Lonzo Ball vs. Rudy Gay Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Rudy Gay and Lonzo 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 / 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.

Lonzo Ball played 7 years in the NBA, 10 less than Rudy Gay, who played 17. Lonzo Ball had the first of his seasons in 2017-18, while Rudy Gay had his rookie season in 2006-07. 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
Lonzo Ball 7 0 2017-18 to 2025-26
Rudy Gay 17 3 2006-07 to 2022-23

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

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

Rookie Season
Lonzo Ball Rudy Gay
Season 2017-182006-07
Team Los Angeles LakersMemphis Grizzlies
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie First Team
Achievement All-Rookie Second 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%
Lonzo Ball 52 34.2 10.2 1.3 5.6 6.9 7.2 1.7 0.8 2.6 2.3 3.9 10.8 .360 1.7 5.7 .305 0.6 1.4 .451
difference:+26+7.2+0.6+0.1+2.3+2.4+5.9+0.8+0.1-0.8-0.2+0.2+1.1+.062+1.0+3.9+.059+1.3+1.3+.276
Rudy Gay 78 27.0 10.8 1.2 3.3 4.5 1.3 0.9 0.9 1.8 2.5 4.1 9.7 .422 0.7 1.8 .364 1.9 2.7 .727
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Lonzo Ball nor Rudy Gay played in the postseason in their season 1

Season 2
Lonzo Ball Rudy Gay
Season 2018-192007-08
Team Los Angeles LakersMemphis Grizzlies
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%
Lonzo Ball 47 30.3 9.9 1.1 4.2 5.3 5.4 1.5 0.4 2.2 2.4 3.9 9.7 .406 1.6 4.9 .329 0.4 1.0 .417
difference:+34+6.7+10.2+0.6+0.2+0.9+3.4+0.1+0.6-0.1-0.4+3.8+7.0+.055+0.1+0.1+.017+2.7+2.9+.368
Rudy Gay 81 37.0 20.1 1.7 4.4 6.2 2.0 1.4 1.0 2.3 2.8 7.7 16.7 .461 1.7 4.8 .346 3.1 3.9 .785
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Lonzo Ball nor Rudy Gay played in the postseason in their season 2

Season 3
Lonzo Ball Rudy Gay
Season 2019-202008-09
Team New Orleans PelicansMemphis Grizzlies
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Lonzo Ball 63 32.1 11.8 1.1 5.0 6.1 7.0 1.4 0.6 3.1 2.0 4.4 10.9 .403 2.3 6.3 .375 0.7 1.2 .566
difference:+16+5.2+7.1+0.3+0.8+0.6+5.3+0.2+0.1-0.5-0.8+2.8+5.1+.050+1.2+3.2+.024+2.6+3.2+.201
Rudy Gay 79 37.3 18.9 1.4 4.2 5.5 1.7 1.2 0.7 2.6 2.8 7.2 16.0 .453 1.1 3.1 .351 3.3 4.4 .767
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Lonzo Ball nor Rudy Gay played in the postseason in their season 3

Season 4
Lonzo Ball Rudy Gay
Season 2020-212009-10
Team New Orleans PelicansMemphis Grizzlies
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid 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%
Lonzo Ball 55 31.8 14.6 0.6 4.2 4.8 5.7 1.5 0.6 2.2 1.9 5.3 12.7 .414 3.1 8.3 .378 0.9 1.2 .781
difference:+25+7.9+5.0+0.8+0.3+1.1+3.8+0.2-0.1-0.6+2.2+3.4+.052+2.3+5.8+.051+2.9+3.8+.028
Rudy Gay 80 39.7 19.6 1.4 4.5 5.9 1.9 1.5 0.8 2.1 2.5 7.5 16.1 .466 0.8 2.5 .327 3.8 5.0 .753
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Lonzo Ball nor Rudy Gay played in the postseason in their season 4

Season 5
Lonzo Ball Rudy Gay
Season 2021-222010-11
Team Chicago BullsMemphis Grizzlies
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%
Lonzo Ball 35 34.6 13.0 1.0 4.4 5.4 5.1 1.8 0.9 2.3 2.4 4.6 10.9 .423 3.1 7.4 .423 0.6 0.8 .750
difference:+19+5.3+6.8+0.5+0.3+0.8+2.3+0.1+0.2-0.2+3.0+5.2+.048+2.0+4.7+.027+3.0+3.7+.055
Rudy Gay 54 39.9 19.8 1.5 4.7 6.2 2.8 1.7 1.1 2.5 2.4 7.6 16.1 .471 1.1 2.7 .396 3.6 4.5 .805
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Lonzo Ball nor Rudy Gay played in the postseason in their season 5

Note: Lonzo Ball didn't play in 2022-23 and 2023-24.

Season 6
Lonzo Ball Rudy Gay
Season 2024-252011-12
Team Chicago BullsMemphis Grizzlies
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayGrizzlies Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Lonzo Ball 35 22.2 7.6 0.7 2.7 3.4 3.3 1.3 0.5 1.2 1.6 2.5 6.9 .366 1.9 5.6 .344 0.6 0.8 .815
difference:+30+15.1+11.4+1.3+1.7+3.0+1.0+0.2+0.3-1.3-0.5+5.0+9.5+.089+1.1+2.9+.032+2.6+3.2+.024
Rudy Gay 65 37.3 19.0 2.0 4.4 6.4 2.3 1.5 0.8 2.5 2.1 7.5 16.4 .455 0.8 2.7 .312 3.2 4.0 .791
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Lonzo Ball DNP------ --- ----------
Rudy Gay 7 39.9 19.0 1.4 5.1 6.6 1.4 1.3 0.3 3.0 2.1 6.9 16.3 .421 0.6 2.7 .211 4.7 5.7 .825

Season 7
Lonzo Ball Rudy Gay
Season 2025-262012-13
Team Cleveland CavaliersMemphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Lonzo Ball 1 23.0 3.0 1.0 3.0 4.0 6.0 0.0 0.0 4.0 0.0 1.0 7.0 .143 1.0 7.0 .143 0.0 0.0 -
difference:+74+12.8+15.2+0.3+1.8+2.1+3.3+1.5+0.7-1.4-2.4+5.9+9.7+.273+0.1+3.5+.180+3.2+3.9
Rudy Gay 75 35.8 18.2 1.3 4.8 6.1 2.7 1.5 0.7 2.6 2.4 6.9 16.7 .416 1.1 3.5 .323 3.2 3.9 .814
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Lonzo Ball nor Rudy Gay played in the postseason in their season 7

Additional Years

* Rudy Gay played 10 seasons more than Lonzo Ball in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 8 to 17, from 2014 to 2023—Rudy Gay played in two Playoffs.

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