Damian Lillard vs. Jayson Tatum: Career Scoring Comparison

We break down the scoring legacies of Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard 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.

Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum have two of the highest career scoring averages in league history and here we compare all their scoring stats.

By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Damian Lillard has better scoring averages both in the regular season and Playoffs and also scored more total points during the season while Jayson Tatum scored more points in the postseason. 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.

Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?

Points in the Regular Season

In his 13 NBA regular seasons played, Damian Lillard averages 1.5 points more than Jayson Tatum in his 8 seasons (25.1 points against 23.6), and he also scored a total of 8,814 points more (22,598 vs. 13,784).

Points Per Game

Seasons
Damian Lillard 25.1
+1.5
13
Jayson Tatum 23.6
8

Total Points

Seasons
Damian Lillard 22,598
+8,814
13
Jayson Tatum 13,784
8

Points in the Playoffs

In the NBA postseason Damian Lillard has a better career point average than Jayson Tatum (+0.9 points per game) while Jayson Tatum scored more points (+1,221).

Points Per Game

Playoffs
Damian Lillard 25.2
+0.9
10
Jayson Tatum 24.3
8

Total Points

Playoffs
Damian Lillard 1,715
10
Jayson Tatum 2,936
+1,221
8

Points by Thresholds

Regular Season

70+ Point Games

Damian Lillard 1
+1
Jayson Tatum 0

60+ Point Games

Damian Lillard 5
+4
Jayson Tatum 1

50+ Point Games

Damian Lillard 15
+10
Jayson Tatum 5

40+ Point Games

Damian Lillard 60
+31
Jayson Tatum 29

30+ Point Games

Damian Lillard 265
+103
Jayson Tatum 162

20+ Point Games

Damian Lillard 650
+275
Jayson Tatum 375

10+ Point Games

Damian Lillard 882
+332
Jayson Tatum 550

1+ Point Games (games with points)

Damian Lillard 900
+316
Jayson Tatum 584

0 Point Games (games without points)

Damian Lillard 0
Jayson Tatum 1
+1

Playoffs

50+ Point Games

Damian Lillard 2
Jayson Tatum 2

40+ Point Games

Damian Lillard 4
Jayson Tatum 5
+1

30+ Point Games

Damian Lillard 23
Jayson Tatum 34
+11

20+ Point Games

Damian Lillard 46
Jayson Tatum 84
+38

10+ Point Games

Damian Lillard 66
Jayson Tatum 115
+49

1+ Point Games (games with points)

Damian Lillard 67
Jayson Tatum 121
+54

0 Point Games (games without points)

Damian Lillard 1
+1
Jayson Tatum 0

Career Shooting Stats Comparison

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Regular Season

Stats Per Game

Pts FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A% Yrs Gms
Damian Lillard 25.1 8.1 18.4 43.9 3.1 8.4 37.1 5.8 6.5 89.9 13 900
difference:+1.5+0.1+0.6+2.1+0.5+1.3+0.1+1.3+1.1+5.9+5+315
Jayson Tatum 23.6 8.2 17.8 45.9 2.6 7.1 37.0 4.5 5.4 84.0 8 585

Total Stats

Pts FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A% Yrs Gms
Damian Lillard 22,598 7,266 16,568 43.9 2,804 7,556 37.1 5,262 5,853 89.9 13 900
difference:+8,814+2,477+6,139+2.1+1,258+3,375+0.1+2,602+2,686+5.9+5+315
Jayson Tatum 13,784 4,789 10,429 45.9 1,546 4,181 37.0 2,660 3,167 84.0 8 585

Playoffs

Stats Per Game

Pts FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A% Yrs Gms
Damian Lillard 25.2 8.0 19.5 40.9 3.3 8.9 36.8 6.0 6.8 89.3 10 68
difference:+0.9+0.1+1.0+3.0+0.9+2.0+2.0+0.4+0.1+5.2+2+53
Jayson Tatum 24.3 8.1 18.5 43.9 2.4 6.9 34.8 5.6 6.7 84.1 8 121

Total Stats

Pts FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A% Yrs Gms
Damian Lillard 1,715 541 1,324 40.9 222 603 36.8 411 460 89.3 10 68
difference:+1,221+442+917+3.0+70+237+2.0+267+346+5.2+2+53
Jayson Tatum 2,936 983 2,241 43.9 292 840 34.8 678 806 84.1 8 121

Year by Year Points Average Comparison

NBA Champion = NBA Champion

Regular Season

Rookie Season

Points per gameYearGames
Damian Lillard 19.0
+5.1
201382
Jayson Tatum 13.9
201880

Season 2

Points per gameYearGames
Damian Lillard 20.7
+5.0
201482
Jayson Tatum 15.7
201979

Season 3

Points per gameYearGames
Damian Lillard 21.0
201582
Jayson Tatum 23.4
+2.4
202066

Season 4

Points per gameYearGames
Damian Lillard 25.1
201675
Jayson Tatum 26.4
+1.3
202164

Season 5

Points per gameYearGames
Damian Lillard 27.0
+0.1
201775
Jayson Tatum 26.9
202276

Season 6

Points per gameYearGames
Damian Lillard 26.9
201873
Jayson Tatum 30.1
+3.2
202374

Season 7

Points per gameYearGames
Damian Lillard 25.8
201980
Jayson Tatum 26.9
+1.1
2024NBA Champion74

Season 8

Points per gameYearGames
Damian Lillard 30.0
+3.2
202066
Jayson Tatum 26.8
202572

Damian Lillard's additional seasons:

* Damian Lillard played 5 seasons more than Jayson Tatum in the NBA.

In those years—his seasons 9 to 13, from 2021 to 2025—he averaged 27.1 points in a total of 285 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 32.2 ppg and his lowest 24.

Playoffs

Rookie Season

Points per gameYearGames
Damian Lillard -
DNP
20130
Jayson Tatum 18.5
+18.5
201819

Season 2

Points per gameYearGames
Damian Lillard 22.9
+7.7
201411
Jayson Tatum 15.2
20199

Season 3

Points per gameYearGames
Damian Lillard 21.6
20155
Jayson Tatum 25.7
+4.1
202017

Season 4

Points per gameYearGames
Damian Lillard 26.5
201611
Jayson Tatum 30.6
+4.1
20215

Season 5

Points per gameYearGames
Damian Lillard 27.8
+2.2
20174
Jayson Tatum 25.6
202224

Season 6

Points per gameYearGames
Damian Lillard 18.5
20184
Jayson Tatum 27.2
+8.7
202320

Season 7

Points per gameYearGames
Damian Lillard 26.9
+1.9
201916
Jayson Tatum 25.0
2024NBA Champion19

Season 8

Points per gameYearGames
Damian Lillard 24.3
20204
Jayson Tatum 28.1
+3.8
20258

Damian Lillard's additional Playoffs:

* During his 5 additional NBA seasons, Damian Lillard played in 3 Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 27.1 points in a total of 13 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 34.3 ppg and his lowest 7.