Mel Counts vs. Joakim Noah Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Joakim Noah and Mel Counts, 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.

Mel Counts played 12 years in the NBA, 1 less than Joakim Noah, who played 13. Mel Counts had the first of his seasons in 1964-65, while Joakim Noah had his rookie season in 2007-08. 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
Mel Counts 12 8 1964-65 to 1975-76
Joakim Noah 13 8 2007-08 to 2019-20

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Mel Counts Joakim Noah
Season 1964-652007-08
Team Boston CelticsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 54 10.6 4.8 - - 4.9 0.4 - - - 2.5 1.9 5.0 .368 - - - 1.1 1.4 .784
Joakim Noah 74 20.7 6.6 2.4 3.3 5.6 1.1 0.9 0.9 1.2 2.3 2.4 5.0 .482 0.0 0.0 .000 1.8 2.6 .691
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 4 7.5 2.3 - - 2.8 0.3 - - - 2.5 1.0 3.8 .267 - - - 0.3 0.3 1.000
Joakim Noah ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Mel Counts Joakim Noah
Season 1965-662008-09
Team Boston CelticsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionBulls Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 67 15.2 8.4 - - 6.4 0.7 - - - 3.1 3.3 8.2 .403 - - - 1.8 2.2 .828
Joakim Noah 80 24.2 6.7 3.1 4.5 7.6 1.3 0.6 1.4 1.0 3.0 2.6 4.7 .556 0.0 0.0 .000 1.5 2.3 .676
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 10 8.2 4.3 - - 4.0 0.3 - - - 2.6 1.4 3.9 .359 - - - 1.5 1.7 .882
Joakim Noah 7 38.7 10.1 4.0 9.1 13.1 2.3 0.9 2.1 1.1 4.4 3.7 7.3 .510 0.0 0.0 - 2.7 3.6 .760

Season 3

Mel Counts Joakim Noah
Season 1966-672009-10
Team Baltimore Bullets, Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Div SemisBulls Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 56 15.4 7.6 - - 6.1 0.9 - - - 3.3 3.2 7.5 .422 - - - 1.2 1.7 .734
Joakim Noah 64 30.1 10.7 3.4 7.6 11.0 2.1 0.5 1.6 1.8 3.1 4.1 8.1 .504 0.0 0.0 - 2.5 3.4 .744
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 3 9.7 4.7 - - 2.7 0.0 - - - 2.0 1.7 6.3 .263 - - - 1.3 1.3 1.000
Joakim Noah 5 37.6 14.8 4.0 9.0 13.0 2.6 1.8 1.4 3.0 4.0 5.6 10.6 .528 0.0 0.0 - 3.6 3.8 .947

Season 4

Mel Counts Joakim Noah
Season 1967-682010-11
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsBulls 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 %
Mel Counts 82 21.2 11.7 - - 8.9 1.7 - - - 3.8 4.7 9.9 .475 - - - 2.3 3.1 .748
Joakim Noah 48 32.8 11.7 3.8 6.6 10.4 2.2 1.0 1.5 1.9 3.3 4.4 8.4 .525 0.0 0.0 .000 2.9 3.9 .739
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 15 20.4 8.6 - - 8.9 1.6 - - - 3.5 3.6 6.7 .535 - - - 1.4 2.1 .677
Joakim Noah 16 33.1 8.7 4.3 5.9 10.2 2.5 1.0 2.1 1.2 3.9 3.2 7.8 .411 0.0 0.0 - 2.3 3.2 .725

Season 5

Mel Counts Joakim Noah
Season 1968-692011-12
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsBulls Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 77 24.2 12.4 - - 7.8 1.4 - - - 2.9 5.1 11.3 .450 - - - 2.3 2.9 .805
Joakim Noah 64 30.4 10.2 3.8 6.0 9.8 2.5 0.6 1.4 1.4 2.5 3.9 7.7 .508 0.0 0.0 .000 2.4 3.2 .748
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 18 24.6 11.2 - - 7.9 1.4 - - - 3.7 4.1 10.7 .385 - - - 3.0 3.9 .761
Joakim Noah 3 33.0 15.0 3.0 6.3 9.3 3.0 0.7 1.3 0.3 1.7 6.3 8.7 .731 0.0 0.0 - 2.3 3.7 .636

