LaMelo Ball vs. Paul Silas Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Paul Silas and LaMelo Ball, 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.

LaMelo Ball played 4 years in the NBA, 12 less than Paul Silas, who played 16. LaMelo Ball had the first of his seasons in 2020-21, while Paul Silas had his rookie season in 1964-65. 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
LaMelo Ball 4 0 2020-21 to 2023-24
Paul Silas 16 14 1964-65 to 1979-80

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16

Rookie Season

LaMelo Ball Paul Silas
Season 2020-211964-65
Team Charlotte HornetsSt. Louis Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Playoffs Did Not PlayHawks Lost West Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball 51 28.8 15.7 1.2 4.7 5.9 6.1 1.6 0.4 2.8 2.7 5.7 13.2 .436 1.8 5.1 .352 2.5 3.2 .758
Paul Silas 79 15.7 4.6 - - 7.3 0.6 - - - 2.0 1.8 4.7 .373 - - - 1.1 2.1 .506
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 4 10.5 2.8 - - 4.5 0.3 - - - 1.5 1.0 2.5 .400 - - - 0.8 1.0 .750

Season 2

LaMelo Ball Paul Silas
Season 2021-221965-66
Team Charlotte HornetsSt. Louis Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayHawks Lost West Div Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball 75 32.3 20.1 1.4 5.2 6.7 7.6 1.6 0.4 3.3 3.2 7.2 16.7 .429 2.9 7.5 .389 2.8 3.2 .872
Paul Silas 46 12.7 3.8 - - 5.1 0.5 - - - 1.6 1.5 3.8 .405 - - - 0.8 1.3 .574
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 7 11.4 2.6 - - 4.9 0.3 - - - 1.6 0.7 2.6 .278 - - - 1.1 1.6 .727

Season 3

LaMelo Ball Paul Silas
Season 2022-231966-67
Team Charlotte HornetsSt. Louis Hawks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayHawks Lost West Div Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball 36 35.2 23.3 1.2 5.3 6.4 8.4 1.3 0.3 3.6 3.3 8.2 20.0 .411 4.0 10.6 .376 2.8 3.4 .836
Paul Silas 77 20.4 6.8 - - 8.7 1.0 - - - 2.7 2.7 6.3 .429 - - - 1.5 2.8 .531
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 8 15.3 3.6 - - 6.5 0.8 - - - 2.1 1.1 4.5 .250 - - - 1.4 2.3 .611

Season 4

LaMelo Ball Paul Silas
Season 2023-241967-68
Team Charlotte HornetsSt. Louis Hawks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayHawks Lost West Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball 22 32.3 23.9 1.3 3.8 5.1 8.0 1.8 0.2 3.8 3.6 8.3 19.2 .433 3.2 9.0 .355 4.1 4.7 .865
Paul Silas 82 32.3 13.4 - - 11.7 2.0 - - - 3.0 4.9 10.6 .458 - - - 3.6 5.2 .705
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 6 29.7 11.8 - - 9.5 3.5 - - - 2.8 3.7 8.5 .431 - - - 4.5 6.3 .711

Season 5

LaMelo Ball Paul Silas
Season -1968-69
Team -Atlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Hawks Lost West Div Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 79 23.5 8.7 - - 9.4 1.8 - - - 2.1 3.1 7.3 .419 - - - 2.6 4.2 .613
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 11 23.5 5.5 - - 8.4 1.9 - - - 2.9 1.9 5.3 .362 - - - 1.7 3.4 .514

Season 6

LaMelo Ball Paul Silas
Season -1969-70
Team -Phoenix Suns
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Suns Lost West Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 78 36.4 12.8 - - 11.7 2.7 - - - 3.4 4.8 10.3 .464 - - - 3.2 5.3 .607
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 7 40.9 16.1 - - 15.9 4.3 - - - 4.1 6.6 15.6 .422 - - - 3.0 4.6 .656

Season 7

LaMelo Ball Paul Silas
Season -1970-71
Team -Phoenix Suns
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
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 %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 81 36.3 11.9 - - 12.5 3.0 - - - 2.8 4.2 9.7 .428 - - - 3.5 5.1 .685
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas ------- --- ----------

