Hoops Nightly
+ Pick your team
Jalen Brunson
Knicks · G · 30
Jalen Brunson
vs
2025-26
LaMelo Ball
Timberwolves · G · 25
LaMelo Ball
Head to head · 2025-26 regular season · stats.nba.com

Jalen Brunson vs LaMelo Ball

8-9categories
Brunson · Ball

Jalen Brunson: Day-To-Day (Wrist · Arm · Left).

BrunsonBall
74Games
availability
72
35.0Minutes
per game
28.0
26.0Points
per game
20.1
3.3Rebounds
per game
4.8
6.8Assists
per game
7.1
0.9Steals + blocks
per game
1.5
2.4Turnovers
per game · lower is better
2.8
46.7%Field goal %40.7%
36.9%Three-point %
7.1 vs 10.3 attempts
36.8%
84.1%Free throw %89.9%
58.0%True shooting
TS%
54.6%
29.6%Usage
USG%
30.6%
30.7%Assist %
of teammates' baskets
38.4%
4.7%Rebound %
of available
8.4%
+6.1Net rating
on court
+9.1
13.5%PIE
player impact estimate
13.4%
+4.8Plus-minus
per game
+5.8

Where the gap is

from the numbers above

Jalen Brunson scored more in 2025-26, 5.9 points a game apart (26.0 vs 20.1), on Ball's heavier usage (30.6% vs 29.6%).

Brunson is the more efficient scorer by true shooting, 58.0% to 54.6%; TS% folds threes and free throws into one number, so the gap survives shot-diet differences.

Playmaking goes to Ball (7.1 vs 6.8 assists), the glass to Ball (4.8 vs 3.3 rebounds).

With Ball on the floor his team outscored opponents by +9.1 per 100 possessions, against +6.1 for Brunson; on-court net rating carries the teammates with it, so read it next to PIE.

On the books for 2026-27: Brunson $37.7M through 2028-29, Ball $40.8M through 2028-29. Whether either fits a trade is a Trade Machine question, not a stat one.

Splits

2025-26 · from the game logs
BrunsonBall
50-24Record when playing41-31
27.4Points at home19.5
24.7Points on the road20.6
26.4Points in wins20.4
25.3Points in losses19.6
47Season high38
2630-point games9
12Double-doubles10
Brunson · last 5
Sat, Jun 13 at SAS45 pts · 3 reb · 3 ast
Wed, Jun 10 vs SAS36 pts · 5 reb · 7 ast
Mon, Jun 8 vs SAS32 pts · 5 reb · 5 ast
Fri, Jun 5 at SAS20 pts · 5 reb · 6 ast
Wed, Jun 3 at SAS30 pts · 3 reb · 2 ast
Ball · last 5
Sun, Apr 12 at NYK19 pts · 7 reb · 6 ast
Fri, Apr 10 vs DET27 pts · 5 reb · 8 ast
Tue, Apr 7 at BOS36 pts · 5 reb · 6 ast
Sun, Apr 5 at MIN35 pts · 3 reb · 8 ast
Fri, Apr 3 vs IND18 pts · 6 reb · 9 ast
Brunson · contract
2026-27$37.7M
2027-28$40.5M
2028-29player option$43.3M
Ball · contract
2026-27$40.8M
2027-28$43.6M
2028-29$46.4M

More comparisons

pick any two players →

Per-game numbers and percentages are 2025-26 regular season from stats.nba.com; splits and last games from our own game logs; contract figures are cap hits from public salary data and can lag a signing by a day. Bold marks the better number in each row (turnovers: fewer is better).