LaMelo Ball
2025–26
72 games · 2,017 minutes
NBA player comparison
LaMelo Ball vs. Zion Williamson: 2025–26 season
Regular-season verdict
LaMelo Ball leads in impact for 2025–26
LaMelo Ball ranks ahead of Zion Williamson in estimated impact while playing. This compares regular-season performance, not total contribution across the season.
Zion Williamson
2025–26
62 games · 1,841 minutes
Impact comparison
Impact estimate is measured in points per 100 possessions above league average. Zero is average; higher is better. Impact Rate rank is a league place, not a 0–100 score: No. 1 is best.
+2.3LeadsImpact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.8
#19LeadsImpact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best#29
-1.92Estimated defensive impactSelected-season lineup estimate · points per 100 possessions+0.24Leads
+4.69LeadsEstimated offensive impactSelected-season lineup estimate · points per 100 possessions+0.49
2.1%LeadsSteal rate1.6%
13.2%Turnover rateLower is better; compare alongside offensive workload11.1%Leads
32.0%Offensive usage25.7%
54.6%True shooting %64.4%Leads
42.6%LeadsAssist rateShare of teammates’ made shots assisted while on court17.7%
9.7%Rebound rateShare of available rebounds collected while on court10.3%Leads
72Games62
2,017Minutes1,841
LaMelo Ball's estimated impact per 100 possessions was +2.3, compared with +1.8 for Zion Williamson. This compares their impact while playing, not their total contribution across the season. Both players are compared in the 2025–26 season using its published Impact Rate. A ranked comparison requires at least 450 minutes for each player.
LaMelo Ball: 72 games and 2,017 minutes. Zion Williamson: 62 games and 1,841 minutes. Playing time matters when judging the whole season; the impact estimate above is a rate, not a season total.
LaMelo Ball ended a larger share of his team’s possessions, so the turnover rates are not an equal-workload comparison. Offensive usage measures the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on the court—not every touch, pass, or act of playmaking. These rows provide context; they are not extra points added to the ranking.
Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.
Behind the estimate
Why the model rates them this way
The model starts with each player’s recorded individual stats, then adjusts that estimate using lineup results. The first two rows add up to the final estimate. All figures are points per 100 possessions.
LaMelo BallMetricZion Williamson
+2.02LeadsFrom recorded individual stats+2.00
+0.30LeadsAdjustment from recent lineup results-0.18
+2.32LeadsFinal estimated impact+1.82
Lineup evidence: LaMelo Ball — 3 seasons; Zion Williamson — 3 seasons. This adjustment is not necessarily based on the selected season alone.
Offensive and defensive lineup estimates for the selected season
These selected-season estimates account for who played alongside and against each player. Positive means better than average; a positive defensive figure means fewer points allowed. They are separate estimates—not additional points added to the calculation above. They do not measure how much individual teammates improved.
LaMelo BallMetricZion Williamson
+4.69LeadsAdjusted offensive impact+0.49
-1.92Adjusted defensive impact+0.24Leads
What this does not establish: these figures do not prove that either player made his teammates shoot better. A verified teammate-shooting comparison is unavailable for this selected season. A small difference in the estimates is not a decisive basketball distinction.
Full comparison · 2025–26 season
Understand the numbers
Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.
1 · Ranking evidence
Impact: who ranks higher, and why?
The impact estimate compares performance while playing, not total contribution over the season. The individual-stat estimate plus the lineup adjustment gives the final estimate.
| Metric | LaMelo Ball | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Impact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +2.3Better result for this metric. | +1.8 |
| Impact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best | #19Better result for this metric. | #29 |
| From recorded individual stats | +2.02Better result for this metric. | +2.00 |
| Adjustment from recent lineup results | +0.30Better result for this metric. | -0.18 |
LaMelo Ball: 3 seasons of lineup evidence. Zion Williamson: 3 seasons of lineup evidence. The adjustment is not necessarily based on this season alone.
