Darius Garland vs. Nikola Jokic: Career Scoring Comparison

We break down the scoring legacies of Nikola Jokic and Darius Garland 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.

Nikola Jokic has one of the highest career point averages in NBA history, and here we compare his scoring stats with those recorded by Darius Garland.

By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Nikola Jokic has better scoring stats than Darius Garland 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.

Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?

Points in the Regular Season

In his 11 NBA regular seasons played, Nikola Jokic averages 3.3 points more than Darius Garland in his 7 seasons (22.1 points against 18.8), and he also scored a total of 9,650 points more (17,158 vs. 7,508).

Points Per Game

Seasons
Darius Garland 18.8
7
Nikola Jokic 22.1
+3.3
11

Total Points

Seasons
Darius Garland 7,508
7
Nikola Jokic 17,158
+9,650
11

Points in the Playoffs

Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Nikola Jokic has a better career point average than Darius Garland (+10.1 points per game) and he also scored more points (+2,199).

Points Per Game

Playoffs
Darius Garland 17.3
3
Nikola Jokic 27.4
+10.1
7

Total Points

Playoffs
Darius Garland 381
3
Nikola Jokic 2,580
+2,199
7

Points by Thresholds

Regular Season

60+ Point Games

Darius Garland 0
Nikola Jokic 1
+1

50+ Point Games

Darius Garland 1
Nikola Jokic 5
+4

40+ Point Games

Darius Garland 5
Nikola Jokic 34
+29

30+ Point Games

Darius Garland 26
Nikola Jokic 167
+141

20+ Point Games

Darius Garland 173
Nikola Jokic 468
+295

10+ Point Games

Darius Garland 361
Nikola Jokic 675
+314

1+ Point Games (games with points)

Darius Garland 400
Nikola Jokic 771
+371

0 Point Games (games without points)

Darius Garland 0
Nikola Jokic 6
+6

Playoffs

50+ Point Games

Darius Garland 0
Nikola Jokic 1
+1

40+ Point Games

Darius Garland 0
Nikola Jokic 7
+7

30+ Point Games

Darius Garland 2
Nikola Jokic 35
+33

20+ Point Games

Darius Garland 9
Nikola Jokic 81
+72

10+ Point Games

Darius Garland 21
Nikola Jokic 94
+73

1+ Point Games (games with points)

Darius Garland 22
Nikola Jokic 94
+72

0 Point Games (games without points)

Darius Garland 0
Nikola Jokic 0

Career Shooting Stats Comparison

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Regular Season

Stats Per Game

Pts FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A% Yrs Gms
Darius Garland 18.8 6.8 15.2 45.1 2.3 6.1 38.7 2.7 3.1 86.8 7 400
difference:+3.3+1.7+0.1+11.1+1.2+3.0+2.3+1.3+1.8+4.2+4+377
Nikola Jokic 22.1 8.5 15.1 56.2 1.1 3.1 36.4 4.0 4.9 82.6 11 777

Total Stats

Pts FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A% Yrs Gms
Darius Garland 7,508 2,739 6,073 45.1 939 2,428 38.7 1,091 1,257 86.8 7 400
difference:+9,650+3,836+5,629+11.1+58+10+2.3+2,036+2,531+4.2+4+377
Nikola Jokic 17,158 6,575 11,702 56.2 881 2,418 36.4 3,127 3,788 82.6 11 777

Playoffs

Stats Per Game

Pts FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A% Yrs Gms
Darius Garland 17.3 6.2 14.5 42.8 2.1 6.2 34.3 2.7 3.2 85.7 3 22
difference:+10.1+4.2+5.3+9.7+0.3+1.7+4.5+2.2+2.7+3.1+4+72
Nikola Jokic 27.4 10.4 19.8 52.5 1.8 4.5 38.8 4.9 5.9 82.6 7 94

Total Stats

Pts FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A% Yrs Gms
Darius Garland 381 137 320 42.8 47 137 34.3 60 70 85.7 3 22
difference:+2,199+841+1,544+9.7+118+288+4.5+399+486+3.1+4+72
Nikola Jokic 2,580 978 1,864 52.5 165 425 38.8 459 556 82.6 7 94

Year by Year Points Average Comparison

NBA Champion = NBA Champion

Regular Season

Rookie Season

Points per gameYearGames
Darius Garland 12.3
+2.3
202059
Nikola Jokic 10.0
201680

Season 2

Points per gameYearGames
Darius Garland 17.4
+0.7
202154
Nikola Jokic 16.7
201773

Season 3

Points per gameYearGames
Darius Garland 21.7
+3.2
202268
Nikola Jokic 18.5
201875

Season 4

Points per gameYearGames
Darius Garland 21.6
+1.5
202369
Nikola Jokic 20.1
201980

Season 5

Points per gameYearGames
Darius Garland 18.0
202457
Nikola Jokic 19.9
+1.9
202073

Season 6

Points per gameYearGames
Darius Garland 20.6
202575
Nikola Jokic 26.4
+5.8
202172

Season 7

Points per gameYearGames
Darius Garland 16.9
202618
Nikola Jokic 27.1
+10.2
202274

Nikola Jokic's additional seasons:

- Nikola Jokic played 4 seasons more than Darius Garland in the NBA.

In those years—his seasons 8 to 11, from 2023 to 2026—he averaged 27.2 points in a total of 250 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 29.6 ppg and his lowest 24.5.

Playoffs

Rookie Season

Points per gameYearGames
Darius Garland -
DNP
20200
Nikola Jokic -
DNP
20160

Season 2

Points per gameYearGames
Darius Garland -
DNP
20210
Nikola Jokic -
DNP
20170

Season 3

Points per gameYearGames
Darius Garland -
DNP
20220
Nikola Jokic -
DNP
20180

Season 4

Points per gameYearGames
Darius Garland 20.6
20235
Nikola Jokic 25.1
+4.5
201914

Season 5

Points per gameYearGames
Darius Garland 15.7
202412
Nikola Jokic 24.4
+8.7
202019

Season 6

Points per gameYearGames
Darius Garland 18.0
20255
Nikola Jokic 29.8
+11.8
202110

Season 7

Points per gameYearGames
Darius Garland -
DNP *
20260
Nikola Jokic 31.0
+31.0
20225
* season in progress

Nikola Jokic's additional Playoffs:

- During his 4 additional NBA seasons, Nikola Jokic played in 3 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those postseasons he averaged 28.5 points in a total of 46 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 30 ppg and his lowest 26.2.