LaMelo Ball
Age 25 · 6'8" · 180 lb
Pick #3, 2020 Draft · Rookie 2021 · 311 games
DPM · #17 of 523
+3.1Historical comps
Comps & futures
The ten most similar player-seasons since 1996-97 at the same age, and what happened to them next.
| Comp | Age | DPM then | Next 5 seasons | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Curry 2012-13 | 25 | +3.5 | +5.8, +7.4, +8.2, +8.2, +7.4 | 86 |
| Bradley Beal 2017-18 | 24 | +2.8 | +3.1, +3.0, +2.7, +1.4, +2.3 | 83 |
| Jrue Holiday 2015-16 | 25 | +2.6 | +2.6, +3.5, +4.3, +3.3, +3.8 | 83 |
| John Wall 2015-16 | 25 | +3.2 | +3.0, +3.8, +2.6, under 10 games, +0.8 | 82 |
| Steve Francis 2001-02 | 25 | +2.5 | +3.5, +3.2, +2.3, +0.1, +0.8 | 79 |
| Damian Lillard 2014-15 | 24 | +2.7 | +3.3, +3.5, +4.3, +4.4, +4.2 | 79 |
| Baron Davis 2003-04 | 25 | +4.1 | +3.9, +4.0, +5.1, +4.8, +2.4 | 78 |
| JR Smith 2009-10 | 24 | +2.4 | +2.0, +1.4, +2.6, +0.9, +1.1 | 78 |
| Anfernee Hardaway 1996-97 | 25 | +2.9 | +2.1, +1.7, +3.0, under 10 games, +0.1 | 78 |
| Ray Allen 2000-01 | 25 | +3.4 | +3.0, +3.5, +3.5, +3.4, +3.4 | 77 |
The 25 player-seasons since 1996-97 closest to LaMelo's 2026-27 at the same age: DPM and its offense/defense split, the two seasons before, box-score profile, height, experience and age. Each comp counts once, at his closest season, weighted by the match. Hover or focus a comp to trace his next five seasons. A website presentation, not a DARKO model output.
Around the league
Top 10 comps today
Current players closest to LaMelo Ball's current profile, by DARKO ratings, age and projected box-score style.
- +3.1DPMDPM Offense +3.1 Defense -0.1 Per 100 possessions:32.8points7.3rebounds11.4assistsP/R/A100.0
- +2.9DPMDPM Offense +2.7 Defense +0.1 Per 100 possessions:31.1points6.1rebounds13.0assistsP/R/A88.6
- +3.2DPMDPM Offense +3.2 Defense 0.0 Per 100 possessions:35.0points5.2rebounds8.0assistsP/R/A85.1
- +3.1DPMDPM Offense +3.5 Defense -0.4 Per 100 possessions:41.0points5.8rebounds10.4assistsP/R/A80.6
- +3.3DPMDPM Offense +3.9 Defense -0.6 Per 100 possessions:34.0points6.1rebounds8.2assistsP/R/A78.3
- +2.5DPMDPM Offense +2.0 Defense +0.5 Per 100 possessions:25.7points6.2rebounds9.7assistsP/R/A77.3
- +4.4DPMDPM Offense +3.9 Defense +0.4 Per 100 possessions:36.8points7.6rebounds12.5assistsP/R/A77.3
- +1.8DPMDPM Offense +1.9 Defense -0.1 Per 100 possessions:32.5points8.5rebounds8.9assistsP/R/A75.5
- +2.0DPMDPM Offense +2.5 Defense -0.6 Per 100 possessions:35.8points9.7rebounds8.6assistsP/R/A75.3
- +1.7DPMDPM Offense +2.3 Defense -0.6 Per 100 possessions:30.3points5.3rebounds10.5assistsP/R/A74.7
How these matches work
Each player's latest published profile is compared with today's league. The score uses standardized differences in DPM, offense, defense, age, scoring, assists, rebounds, blocks, steals, turnovers, three-point shot share and free-throw rate. DPM and age carry the most weight. Historical trajectory and a same-age cutoff are not used here.
100 is an identical profile, so a current player is his own first match. Scores fall by 8 points per unit of weighted distance, down to zero. This is a similarity index, not a probability. Box-score figures are projections per 100 possessions, so playing time does not distort the comparison.
Value
Contract & longevity
DARKO's fair salary from projected wins against LaMelo Ball's salary, and the odds of still being on an NBA roster in each coming season.
- Fair value
- $43.3M
- DARKO's market estimate
- Salary
- $40.8M
- Actual
- Surplus
- +$2.5M
- Value minus salary
- WARP
- 9.6
- Wins above replacement
- Seasons left
- 8.1
- Projected, within 15
- Retires at
- 33.8
- Projected age
Career
Season by season
DPM going into each season's last game, since 1996-97.
| Season | Team | Age | Games | MPG | DPM | Off | Def | For his age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 so far | MIN | 25 | 8 | 26.1 | +2.98 | +3.12 | -0.14 | — |
| 2025-26 | CHA | 24 | 72 | 28.0 | +3.07 | +3.61 | -0.54 | 43rd of 1185 |
| 2024-25 | CHA | 23 | 47 | 32.0 | +0.88 | +2.06 | -1.18 | 168th of 1100 |
| 2023-24 | CHA | 22 | 22 | 32.3 | +1.67 | +2.32 | -0.65 | 50th of 813 |
| 2022-23 | CHA | 21 | 36 | 35.2 | +1.36 | +1.76 | -0.41 | 32nd of 571 |
| 2021-22 | CHA | 20 | 75 | 32.3 | +2.01 | +1.86 | +0.16 | 5th of 354 |
| 2020-21 | CHA | 19 | 51 | 28.8 | +0.57 | +0.37 | +0.20 | 3rd of 109 |
Games are regular season; +n are playoff games. "For his age" ranks the season's DPM among every season at the same age since 1996-97 with 20 or more games. A season's DPM opens the leaderboard on its last game day.
Projections
Projected box score
DARKO's rest-of-season projections per 100 possessions, and per game at 29.4 projected minutes when he plays and a pace of 99.3.
| Stat | Per 100 | Per game |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 32.8 | 19.9 |
| Rebounds | 7.3 | 4.5 |
| Offensive | 1.6 | 1.0 |
| Defensive | 5.7 | 3.5 |
| Assists | 11.4 | 6.9 |
| Steals | 2.1 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Turnovers | 4.9 | 3.0 |
| 3-pt attempts | 16.4 | 10.0 |
| FG attempts | 26.2 | 15.9 |
| FT attempts | 4.8 | 2.9 |
| FG% · 3P% · FT% | 41.2% · 36.2% · 86.3% | |