Mel Counts vs. Zach LaVine Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Zach LaVine and Mel Counts, 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 Counts played 12 years in the NBA, 2 more than Zach LaVine, who played 10. Mel Counts had the first of his seasons in 1964-65, while Zach LaVine had his rookie season in 2014-15. 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 Counts 12 8 1964-65 to 1975-76
Zach LaVine 10 1 2014-15 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12

Rookie Season

Mel Counts Zach LaVine
Season 1964-652014-15
Team Boston CelticsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 54 10.6 4.8 - - 4.9 0.4 - - - 2.5 1.9 5.0 .368 - - - 1.1 1.4 .784
Zach LaVine 77 24.7 10.1 0.4 2.4 2.8 3.6 0.7 0.1 2.5 2.1 3.7 8.8 .422 0.7 2.2 .341 1.9 2.3 .842
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 4 7.5 2.3 - - 2.8 0.3 - - - 2.5 1.0 3.8 .267 - - - 0.3 0.3 1.000
Zach LaVine ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Mel Counts Zach LaVine
Season 1965-662015-16
Team Boston CelticsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 67 15.2 8.4 - - 6.4 0.7 - - - 3.1 3.3 8.2 .403 - - - 1.8 2.2 .828
Zach LaVine 82 28.0 14.0 0.3 2.5 2.8 3.1 0.8 0.2 1.9 2.4 5.3 11.7 .452 1.5 3.9 .389 2.0 2.5 .793
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 10 8.2 4.3 - - 4.0 0.3 - - - 2.6 1.4 3.9 .359 - - - 1.5 1.7 .882
Zach LaVine ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Mel Counts Zach LaVine
Season 1966-672016-17
Team Baltimore Bullets, Los Angeles LakersMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Div SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 56 15.4 7.6 - - 6.1 0.9 - - - 3.3 3.2 7.5 .422 - - - 1.2 1.7 .734
Zach LaVine 47 37.2 18.9 0.4 3.0 3.4 3.0 0.9 0.2 1.8 2.2 6.9 15.1 .459 2.6 6.6 .387 2.5 3.0 .836
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 3 9.7 4.7 - - 2.7 0.0 - - - 2.0 1.7 6.3 .263 - - - 1.3 1.3 1.000
Zach LaVine ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Mel Counts Zach LaVine
Season 1967-682017-18
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 82 21.2 11.7 - - 8.9 1.7 - - - 3.8 4.7 9.9 .475 - - - 2.3 3.1 .748
Zach LaVine 24 27.3 16.7 0.4 3.5 3.9 3.0 1.0 0.2 1.8 2.3 5.7 14.8 .383 1.8 5.1 .341 3.6 4.5 .813
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 15 20.4 8.6 - - 8.9 1.6 - - - 3.5 3.6 6.7 .535 - - - 1.4 2.1 .677
Zach LaVine ------- --- ----------

Season 5

Mel Counts Zach LaVine
Season 1968-692018-19
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 77 24.2 12.4 - - 7.8 1.4 - - - 2.9 5.1 11.3 .450 - - - 2.3 2.9 .805
Zach LaVine 63 34.5 23.7 0.6 4.0 4.7 4.5 1.0 0.4 3.4 2.2 8.4 18.0 .467 1.9 5.1 .374 5.0 6.0 .832
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 18 24.6 11.2 - - 7.9 1.4 - - - 3.7 4.1 10.7 .385 - - - 3.0 3.9 .761
Zach LaVine ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Mel Counts Zach LaVine
Season 1969-702019-20
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 81 27.1 12.6 - - 8.4 2.0 - - - 3.8 5.4 12.6 .427 - - - 1.9 2.5 .776
Zach LaVine 60 34.8 25.5 0.7 4.1 4.8 4.2 1.5 0.5 3.4 2.2 9.0 20.0 .450 3.1 8.1 .380 4.5 5.6 .802
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 14 15.1 6.1 - - 5.3 1.1 - - - 3.4 2.6 6.3 .420 - - - 0.8 0.9 .846
Zach LaVine ------- --- ----------

Season 7

Mel Counts Zach LaVine
Season 1970-712020-21
Team Phoenix SunsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
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 Counts 80 20.9 11.0 - - 6.3 1.7 - - - 3.5 4.6 10.0 .457 - - - 1.9 2.5 .753
Zach LaVine 58 35.1 27.4 0.6 4.4 5.0 4.9 0.8 0.5 3.5 2.4 9.8 19.4 .507 3.4 8.2 .419 4.4 5.1 .849
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts ------- --- ----------
Zach LaVine ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Mel Counts Zach LaVine
Season 1971-722021-22
Team Phoenix SunsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayBulls Lost East 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 Counts 76 11.9 5.2 - - 3.4 1.3 - - - 2.1 1.9 4.5 .427 - - - 1.3 1.8 .721
Zach LaVine 67 34.7 24.4 0.3 4.3 4.6 4.5 0.6 0.3 2.6 1.8 8.4 17.7 .476 2.8 7.1 .389 4.8 5.6 .853
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts ------- --- ----------
Zach LaVine 4 38.3 19.3 0.0 5.3 5.3 6.0 0.8 0.3 3.0 2.3 6.8 15.8 .429 2.3 6.0 .375 3.5 3.8 .933

Season 9

Mel Counts Zach LaVine
Season 1972-732022-23
Team Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 66 10.0 4.6 - - 3.8 1.0 - - - 1.6 2.0 4.5 .449 - - - 0.6 0.9 .672
Zach LaVine 77 35.9 24.8 0.5 3.9 4.5 4.2 0.9 0.2 2.5 2.1 8.7 18.0 .485 2.6 7.1 .375 4.7 5.6 .848
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 17 19.2 9.1 - - 6.1 1.6 - - - 3.0 3.6 7.8 .459 - - - 1.9 2.4 .780
Zach LaVine ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Mel Counts Zach LaVine
Season 1973-742023-24
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 45 11.1 3.2 1.2 2.0 3.2 1.2 0.4 0.5 - 1.9 1.4 3.7 .365 - - - 0.5 0.7 .727
Zach LaVine 25 34.9 19.5 0.3 4.8 5.2 3.9 0.8 0.3 2.1 2.3 6.8 15.0 .452 2.4 6.8 .349 3.5 4.1 .854
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 4 8.5 3.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 - 0.8 1.5 3.0 .500 - - - 0.0 0.0 -
Zach LaVine ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Mel Counts Zach LaVine
Season 1974-75-
Team New Orleans Jazz-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 75 18.9 6.9 1.4 4.5 5.9 2.4 0.7 0.6 - 2.6 2.9 6.6 .438 - - - 1.1 1.5 .761
Zach LaVine ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts ------- --- ----------
Zach LaVine ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Mel Counts Zach LaVine
Season 1975-76-
Team New Orleans Jazz-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 30 10.6 3.0 0.9 2.4 3.3 1.3 0.5 0.3 - 2.5 1.2 3.0 .407 - - - 0.5 0.7 .762
Zach LaVine ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts ------- --- ----------
Zach LaVine ------- --- ----------