Dwight Howard vs. Jayson Tatum Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jayson Tatum and Dwight Howard, 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 / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other

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.

Dwight Howard played 18 years in the NBA, 10 more than Jayson Tatum, who played 8. Dwight Howard had the first of his seasons in 2004-05, while Jayson Tatum had his rookie season in 2017-18. 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 achievements, 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
Dwight Howard 18 12 2004-05 to 2021-22
Jayson Tatum 8 8 2017-18 to 2024-25

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8

Rookie Season

Dwight Howard Jayson Tatum
Season 2004-052017-18
Team Orlando MagicBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dwight Howard 82 32.6 12.0 3.5 6.5 10.0 0.9 0.9 1.7 2.0 2.8 4.3 8.3 .520 0.0 0.0 - 3.4 5.0 .671
difference:+2+2.1+1.9+2.9+2.1+5.0+0.7+0.1+1.0-0.6-0.7+0.7+2.1+.045+1.3+3.0+0.7+1.8+.155
Jayson Tatum 80 30.5 13.9 0.6 4.4 5.0 1.6 1.0 0.7 1.4 2.1 5.0 10.4 .475 1.3 3.0 .434 2.7 3.2 .826
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dwight Howard DNP------ --- ----------
Jayson Tatum 19 35.9 18.5 0.5 3.8 4.4 2.7 1.2 0.5 2.2 2.6 6.5 13.7 .471 1.2 3.7 .324 4.3 5.1 .845

Season 2

Dwight Howard Jayson Tatum
Season 2005-062018-19
Team Orlando MagicBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dwight Howard 82 36.8 15.8 3.5 9.0 12.5 1.5 0.8 1.4 2.6 3.4 5.7 10.7 .531 0.0 0.0 - 4.3 7.3 .595
difference:+3+5.7+0.1+2.6+3.8+6.5+0.6+0.3+0.7-1.1-1.3+0.2+2.4+.081+1.5+3.9+1.8+4.4+.260
Jayson Tatum 79 31.1 15.7 0.9 5.2 6.0 2.1 1.1 0.7 1.5 2.1 5.9 13.1 .450 1.5 3.9 .373 2.5 2.9 .855
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dwight Howard DNP------ --- ----------
Jayson Tatum 9 32.8 15.2 0.8 5.9 6.7 1.9 1.1 0.8 2.0 2.3 5.4 12.4 .438 1.1 3.4 .323 3.2 4.3 .744

Season 3

Dwight Howard Jayson Tatum
Season 2006-072019-20
Team Orlando MagicBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third TeamAchievement All-NBA Third Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Magic Lost East Conf 1st RdCeltics Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dwight Howard 82 36.9 17.6 3.5 8.8 12.3 1.9 0.9 1.9 3.9 3.0 6.4 10.6 .603 0.0 0.0 - 4.8 8.1 .586
difference:+16+2.6+5.8+2.5+2.8+5.3+1.1+0.5+1.0-1.6-0.9+2.0+8.0+.153+2.9+7.1+1.0+3.4+.226
Jayson Tatum 66 34.3 23.4 1.0 6.0 7.0 3.0 1.4 0.9 2.3 2.1 8.4 18.6 .450 2.9 7.1 .403 3.8 4.7 .812
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dwight Howard 4 41.8 15.3 4.0 10.8 14.8 1.8 0.5 1.0 4.3 3.3 5.8 10.5 .548 0.0 0.0 - 3.8 8.3 .455
difference:+13+1.2+10.4+2.7+2.1+4.8+3.2+0.5+0.2-1.5-0.9+2.7+9.1+.114+2.8+7.4+2.1+1.1+.358
Jayson Tatum 17 40.6 25.7 1.3 8.7 10.0 5.0 1.0 1.2 2.8 2.4 8.5 19.6 .434 2.8 7.4 .373 5.9 7.2 .813

Season 4

Dwight Howard Jayson Tatum
Season 2007-082020-21
Team Orlando MagicBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Magic Lost East Conf SemisCeltics Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dwight Howard 82 37.7 20.7 3.4 10.8 14.2 1.3 0.9 2.1 3.2 3.3 7.1 11.9 .599 0.0 0.0 - 6.5 10.9 .590
difference:+18+1.9+5.7+2.6+4.2+6.8+3.0+0.3+1.6-0.5-1.4+2.4+8.7+.140+2.9+7.6+1.9+5.6+.278
Jayson Tatum 64 35.8 26.4 0.8 6.6 7.4 4.3 1.2 0.5 2.7 1.9 9.5 20.6 .459 2.9 7.6 .386 4.6 5.3 .868
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dwight Howard 10 42.1 18.9 6.0 9.8 15.8 0.9 0.8 3.4 3.2 3.8 7.2 12.4 .581 0.0 0.0 - 4.5 8.3 .542
difference:+5+5.1+11.7+5.4+4.6+10.0+3.7+0.4+1.8-0.6-0.8+2.2+9.8+.158+2.8+7.2+4.5+1.5+.376
Jayson Tatum 5 37.0 30.6 0.6 5.2 5.8 4.6 1.2 1.6 2.6 3.0 9.4 22.2 .423 2.8 7.2 .389 9.0 9.8 .918

