Rory Sparrow vs. Jayson Tatum Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jayson Tatum and Rory Sparrow, 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.

Rory Sparrow played 12 years in the NBA, 5 more than Jayson Tatum, who played 7. Rory Sparrow had the first of his seasons in 1980-81, while Jayson Tatum had his rookie season in 2017-18. 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
Rory Sparrow 12 5 1980-81 to 1991-92
Jayson Tatum 7 7 2017-18 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Rory Sparrow Jayson Tatum
Season 1980-812017-18
Team New Jersey NetsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow 15 14.1 3.7 0.5 0.7 1.2 2.1 0.9 0.2 1.2 1.0 1.5 4.2 .349 0.0 0.0 - 0.8 1.1 .750
Jayson Tatum 80 30.5 13.9 0.6 4.4 5.0 1.6 1.0 0.7 1.4 2.1 5.0 10.4 .475 1.3 3.0 .434 2.7 3.2 .826
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow ------- --- ----------
Jayson Tatum 19 35.9 18.5 0.5 3.8 4.4 2.7 1.2 0.5 2.2 2.6 6.5 13.7 .471 1.2 3.7 .324 4.3 5.1 .845

Season 2

Rory Sparrow Jayson Tatum
Season 1981-822018-19
Team Atlanta HawksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Hawks Lost East Conf 1st RdCeltics 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 %
Rory Sparrow 82 31.8 10.5 0.6 2.1 2.7 5.2 1.1 0.2 1.8 2.9 4.5 8.9 .501 0.0 0.2 .067 1.5 1.8 .838
Jayson Tatum 79 31.1 15.7 0.9 5.2 6.0 2.1 1.1 0.7 1.5 2.1 5.9 13.1 .450 1.5 3.9 .373 2.5 2.9 .855
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow 2 34.5 7.0 1.0 3.0 4.0 5.5 1.0 0.0 3.5 3.5 2.5 6.0 .417 0.0 0.5 .000 2.0 2.0 1.000
Jayson Tatum 9 32.8 15.2 0.8 5.9 6.7 1.9 1.1 0.8 2.0 2.3 5.4 12.4 .438 1.1 3.4 .323 3.2 4.3 .744

Season 3

Rory Sparrow Jayson Tatum
Season 1982-832019-20
Team Atlanta Hawks, New York KnicksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Conf SemisCeltics Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow 81 30.0 11.6 0.8 2.1 2.8 4.9 1.3 0.1 2.4 3.1 4.8 10.0 .484 0.1 0.3 .227 1.8 2.5 .739
Jayson Tatum 66 34.3 23.4 1.0 6.0 7.0 3.0 1.4 0.9 2.3 2.1 8.4 18.6 .450 2.9 7.1 .403 3.8 4.7 .812
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow 6 33.7 13.0 0.5 1.7 2.2 7.0 1.2 0.0 2.2 3.0 5.0 11.8 .423 0.2 0.8 .200 2.8 3.5 .810
Jayson Tatum 17 40.6 25.7 1.3 8.7 10.0 5.0 1.0 1.2 2.8 2.4 8.5 19.6 .434 2.8 7.4 .373 5.9 7.2 .813

Season 4

Rory Sparrow Jayson Tatum
Season 1983-842020-21
Team New York KnicksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Conf SemisCeltics 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 %
Rory Sparrow 79 30.8 10.4 0.6 1.8 2.4 6.8 1.3 0.1 2.7 2.9 4.4 9.3 .474 0.1 0.5 .256 1.4 1.7 .824
Jayson Tatum 64 35.8 26.4 0.8 6.6 7.4 4.3 1.2 0.5 2.7 1.9 9.5 20.6 .459 2.9 7.6 .386 4.6 5.3 .868
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow 12 32.4 11.2 0.8 1.3 2.2 7.2 1.0 0.1 2.5 3.4 4.5 10.1 .446 0.2 0.5 .333 2.0 2.5 .800
Jayson Tatum 5 37.0 30.6 0.6 5.2 5.8 4.6 1.2 1.6 2.6 3.0 9.4 22.2 .423 2.8 7.2 .389 9.0 9.8 .918

