Is AJ Hammons Better Than Dereck Lively II? NBA Stats Decide

This is as close as it gets. AJ Hammons and Dereck Lively II split the statistical categories evenly — 4 apiece — making this one of the most genuinely contested C comparisons in NBA history. When the numbers are this balanced, the debate comes down to which statistics matter most to you.

AJ Hammons's Points Per Game of 48 compared to Dereck Lively II's 8.4 represents a 471.4% advantage — dramatically better than their counterpart in this critical category. Dereck Lively II falls 26.3% below the career average of 11.4 in this category while AJ Hammons exceeds it. It is the single most decisive number in this comparison and the clearest statistical argument for AJ Hammons's edge.

The most competitive category in this matchup is Free Throw %, where AJ Hammons posts 45% against Dereck Lively II's 57.9% — a gap of just 28.7%. Dereck Lively II can point to this as evidence that the overall comparison is closer than the final 4-4 tally suggests. In any debate, Free Throw % is the statistical ammunition for the Dereck Lively II side.

Centers have evolved dramatically across NBA eras — from dominant low-post scorers to modern stretch bigs. Career statistics must be evaluated with positional evolution and era context in mind.

With categories split evenly, this comparison ultimately comes down to which statistics matter most to you. AJ Hammons claims the tiebreaker through Points Per Game advantage — a 471.4% edge — but reasonable people can, and do, argue both sides of this NBA debate.