Season 8

LaMelo Ball Paul Silas
Season -1971-72
Team -Phoenix Suns
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
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 %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 80 38.5 17.5 - - 11.9 4.3 - - - 2.5 6.1 12.9 .470 - - - 5.4 7.0 .773
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas ------- --- ----------

Season 9

LaMelo Ball Paul Silas
Season -1972-73
Team -Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Playoffs -Celtics 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 %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 80 32.7 13.3 - - 13.0 3.1 - - - 2.5 5.0 10.6 .470 - - - 3.3 4.8 .700
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 13 39.4 9.6 - - 15.1 3.0 - - - 3.0 3.6 9.2 .392 - - - 2.4 3.8 .620

Season 10

LaMelo Ball Paul Silas
Season -1973-74
Team -Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -NBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 82 31.7 11.5 4.1 7.1 11.2 2.3 0.8 0.2 - 3.0 4.1 9.4 .440 - - - 3.2 4.1 .783
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 18 31.9 8.0 2.9 7.7 10.6 2.6 0.7 0.5 - 2.8 2.8 7.0 .397 - - - 2.4 2.9 .830

Season 11

LaMelo Ball Paul Silas
Season -1974-75
Team -Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Celtics 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 %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 82 32.5 10.6 4.2 8.3 12.5 2.7 0.7 0.3 - 2.8 3.8 9.1 .417 - - - 3.0 4.2 .709
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 11 36.8 9.1 4.2 7.6 11.8 3.6 1.1 0.2 - 4.1 3.8 8.4 .457 - - - 1.5 2.3 .640

Season 12

LaMelo Ball Paul Silas
Season -1975-76
Team -Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Playoffs -NBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 81 32.9 10.7 4.5 8.1 12.7 2.5 0.7 0.4 - 2.8 3.9 9.1 .426 - - - 2.9 4.1 .709
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 18 41.2 10.8 4.3 9.3 13.7 2.3 1.3 0.3 - 3.7 3.8 8.6 .448 - - - 3.1 3.8 .812

Season 13

LaMelo Ball Paul Silas
Season -1976-77
Team -Denver Nuggets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Nuggets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 81 24.2 7.2 2.9 4.6 7.5 1.6 0.7 0.3 - 2.3 2.5 7.1 .360 - - - 2.1 3.1 .667
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 6 23.5 6.8 2.7 4.0 6.7 2.7 0.3 0.7 - 3.8 2.3 5.5 .424 - - - 2.2 4.0 .542

Season 14

LaMelo Ball Paul Silas
Season -1977-78
Team -Seattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Supersonics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 82 26.5 5.8 3.5 4.6 8.1 1.8 0.8 0.2 1.9 2.2 2.2 5.7 .397 - - - 1.3 2.3 .586
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 22 27.5 4.9 3.3 5.2 8.5 1.6 0.5 0.3 1.4 2.7 1.5 4.3 .351 - - - 1.9 2.7 .683

Season 15

LaMelo Ball Paul Silas
Season -1978-79
Team -Seattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -NBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 82 23.9 5.6 3.2 3.9 7.0 1.4 0.4 0.2 1.2 2.2 2.1 4.9 .423 - - - 1.4 2.4 .598
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 17 24.6 4.3 2.4 3.4 5.8 1.1 0.5 0.3 2.0 2.6 1.2 3.2 .389 - - - 1.8 2.7 .674

Season 16

LaMelo Ball Paul Silas
Season -1979-80
Team -Seattle Supersonics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Supersonics Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 82 19.5 3.8 2.5 2.8 5.3 0.8 0.3 0.1 1.0 1.5 1.4 3.6 .378 0.0 0.0 - 1.1 1.7 .654
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
LaMelo Ball ------- --- ----------
Paul Silas 15 17.1 2.5 2.2 2.8 5.0 1.0 0.6 0.1 0.6 1.9 0.9 2.9 .302 0.0 0.0 - 0.7 0.9 .846