Season 5

Rory Sparrow Jayson Tatum
Season 1984-852021-22
Team New York KnicksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow 79 29.0 9.9 0.5 1.7 2.1 7.1 1.0 0.1 1.9 2.5 4.1 8.4 .492 0.1 0.4 .226 1.5 1.8 .865
Jayson Tatum 76 35.9 26.9 1.1 6.9 8.0 4.4 1.0 0.6 2.9 2.3 9.3 20.6 .453 3.0 8.6 .353 5.3 6.2 .853
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow ------- --- ----------
Jayson Tatum 24 41.0 25.6 1.0 5.7 6.7 6.2 1.2 0.9 4.2 3.0 8.4 19.7 .426 3.2 8.2 .393 5.7 7.1 .800

Season 6

Rory Sparrow Jayson Tatum
Season 1985-862022-23
Team New York KnicksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow 74 31.7 10.8 0.7 1.6 2.3 6.4 1.1 0.2 2.1 2.5 4.7 9.8 .477 0.1 0.3 .250 1.4 1.7 .795
Jayson Tatum 74 36.9 30.1 1.1 7.7 8.8 4.6 1.1 0.7 2.9 2.2 9.8 21.1 .466 3.2 9.3 .350 7.2 8.4 .854
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow ------- --- ----------
Jayson Tatum 20 40.0 27.2 1.3 9.2 10.5 5.3 1.1 1.1 2.8 2.2 9.3 20.2 .458 2.7 8.2 .323 6.0 6.9 .876

Season 7

Rory Sparrow Jayson Tatum
Season 1986-872023-24
Team New York KnicksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics TBD
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow 80 24.4 7.6 0.4 1.1 1.4 5.4 0.8 0.1 1.8 2.0 3.3 7.4 .446 0.1 0.5 .262 0.9 1.1 .798
Jayson Tatum 74 35.7 26.9 0.9 7.2 8.1 4.9 1.0 0.6 2.5 2.0 9.1 19.3 .471 3.1 8.2 .376 5.6 6.7 .833
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow ------- --- ----------
Jayson Tatum 10 39.2 24.3 0.6 9.8 10.4 5.8 1.0 0.8 2.1 2.8 7.7 17.9 .430 1.8 6.4 .281 7.1 8.2 .866

Season 8

Rory Sparrow Jayson Tatum
Season 1987-88-
Team New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bulls 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 %
Rory Sparrow 58 18.0 4.5 0.3 1.0 1.2 2.9 0.7 0.1 1.0 1.4 2.0 5.1 .399 0.0 0.2 .154 0.4 0.6 .727
Jayson Tatum ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow 7 15.1 3.7 0.0 0.4 0.4 2.6 0.6 0.0 0.6 1.6 1.4 4.6 .313 0.3 0.6 .500 0.6 0.9 .667
Jayson Tatum ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Rory Sparrow Jayson Tatum
Season 1988-89-
Team Miami Heat-
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 %
Rory Sparrow 80 32.7 12.5 0.7 2.0 2.7 5.4 1.3 0.2 2.6 2.1 5.6 12.3 .452 0.2 0.9 .243 1.2 1.3 .879
Jayson Tatum ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow ------- --- ----------
Jayson Tatum ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Rory Sparrow Jayson Tatum
Season 1989-90-
Team Miami Heat-
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 %
Rory Sparrow 82 21.4 5.9 0.5 1.2 1.7 3.6 0.6 0.0 1.2 1.7 2.6 6.2 .412 0.1 0.5 .200 0.7 0.9 .766
Jayson Tatum ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow ------- --- ----------
Jayson Tatum ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Rory Sparrow Jayson Tatum
Season 1990-91-
Team Sacramento Kings-
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 %
Rory Sparrow 80 29.7 10.4 0.6 1.8 2.3 4.5 1.0 0.2 1.6 2.4 4.6 9.5 .491 0.4 1.0 .397 0.7 1.0 .699
Jayson Tatum ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow ------- --- ----------
Jayson Tatum ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Rory Sparrow Jayson Tatum
Season 1991-92-
Team Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers 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 %
Rory Sparrow 46 10.6 2.8 0.1 0.5 0.6 1.8 0.3 0.1 0.7 1.2 1.3 3.3 .384 0.1 0.3 .200 0.2 0.3 .615
Jayson Tatum ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Rory Sparrow 3 5.3 1.7 0.3 0.0 0.3 1.3 0.3 0.0 0.0 1.7 0.3 1.3 .250 0.0 0.0 - 1.0 1.3 .750
Jayson Tatum ------- --- ----------