Season 5

Dwight Howard Jayson Tatum
Season 2008-092021-22
Team Orlando MagicBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Defensive Player of the Year-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement Blocks Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Magic Lost NBA FinalsCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dwight Howard 79 35.7 20.6 4.3 9.6 13.8 1.4 1.0 2.9 3.0 3.4 7.1 12.4 .572 0.0 0.0 - 6.4 10.7 .594
difference:+3+0.2+6.3+3.2+2.7+5.8+3.0+2.3-0.1-1.1+2.2+8.2+.119+3.0+8.6+1.1+4.5+.259
Jayson Tatum 76 35.9 26.9 1.1 6.9 8.0 4.4 1.0 0.6 2.9 2.3 9.3 20.6 .453 3.0 8.6 .353 5.3 6.2 .853
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dwight Howard 23 39.3 20.3 4.3 11.0 15.3 1.9 0.9 2.6 2.9 4.4 7.0 11.7 .601 0.0 0.1 .000 6.3 9.9 .636
difference:+1+1.7+5.3+3.3+5.3+8.6+4.3+0.3+1.7-1.3-1.4+1.4+8.0+.175+3.2+8.1+.393+0.6+2.8+.164
Jayson Tatum 24 41.0 25.6 1.0 5.7 6.7 6.2 1.2 0.9 4.2 3.0 8.4 19.7 .426 3.2 8.2 .393 5.7 7.1 .800

Season 6

Dwight Howard Jayson Tatum
Season 2009-102022-23
Team Orlando MagicBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Defensive Player of the Year-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement Blocks Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game MVP
Playoffs Magic Lost East Conf FinalsCeltics Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dwight Howard 82 34.7 18.3 3.5 9.7 13.2 1.8 0.9 2.8 3.3 3.5 6.2 10.2 .612 0.0 0.1 .000 5.9 10.0 .592
difference:+8+2.2+11.8+2.4+2.0+4.4+2.8+0.2+2.1-0.4-1.3+3.6+10.9+.146+3.2+9.2+.350+1.3+1.6+.262
Jayson Tatum 74 36.9 30.1 1.1 7.7 8.8 4.6 1.1 0.7 2.9 2.2 9.8 21.1 .466 3.2 9.3 .350 7.2 8.4 .854
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dwight Howard 14 35.5 18.1 2.7 8.4 11.1 1.4 0.8 3.5 3.6 4.2 6.1 10.0 .614 0.0 0.0 - 5.9 11.3 .519
difference:+6+4.5+9.1+1.4+0.8+0.6+3.9+0.3+2.4-0.8-2.0+3.2+10.2+.156+2.7+8.2+0.1+4.4+.357
Jayson Tatum 20 40.0 27.2 1.3 9.2 10.5 5.3 1.1 1.1 2.8 2.2 9.3 20.2 .458 2.7 8.2 .323 6.0 6.9 .876

Season 7

Dwight Howard Jayson Tatum
Season 2010-112023-24
Team Orlando MagicBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Defensive Player of the Year-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Magic Lost East Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dwight Howard 78 37.6 22.9 4.0 10.1 14.1 1.4 1.4 2.4 3.6 3.3 7.9 13.4 .593 0.0 0.1 .000 7.0 11.7 .596
difference:+4+1.9+4.0+3.1+2.9+6.0+3.5+0.4+1.8-1.1-1.3+1.2+5.9+.122+3.1+8.1+.376+1.4+5.0+.237
Jayson Tatum 74 35.7 26.9 0.9 7.2 8.1 4.9 1.0 0.6 2.5 2.0 9.1 19.3 .471 3.1 8.2 .376 5.6 6.7 .833
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dwight Howard 6 43.0 27.0 4.5 11.0 15.5 0.5 0.7 1.8 5.5 4.2 8.5 13.5 .630 0.0 0.2 .000 10.0 14.7 .682
difference:+13+2.6+2.0+3.6+2.2+5.8+5.8+0.4+1.1-2.9-1.4+0.1+6.1+.203+2.1+7.1+.283+3.8+7.5+.179
Jayson Tatum 19 40.4 25.0 0.9 8.8 9.7 6.3 1.1 0.7 2.6 2.8 8.4 19.6 .427 2.1 7.3 .283 6.2 7.2 .861

Season 8

Dwight Howard Jayson Tatum
Season 2011-122024-25
Team Orlando MagicBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dwight Howard 54 38.3 20.6 3.7 10.8 14.5 1.9 1.5 2.1 3.2 2.9 7.7 13.4 .573 0.0 0.1 .000 5.2 10.6 .491
difference:+18+1.9+6.2+3.0+2.8+5.8+4.1+0.4+1.6-0.3-0.7+1.5+6.9+.121+3.5+10.0+.343+0.2+4.5+.323
Jayson Tatum 72 36.4 26.8 0.7 8.0 8.7 6.0 1.1 0.5 2.9 2.2 9.2 20.3 .452 3.5 10.1 .343 5.0 6.1 .814
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Dwight Howard DNP------ --- ----------
Jayson Tatum 8 40.3 28.1 1.1 10.4 11.5 5.4 2.1 0.8 3.3 2.6 9.3 21.9 .423 3.6 9.8 .372 6.0 6.8 .889

Additional Years

* Dwight Howard played 10 seasons more than Jayson Tatum in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 9 to 18, from 2013 to 2022—Dwight Howard played in 7 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship.

In those 10 extra years over Jayson Tatum, Dwight Howard got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 1 All-NBA Second Team
Achievement 1 All-NBA Third Team
Achievement 1 Rebounds Leader
Achievement 2 All-Star Game