Chris Paul vs. J.R. Smith: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of J.R. Smith and Chris Paul to determine who has the better numbers. Here you can compare their career totals, points per game, games of 40+ points, 50+, etc. and their year-by-year scoring averages side by side, both in the Regular Season and Playoffs.
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
Chris Paul is among the NBA's all-time leaders in points and here we compare his scoring stats with those recorded by J.R. Smith.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Chris Paul has better scoring stats than J.R. Smith in averages and totals, both in the regular season and Playoffs. However, we won't stop there and we'll go into detail to analyze what these statistics are made up of, from how many games they had in each threshold (30+ points, 40+, 50+, etc.) to their season-by-season scoring averages.
On this page we compare: |
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Who has better scoring stats? Career Numbers |
Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?
Points in the Regular Season
In his 20 NBA regular seasons played, Chris Paul averages 4.6 points more than J.R. Smith in his 16 seasons (17.0 points against 12.4), and he also scored a total of 10,863 points more (23,011 vs. 12,148).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Chris Paul | 17.0 | +4.6 | 20 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.4 | 16 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Chris Paul | 23,011 | +10,863 | 20 |
| J.R. Smith | 12,148 | 16 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Chris Paul has a better career point average than J.R. Smith (+9.3 points per game) and he also scored more points (+1,488).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Chris Paul | 20.0 | +9.3 | 15 |
| J.R. Smith | 10.7 | 12 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Chris Paul | 2,981 | +1,488 | 15 |
| J.R. Smith | 1,493 | 12 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Chris Paul | 472 | +312 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 160 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Chris Paul | 1,133 | +529 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 604 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Chris Paul | 1,350 | +418 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 932 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Chris Paul | 4 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 45 | +41 | ||
Playoffs
40+ Point Games | ||||
| Chris Paul | 2 | +2 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
30+ Point Games | ||||
| Chris Paul | 18 | +18 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Chris Paul | 74 | +60 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 14 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Chris Paul | 134 | +57 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 77 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Chris Paul | 149 | +19 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 130 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Chris Paul | 0 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 10 | +10 | ||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Chris Paul | 17.0 | 6.0 | 12.8 | 47.0 | 1.4 | 3.7 | 37.0 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 87.1 | 20 | 1,354 |
| difference: | +4.6 | +1.5 | +2.1 | +5.1 | +0.6 | +1.6 | +0.3 | +2.1 | +2.1 | +13.8 | +4 | +377 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.4 | 4.5 | 10.7 | 41.9 | 2.0 | 5.3 | 37.3 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 73.3 | 16 | 977 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Chris Paul | 23,011 | 8,147 | 17,352 | 47.0 | 1,860 | 5,029 | 37.0 | 4,857 | 5,579 | 87.1 | 20 | 1,354 |
| difference: | +10,863 | +3,767 | +6,887 | +5.1 | +70 | +149 | +0.3 | +3,399 | +3,589 | +13.8 | +4 | +377 |
| J.R. Smith | 12,148 | 4,380 | 10,465 | 41.9 | 1,930 | 5,178 | 37.3 | 1,458 | 1,990 | 73.3 | 16 | 977 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Chris Paul | 20.0 | 7.4 | 15.3 | 48.4 | 1.6 | 4.4 | 37.3 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 85.4 | 15 | 149 |
| difference: | +9.3 | +3.7 | +6.0 | +8.6 | +0.5 | +1.3 | +0.6 | +2.3 | +2.5 | +14.8 | +3 | +9 |
| J.R. Smith | 10.7 | 3.7 | 9.3 | 39.7 | 2.1 | 5.7 | 36.7 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 70.6 | 12 | 140 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Chris Paul | 2,981 | 1,106 | 2,287 | 48.4 | 244 | 654 | 37.3 | 525 | 615 | 85.4 | 15 | 149 |
| difference: | +1,488 | +587 | +981 | +8.6 | +50 | +147 | +0.6 | +364 | +387 | +14.8 | +3 | +9 |
| J.R. Smith | 1,493 | 519 | 1,306 | 39.7 | 294 | 801 | 36.7 | 161 | 228 | 70.6 | 12 | 140 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Chris Paul's additional seasons: | ||||
* Chris Paul played 4 seasons more than J.R. Smith in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 17 to 20, from 2022 to 2025—he averaged 11.5 points in a total of 264 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 14.7 ppg and his lowest 8.8. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Chris Paul | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2005 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Chris Paul | - | DNP | 2007 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Chris Paul | - | DNP | 2010 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 14.9 | +14.9 | 2009 | 16 |
Season 10 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Chris Paul | 22.1 | +22.1 | 2015 | 12 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2014 | 0 |
Season 15 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Chris Paul | 21.3 | +21.3 | 2020 | 7 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2019 | 0 |
Chris Paul's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 4 additional NBA seasons, Chris Paul played in two Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 15.8 points in a total of 20 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 17.5 ppg and his lowest 12.4. |