LaMelo Ball vs. Tim Duncan: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Tim Duncan 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.
Tim Duncan is among the NBA's all-time leaders in points 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 in the regular season LaMelo Ball has a better scoring average and Tim Duncan scored more points, and since LaMelo Ball didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that Tim Duncan 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: |
Who has better scoring stats? Career Numbers |
Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?
Points in the Regular Season
In his 5 NBA regular seasons played, LaMelo Ball averages 2 points more than Tim Duncan in his 19 seasons (21.0 points against 19.0). On the other hand Tim Duncan scored a total of 21,637 points more than LaMelo Ball (26,496 vs. 4,859).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
LaMelo Ball | 21.0 | +2.0 | 5 |
Tim Duncan | 19.0 | 19 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
LaMelo Ball | 4,859 | 5 | |
Tim Duncan | 26,496 | +21,637 | 19 |
Points in the Playoffs
LaMelo Ball didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Tim Duncan has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
LaMelo Ball | 0 | 0 | |
Tim Duncan | 20.6 | +20.6 | 18 |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
LaMelo Ball | 0 | 0 | |
Tim Duncan | 5,172 | +5,172 | 18 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
20+ Point Games | ||||
LaMelo Ball | 130 | |||
Tim Duncan | 639 | +509 |
10+ Point Games | ||||
LaMelo Ball | 210 | |||
Tim Duncan | 1,256 | +1046 |
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
LaMelo Ball | 230 | |||
Tim Duncan | 1,390 | +1160 |
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
LaMelo Ball | 1 | |||
Tim Duncan | 2 | +1 |
Playoffs
LaMelo Ball didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Tim Duncan'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: | +2.0 | +3.0 | +8.4 | +3.1 | +8.3 | +18.6 | +1.1 | +2.4 | +14.1 | +14 | +1,161 | |
Tim Duncan | 19.0 | 7.4 | 14.6 | 50.6 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 17.9 | 4.2 | 6.1 | 69.6 | 19 | 1,392 |
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: | +21,637 | +8,569 | +16,261 | +8.4 | +675 | +1,766 | +18.6 | +5,174 | +7,605 | +14.1 | +14 | +1,161 |
Tim Duncan | 26,496 | 10,285 | 20,334 | 50.6 | 30 | 168 | 17.9 | 5,896 | 8,468 | 69.6 | 19 | 1,392 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
LaMelo Ball | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
difference: | +20.6 | +7.9 | +15.7 | +50.1 | +0.1 | +14.3 | +4.8 | +7.0 | +68.9 | +18 | +251 | |
Tim Duncan | 20.6 | 7.9 | 15.7 | 50.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 14.3 | 4.8 | 7.0 | 68.9 | 18 | 251 |
Total Stats
Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
LaMelo Ball | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
difference: | +5,172 | +1,975 | +3,939 | +50.1 | +5 | +35 | +14.3 | +1,217 | +1,766 | +68.9 | +18 | +251 |
Tim Duncan | 5,172 | 1,975 | 3,939 | 50.1 | 5 | 35 | 14.3 | 1,217 | 1,766 | 68.9 | 18 | 251 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison

Regular Season
Tim Duncan's additional seasons: | ||||
* Tim Duncan played 14 seasons more than LaMelo Ball in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 6 to 19, from 2003 to 2016—he averaged 17.7 points in a total of 1,022 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 23.3 ppg and his lowest 8.6. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
Tim Duncan | 20.7 | +20.7 | 1998 | 9 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2022 | 0 |
Tim Duncan | 23.2 | +23.2 | 1999 | ![]() |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
Tim Duncan | - | DNP | 2000 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
Tim Duncan | 24.4 | +24.4 | 2001 | 13 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
Tim Duncan | 27.6 | +27.6 | 2002 | 9 |
Tim Duncan's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 14 additional NBA seasons, Tim Duncan played in 14 Playoffs and won 4 NBA Championships. In those postseasons he averaged 19.8 points in a total of 203 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 25.8 ppg and his lowest 5.9. |