0 | +0.9 | +4.8 | +.071 | +2.7 | +6.0 | +.095 | +1.0 | +1.0 | +.014 |
| Franz Wagner | 72 | 32.5 | 19.7 | 1.0 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 7.3 | 15.2 | .482 | 1.3 | 4.6 | .281 | 3.8 | 4.4 | .850 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Franz Wagner | 7 | 37.0 | 18.9 | 1.4 | 5.4 | 6.9 | 4.4 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 6.0 | 14.7 | .408 | 1.3 | 4.9 | .265 | 5.6 | 6.3 | .886 |
Season 4 |
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| LaMelo Ball | Franz Wagner | |
| Season | 2023-24 | 2024-25 |
| Team | Charlotte Hornets | Orlando Magic |
| Honors & Awards | ||
| Playoffs | Did Not Play | Magic Lost East Conf 1st Rd |
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | 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: | +38 | +1.4 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +1.0 | +0.6 | +3.3 | +0.5 | +0.2 | -1.5 | -1.1 | +0.7 | +0.2 | +.030 | +1.5 | +3.1 | +.060 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +.006 |
| Franz Wagner | 60 | 33.7 | 24.2 | 0.9 | 4.8 | 5.7 | 4.7 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 9.0 | 19.4 | .463 | 1.7 | 5.9 | .295 | 4.5 | 5.2 | .871 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Franz Wagner | 5 | 39.0 | 25.8 | 0.6 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 3.2 | 10.2 | 23.0 | .443 | 1.4 | 7.4 | .189 | 4.0 | 5.2 | .769 |
Additional Years |
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* LaMelo Ball played 1 season more than Franz Wagner in the NBA. In that period—his season 5 in 2025—LaMelo Ball didn't play in the postseason. |