Season 6

Mel Counts Joakim Noah
Season 1969-702012-13
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsBulls Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 81 27.1 12.6 - - 8.4 2.0 - - - 3.8 5.4 12.6 .427 - - - 1.9 2.5 .776
Joakim Noah 66 36.8 11.9 3.9 7.2 11.1 4.0 1.2 2.1 2.7 2.8 4.6 9.5 .481 0.0 0.1 .000 2.7 3.6 .751
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 14 15.1 6.1 - - 5.3 1.1 - - - 3.4 2.6 6.3 .420 - - - 0.8 0.9 .846
Joakim Noah 12 34.1 10.8 4.3 5.3 9.6 2.3 0.8 2.2 2.0 3.6 4.3 9.9 .437 0.0 0.0 - 2.1 3.3 .641

Season 7

Mel Counts Joakim Noah
Season 1970-712013-14
Team Phoenix SunsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Defensive Player of the Year
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayBulls Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 80 20.9 11.0 - - 6.3 1.7 - - - 3.5 4.6 10.0 .457 - - - 1.9 2.5 .753
Joakim Noah 80 35.3 12.6 3.5 7.7 11.3 5.4 1.2 1.5 2.4 3.1 4.8 10.0 .475 0.0 0.0 .000 3.1 4.2 .737
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts ------- --- ----------
Joakim Noah 5 42.0 10.4 3.0 9.8 12.8 4.6 1.0 1.4 3.8 3.8 4.2 8.2 .512 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 3.4 .588

Season 8

Mel Counts Joakim Noah
Season 1971-722014-15
Team Phoenix SunsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayBulls Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 76 11.9 5.2 - - 3.4 1.3 - - - 2.1 1.9 4.5 .427 - - - 1.3 1.8 .721
Joakim Noah 67 30.6 7.2 3.3 6.4 9.6 4.7 0.7 1.1 1.8 3.0 2.8 6.4 .445 0.0 0.0 .000 1.6 2.6 .603
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts ------- --- ----------
Joakim Noah 12 32.9 5.8 3.8 7.3 11.0 3.2 0.8 1.2 1.7 3.1 2.6 6.3 .408 0.0 0.0 - 0.6 1.7 .350

Season 9

Mel Counts Joakim Noah
Season 1972-732015-16
Team Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 66 10.0 4.6 - - 3.8 1.0 - - - 1.6 2.0 4.5 .449 - - - 0.6 0.9 .672
Joakim Noah 29 21.9 4.3 3.0 5.8 8.8 3.8 0.6 1.0 1.8 2.7 1.8 4.6 .383 0.0 0.0 .000 0.8 1.6 .489
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 17 19.2 9.1 - - 6.1 1.6 - - - 3.0 3.6 7.8 .459 - - - 1.9 2.4 .780
Joakim Noah ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Mel Counts Joakim Noah
Season 1973-742016-17
Team Los Angeles LakersNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 45 11.1 3.2 1.2 2.0 3.2 1.2 0.4 0.5 - 1.9 1.4 3.7 .365 - - - 0.5 0.7 .727
Joakim Noah 46 22.1 5.0 3.5 5.2 8.8 2.2 0.7 0.8 1.3 2.8 2.2 4.4 .490 0.0 0.0 .000 0.7 1.7 .436
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 4 8.5 3.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 - 0.8 1.5 3.0 .500 - - - 0.0 0.0 -
Joakim Noah ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Mel Counts Joakim Noah
Season 1974-752017-18
Team New Orleans JazzNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 75 18.9 6.9 1.4 4.5 5.9 2.4 0.7 0.6 - 2.6 2.9 6.6 .438 - - - 1.1 1.5 .761
Joakim Noah 7 5.7 1.7 0.9 1.1 2.0 0.6 0.3 0.3 0.6 0.7 0.7 1.4 .500 0.0 0.0 - 0.3 0.6 .500
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts ------- --- ----------
Joakim Noah ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Mel Counts Joakim Noah
Season 1975-762018-19
Team New Orleans JazzMemphis Grizzlies
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts 30 10.6 3.0 0.9 2.4 3.3 1.3 0.5 0.3 - 2.5 1.2 3.0 .407 - - - 0.5 0.7 .762
Joakim Noah 42 16.5 7.1 1.4 4.3 5.7 2.1 0.5 0.7 1.2 2.3 2.6 5.1 .516 0.0 0.0 .000 1.9 2.6 .716
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts ------- --- ----------
Joakim Noah ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Mel Counts Joakim Noah
Season -2019-20
Team -Los Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Clippers 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 %
Mel Counts ------- --- ----------
Joakim Noah 5 10.0 2.8 1.0 2.2 3.2 1.4 0.2 0.2 1.2 1.8 0.8 1.6 .500 0.0 0.0 - 1.2 1.6 .750
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mel Counts ------- --- ----------
Joakim Noah 2 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -