Mel Bennett vs. Jalen Brunson Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jalen Brunson and Mel Bennett, 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

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.

Mel Bennett played 4 years in the NBA, 2 less than Jalen Brunson, who played 6. Mel Bennett had the first of his seasons in 1976-77, while Jalen Brunson had his rookie season in 2018-19. 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 achivements, 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
Mel Bennett 4 0 1976-77 to 1981-82
Jalen Brunson 6 4 2018-19 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6

Rookie Season
Mel Bennett Jalen Brunson
Season 1976-772018-19
Team Indiana PacersDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Bennett 67 13.6 4.7 1.6 1.9 3.5 1.0 0.6 0.5 - 2.3 1.5 4.4 .344 - - - 1.7 2.8 .599
Jalen Brunson 73 21.8 9.3 0.3 2.0 2.3 3.2 0.5 0.1 1.2 1.7 3.6 7.7 .467 0.9 2.5 .348 1.2 1.6 .725
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Bennett ------- --- ----------
Jalen Brunson ------- --- ----------

Season 2
Mel Bennett Jalen Brunson
Season 1977-782019-20
Team Indiana PacersDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Bennett 31 9.2 2.4 1.6 1.4 3.0 0.7 0.4 0.2 1.0 1.7 0.7 2.6 .284 - - - 0.9 1.5 .622
Jalen Brunson 57 17.9 8.2 0.4 2.0 2.4 3.3 0.4 0.1 1.2 1.3 3.2 6.8 .466 0.8 2.1 .358 1.1 1.3 .813
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Bennett ------- --- ----------
Jalen Brunson ------- --- ----------

Note: Mel Bennett didn't play in 1978-79 and 1979-80.

Season 3
Mel Bennett Jalen Brunson
Season 1980-812020-21
Team Utah JazzDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayMavericks Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Bennett 28 11.2 3.8 1.2 2.1 3.3 0.5 0.1 0.4 1.1 2.0 0.9 2.1 .433 0.0 0.1 .000 1.9 2.9 .654
Jalen Brunson 68 25.0 12.6 0.4 3.0 3.4 3.5 0.5 0.0 1.2 1.6 4.8 9.2 .523 1.2 2.9 .405 1.8 2.2 .795
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Bennett ------- --- ----------
Jalen Brunson 7 16.3 8.0 0.9 1.7 2.6 1.4 0.0 0.0 0.6 0.9 2.9 6.3 .455 0.9 1.9 .462 1.4 1.9 .769

Season 4
Mel Bennett Jalen Brunson
Season 1981-822021-22
Team Cleveland CavaliersDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayMavericks Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Bennett 3 7.7 1.7 0.3 0.7 1.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 1.3 0.7 0.7 1.3 .500 0.0 0.0 - 0.3 2.0 .167
Jalen Brunson 79 31.9 16.3 0.5 3.4 3.9 4.8 0.8 0.0 1.6 1.9 6.4 12.8 .502 1.2 3.2 .373 2.3 2.7 .840
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Bennett ------- --- ----------
Jalen Brunson 18 34.9 21.6 0.8 3.8 4.6 3.7 0.8 0.1 1.1 2.1 8.1 17.3 .466 1.4 4.2 .347 4.0 5.0 .800

Season 5
Mel Bennett Jalen Brunson
Season -2022-23
Team -New York Knicks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Knicks Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Bennett ------- --- ----------
Jalen Brunson 68 35.0 24.0 0.6 3.0 3.5 6.2 0.9 0.2 2.1 2.2 8.6 17.6 .491 2.0 4.7 .416 4.8 5.8 .829
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Bennett ------- --- ----------
Jalen Brunson 11 40.3 27.8 0.8 4.1 4.9 5.6 1.5 0.1 2.1 2.4 9.9 20.9 .474 2.4 7.3 .325 5.6 6.2 .912

Season 6
Mel Bennett Jalen Brunson
Season -2023-24
Team -New York Knicks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Knicks TBD
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Bennett ------- --- ----------
Jalen Brunson 77 35.4 28.7 0.6 3.1 3.6 6.7 0.9 0.2 2.4 1.9 10.3 21.4 .479 2.7 6.8 .401 5.5 6.5 .847
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Bennett ------- --- ----------
Jalen Brunson 11 41.0 33.9 0.7 3.1 3.8 7.5 0.9 0.2 3.0 2.1 12.2 27.0 .451 2.0 6.6 .301 7.5 9.6 .783
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