Hoops Nightly
Karl-Anthony Towns
Knicks · C-F · 30
Karl-Anthony Towns
vs
2025-26
LeBron James
76ers · F · 41
LeBron James
Head to head · 2025-26 regular season · stats.nba.com

Karl-Anthony Towns vs LeBron James

9-7categories
Towns · James
Karl-Anthony Towns
Towns
Knicks
2025-26
James
76ers
LeBron James
75
Games
availability
60
31.0
Minutes
per game
33.2
20.1
Points
per game
20.9
11.9
Rebounds
per game
6.1
3.0
Assists
per game
7.2
1.4
Steals + blocks
per game
1.8
2.5
Turnovers
per game · lower is better
3.0
50.1%
Field goal %
51.5%
36.8%
Three-point %
4.1 vs 4.1 attempts
31.7%
85.8%
Free throw %
73.7%
61.9%
True shooting
TS%
59.4%
25.1%
Usage
USG%
26.2%
14.2%
Assist %
of teammates' baskets
33.8%
19.2%
Rebound %
of available
9.3%
+7.0
Net rating
on court
+2.6
15.4%
PIE
player impact estimate
15.4%
+5.0
Plus-minus
per game
+2.0
Bars show each player's share of the pair's total; the better number is in the club's color (turnovers: fewer is better).

Where the gap is

from the numbers above

LeBron James scored more in 2025-26, 0.8 points a game apart (20.9 vs 20.1), on James's heavier usage (26.2% vs 25.1%).

Towns is the more efficient scorer by true shooting, 61.9% to 59.4%; TS% folds threes and free throws into one number, so the gap survives shot-diet differences.

Playmaking goes to James (7.2 vs 3.0 assists), the glass to Towns (11.9 vs 6.1 rebounds).

Availability is part of the comparison: Towns played 15 more games (75 vs 60 of 82).

With Towns on the floor his team outscored opponents by +7.0 per 100 possessions, against +2.6 for James; on-court net rating carries the teammates with it, so read it next to PIE.

On the books for 2026-27: Towns $57.1M through 2027-28, James $3.9M through 2027-28. Whether either fits a trade is a Trade Machine question, not a stat one.

Splits

2025-26 · from the game logs
Towns
2025-26
James
49-26
Record when playing
39-21
20.4
Points at home
20.7
19.8
Points on the road
21.2
20.1
Points in wins
21.3
20.0
Points in losses
20.2
40
Season high
36
7
30-point games
6
56
Double-doubles
17

Last games & contracts

test a trade in the Trade Machine →
Towns · last 5
Tue, Oct 20 vs PHI19 pts · 12 reb · 1 ast
Thu, Oct 15 vs TOR13 pts · 15 reb · 9 ast
Mon, Oct 12 vs MIN11 pts · 2 reb · 4 ast
Thu, Oct 8 vs WAS8 pts · 7 reb · 3 ast
Mon, Oct 5 at PHI5 pts · 5 reb · 2 ast
James · last 5
Tue, Oct 20 at NYK14 pts · 9 reb · 7 ast
Fri, Oct 16 vs BOS8 pts · 8 reb · 7 ast
Sat, Oct 10 at BOS0 pts · 0 reb · 0 ast
Thu, Oct 8 at BKN10 pts · 4 reb · 5 ast
Mon, Oct 5 vs NYK0 pts · 0 reb · 0 ast
Towns · contract
2026-27$57.1M
2027-28player option$61.0M
James · contract
2026-27$3.9M
2027-28player option$4.1M

More comparisons

pick any two players →
Towns vs
Bam Adebayo · Alperen Sengun · Jalen Duren · Evan Mobley
James vs
Zion Williamson · Cooper Flagg · Julius Randle · Franz Wagner
Towns vs the top 40 scorers of 2025-26
Luka Doncic · Shai Gilgeous-Alexander · Anthony Edwards · Jaylen Brown · Tyrese Maxey · Kawhi Leonard · Donovan Mitchell · Nikola Jokic · Lauri Markkanen · Stephen Curry · Devin Booker · Jalen Brunson · Kevin Durant · Jamal Murray · Victor Wembanyama · Michael Porter Jr. · Deni Avdija · Pascal Siakam · Cade Cunningham · Keyonte George · James Harden · Austin Reaves · Jalen Johnson · Paolo Banchero · Norman Powell · Brandon Ingram · Trey Murphy III · Julius Randle · Cooper Flagg · Zion Williamson · LeBron James · Nickeil Alexander-Walker · Shaedon Sharpe · Alperen Sengun · Brandon Miller · Dillon Brooks · LaMelo Ball · Bam Adebayo · Desmond Bane
James vs the top 40 scorers of 2025-26
Luka Doncic · Shai Gilgeous-Alexander · Anthony Edwards · Jaylen Brown · Tyrese Maxey · Kawhi Leonard · Donovan Mitchell · Nikola Jokic · Lauri Markkanen · Stephen Curry · Devin Booker · Jalen Brunson · Kevin Durant · Jamal Murray · Victor Wembanyama · Michael Porter Jr. · Deni Avdija · Pascal Siakam · Cade Cunningham · Keyonte George · James Harden · Austin Reaves · Jalen Johnson · Paolo Banchero · Norman Powell · Brandon Ingram · Trey Murphy III · Julius Randle · Cooper Flagg · Zion Williamson · Nickeil Alexander-Walker · Shaedon Sharpe · Alperen Sengun · Brandon Miller · Dillon Brooks · LaMelo Ball · Bam Adebayo · Karl-Anthony Towns · Desmond Bane

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).