LaMelo Ball vs. James Harden: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of James Harden and LaMelo Ball to determine who has the better numbers. Here you can compare their career totals, points per game, games of 40+ points, 50+, etc. and their year-by-year scoring averages side by side, both in the Regular Season and Playoffs.
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
James Harden is among the NBA's all-time leaders in points and also has one of the highest career averages in league history, and here we compare his scoring stats with those recorded by LaMelo Ball.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that James Harden has better scoring average and totals in the regular season, and since LaMelo Ball didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that James Harden has better playoff stats. However, we won't stop there and we'll go into detail to analyze what these statistics are made up of, from how many games they had in each threshold (30+ points, 40+, 50+, etc.) to their season-by-season scoring averages.
On this page we compare: |
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Who has better scoring stats? Career Numbers |
Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?
Points in the Regular Season
In his 16 NBA regular seasons played, James Harden averages 3.1 points more than LaMelo Ball in his 5 seasons (24.1 points against 21.0), and he also scored a total of 22,828 points more (27,687 vs. 4,859).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 21.0 | 5 | |
| James Harden | 24.1 | +3.1 | 16 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 4,859 | 5 | |
| James Harden | 27,687 | +22,828 | 16 |
Scoring Titles | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 0 | |
| James Harden | 3 |  +3 |
Points in the Playoffs
LaMelo Ball didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously James Harden has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 0 | 0 | |
| James Harden | 22.5 | +22.5 | 16 |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 0 | 0 | |
| James Harden | 3,895 | +3,895 | 16 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 0 | |||
| James Harden | 4 | +4 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 130 | |||
| James Harden | 736 | +606 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 210 | |||
| James Harden | 1,053 | +843 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 230 | |||
| James Harden | 1,150 | +920 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 1 | |||
| James Harden | 1 | |||
Playoffs
LaMelo Ball didn't play in the NBA postseason, so James Harden's point thresholds are omited here.
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 21.0 | 7.4 | 17.6 | 42.1 | 3.1 | 8.4 | 36.5 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 83.7 | 5 | 231 |
| difference: | +3.1 | +0.3 | +1.4 | +1.8 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +0.2 | +4.0 | +4.5 | +2.4 | +11 | +920 |
| James Harden | 24.1 | 7.1 | 16.2 | 43.9 | 2.8 | 7.6 | 36.3 | 7.1 | 8.2 | 86.1 | 16 | 1,151 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 4,859 | 1,716 | 4,073 | 42.1 | 705 | 1,934 | 36.5 | 722 | 863 | 83.7 | 5 | 231 |
| difference: | +22,828 | +6,458 | +14,537 | +1.8 | +2,470 | +6,816 | +0.2 | +7,442 | +8,615 | +2.4 | +11 | +920 |
| James Harden | 27,687 | 8,174 | 18,610 | 43.9 | 3,175 | 8,750 | 36.3 | 8,164 | 9,478 | 86.1 | 16 | 1,151 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| difference: | +22.5 | +6.8 | +16.0 | +42.5 | +2.5 | +7.4 | +34.0 | +6.4 | +7.4 | +86.9 | +16 | +173 |
| James Harden | 22.5 | 6.8 | 16.0 | 42.5 | 2.5 | 7.4 | 34.0 | 6.4 | 7.4 | 86.9 | 16 | 173 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| difference: | +3,895 | +1,173 | +2,760 | +42.5 | +434 | +1,275 | +34.0 | +1,115 | +1,283 | +86.9 | +16 | +173 |
| James Harden | 3,895 | 1,173 | 2,760 | 42.5 | 434 | 1,275 | 34.0 | 1,115 | 1,283 | 86.9 | 16 | 173 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA Scoring LeaderRegular Season
James Harden's additional seasons: | ||||
* James Harden played 13 seasons more than LaMelo Ball in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 6 to 18, from 2015 to 2025—he averaged 26.2 points in a total of 910 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 36.1 ppg and his lowest 16.6. In those 13 extra years over LaMelo Ball, James Harden won 3 scoring titles. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
| James Harden | 7.7 | +7.7 | 2010 | 6 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2022 | 0 |
| James Harden | 13.0 | +13.0 | 2011 | 17 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
| James Harden | 16.3 | +16.3 | 2012 | 20 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
| James Harden | 26.3 | +26.3 | 2013 | 6 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
| James Harden | 26.8 | +26.8 | 2014 | 6 |
James Harden's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 13 additional NBA seasons, James Harden played in 13 Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 24.1 points in a total of 142 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 31.6 ppg and his lowest 18.6. |