LaMelo Ball vs. Jayson Tatum: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Jayson Tatum 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
Jayson Tatum has one of the highest career point averages in NBA 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 Jayson Tatum 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 Jayson Tatum 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 8 NBA regular seasons played, Jayson Tatum averages 2.6 points more than LaMelo Ball in his 5 seasons (23.6 points against 21.0), and he also scored a total of 8,925 points more (13,784 vs. 4,859).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 21.0 | 5 | |
| Jayson Tatum | 23.6 | +2.6 | 8 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 4,859 | 5 | |
| Jayson Tatum | 13,784 | +8,925 | 8 |
Points in the Playoffs
LaMelo Ball didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Jayson Tatum has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 0 | 0 | |
| Jayson Tatum | 24.3 | +24.3 | 8 |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 0 | 0 | |
| Jayson Tatum | 2,936 | +2,936 | 8 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 0 | |||
| Jayson Tatum | 1 | +1 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 130 | |||
| Jayson Tatum | 375 | +245 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 210 | |||
| Jayson Tatum | 550 | +340 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 230 | |||
| Jayson Tatum | 584 | +354 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 1 | |||
| Jayson Tatum | 1 | |||
Playoffs
LaMelo Ball didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Jayson Tatum'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: | +2.6 | +0.8 | +0.2 | +3.8 | +0.5 | +1.3 | +0.5 | +1.4 | +1.7 | +0.3 | +3 | +354 |
| Jayson Tatum | 23.6 | 8.2 | 17.8 | 45.9 | 2.6 | 7.1 | 37.0 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 84.0 | 8 | 585 |
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: | +8,925 | +3,073 | +6,356 | +3.8 | +841 | +2,247 | +0.5 | +1,938 | +2,304 | +0.3 | +3 | +354 |
| Jayson Tatum | 13,784 | 4,789 | 10,429 | 45.9 | 1,546 | 4,181 | 37.0 | 2,660 | 3,167 | 84.0 | 8 | 585 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| difference: | +24.3 | +8.1 | +18.5 | +43.9 | +2.4 | +6.9 | +34.8 | +5.6 | +6.7 | +84.1 | +8 | +121 |
| Jayson Tatum | 24.3 | 8.1 | 18.5 | 43.9 | 2.4 | 6.9 | 34.8 | 5.6 | 6.7 | 84.1 | 8 | 121 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| difference: | +2,936 | +983 | +2,241 | +43.9 | +292 | +840 | +34.8 | +678 | +806 | +84.1 | +8 | +121 |
| Jayson Tatum | 2,936 | 983 | 2,241 | 43.9 | 292 | 840 | 34.8 | 678 | 806 | 84.1 | 8 | 121 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Jayson Tatum's additional seasons: | ||||
* Jayson Tatum played 3 seasons more than LaMelo Ball in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 6 to 8, from 2023 to 2025—he averaged 27.9 points in a total of 220 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 30.1 ppg and his lowest 26.8. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
| Jayson Tatum | 18.5 | +18.5 | 2018 | 19 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2022 | 0 |
| Jayson Tatum | 15.2 | +15.2 | 2019 | 9 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
| Jayson Tatum | 25.7 | +25.7 | 2020 | 17 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
| Jayson Tatum | 30.6 | +30.6 | 2021 | 5 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
| Jayson Tatum | 25.6 | +25.6 | 2022 | 24 |
Jayson Tatum's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 3 additional NBA seasons, Jayson Tatum played in 3 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those postseasons he averaged 26.4 points in a total of 47 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 28.1 ppg and his lowest 25. |