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | LaMelo Ball | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Final estimated impact | +2.32Better result for this metric. | +1.82 |
2 · Playing time and responsibility
How much did each player take on?
Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.
| Metric | LaMelo Ball | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 72 | 62 |
| Minutes | 2,017 | 1,841 |
| Offensive usage | 32.0% | 25.7% |
3 · Individual skills
Where does each player have an advantage?
These figures describe the selected regular seasons. They provide context, not extra points added to the verdict. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.
Shooting
True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.
| Metric | LaMelo Ball | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 54.6% | 64.4%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | LaMelo Ball | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 40.7% | 60.0%Better result for this metric. |
| Three-point percentage | 36.8%Better result for this metric. | 25.0% |
| Free-throw percentage | 89.9%Better result for this metric. | 71.6% |
| Three-point attempt rateShare of field-goal attempts taken from three; describes shot selection, not quality | 59.5% | 0.5% |
Passing
Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.
| Metric | LaMelo Ball | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateShare of teammates’ made shots assisted while on court | 42.6%Better result for this metric. | 17.7% |
| Assists per game | 7.1Better result for this metric. | 3.2 |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | LaMelo Ball | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateLower is better; compare alongside offensive workload | 13.2% | 11.1%Better result for this metric. |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | LaMelo Ball | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateShare of available rebounds collected while on court | 9.7% | 10.3%Better result for this metric. |
| Rebounds per game | 4.8 | 5.7Better result for this metric. |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | LaMelo Ball | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rate | 2.1%Better result for this metric. | 1.6% |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | LaMelo Ball | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateShare of opponents’ two-point attempts blocked while on court | 0.8% | 1.7%Better result for this metric. |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | LaMelo Ball | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 20.1 | 21.0Better result for this metric. |
4 · Team context, not ranking inputs
What happened with and without them?
A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.
Selected-season adjusted lineup estimates
These account for who played alongside and against each player. Positive defense means fewer points allowed. They are separate from the observed results and are not additional points added to the model calculation.
| Metric | LaMelo Ball | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Adjusted offensive impact | +4.69Better result for this metric. | +0.49 |
| Adjusted defensive impact | -1.92 | +0.24Better result for this metric. |
Four separate questions
Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards
These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.
Career to date. At least one player is active. Every total below stops after the latest completed season in this data; nothing is projected.
Regular Season Impact
LaMelo Ball leads in impact for 2025–26.
LaMelo BallMetricZion Williamson
+2.3LeadsImpact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.8
#19LeadsImpact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best#29
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
Zion Williamson leads every available measure below.
LaMelo BallMetricZion Williamson
187Listed-team regular-season wins199Leads
38.8%Listed-team winning percentage42.2%Leads
050-win team seasons0
060-win team seasons0
0Playoff team seasons1Leads
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Playoff Résumé
No recorded measure separates these careers.
LaMelo BallMetricZion Williamson
Not availablePlayoff appearancesNot available
Not availablePlayoff gamesNot available
Not availableTeam playoff winsNot available
Not availableFinals appearancesNot available
Not availableChampionshipsNot available
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
The advantages are split across the available measures.
LaMelo BallMetricZion Williamson
1All-Star2Leads
0MVP0
0All-NBA0
0All-Defense0
0DPOY0
1LeadsRookie of the Year0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.
How each context field is counted
- Listed-team regular-season wins
- The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
- Listed-team winning percentage
- Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
- 50- and 60-win team seasons
- Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
- Team seasons reaching playoffs
- Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
- Playoff appearances and games
- Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
- Team playoff wins
- Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
- Finals appearances and championships
- Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
- Awards
- Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.
Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09. Active-career totals are results to date through the latest completed season in the source.
Selected seasons
Box impact
Both bars show the same NBA season. Missing or unqualified data does not establish a winner.
LaMelo BallZion Williamson
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average