Deandre Ayton vs. J.R. Smith: Career Scoring Comparison

We break down the scoring legacies of J.R. Smith and Deandre Ayton 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.

By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Deandre Ayton has better scoring averages both in the regular season and Playoffs while J.R. Smith scored more total points in both stages. 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 8 NBA regular seasons played, Deandre Ayton averages 4 points more than J.R. Smith in his 16 seasons (16.4 points against 12.4). On the other hand J.R. Smith scored a total of 5,373 points more than Deandre Ayton (12,148 vs. 6,775).

Points Per Game

Seasons
Deandre Ayton 16.4
+4.0
8
J.R. Smith 12.4
16

Total Points

Seasons
Deandre Ayton 6,775
8
J.R. Smith 12,148
+5,373
16

Points in the Playoffs

Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Deandre Ayton has a better career point average than J.R. Smith (+5.2 points per game) while J.R. Smith scored more points (+779).

Points Per Game

Playoffs
Deandre Ayton 15.9
+5.2
3
J.R. Smith 10.7
12

Total Points

Playoffs
Deandre Ayton 714
3
J.R. Smith 1,493
+779
12

Points by Thresholds

Regular Season

40+ Point Games

Deandre Ayton 0
J.R. Smith 4
+4

30+ Point Games

Deandre Ayton 14
J.R. Smith 24
+10

20+ Point Games

Deandre Ayton 133
J.R. Smith 160
+27

10+ Point Games

Deandre Ayton 343
J.R. Smith 604
+261

1+ Point Games (games with points)

Deandre Ayton 413
J.R. Smith 932
+519

0 Point Games (games without points)

Deandre Ayton 0
J.R. Smith 45
+45

Playoffs

20+ Point Games

Deandre Ayton 16
+2
J.R. Smith 14

10+ Point Games

Deandre Ayton 38
J.R. Smith 77
+39

1+ Point Games (games with points)

Deandre Ayton 45
J.R. Smith 130
+85

0 Point Games (games without points)

Deandre Ayton 0
J.R. Smith 10
+10

Career Shooting Stats Comparison

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Regular Season

Stats Per Game

Pts FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A% Yrs Gms
Deandre Ayton 16.4 7.3 12.3 59.3 0.1 0.3 23.0 1.7 2.3 75.1 8 413
difference:+4.0+2.8+1.6+17.4+1.9+5.0+14.3+0.2+0.3+1.8+8+564
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
Deandre Ayton 6,775 3,015 5,084 59.3 28 122 23.0 717 955 75.1 8 413
difference:+5,373+1,365+5,381+17.4+1,902+5,056+14.3+741+1,035+1.8+8+564
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
Deandre Ayton 15.9 7.1 11.3 62.9 0.0 0.1 50.0 1.6 2.4 66.1 3 45
difference:+5.2+3.4+2.0+23.1+2.1+5.6+13.3+0.4+0.8+4.5+9+95
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
Deandre Ayton 714 320 509 62.9 2 4 50.0 72 109 66.1 3 45
difference:+779+199+797+23.1+292+797+13.3+89+119+4.5+9+95
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 Champion = NBA Champion

Regular Season

Rookie Season

Points per gameYearGames
Deandre Ayton 16.3
+6.0
201971
J.R. Smith 10.3
200576

Season 2

Points per gameYearGames
Deandre Ayton 18.2
+10.5
202038
J.R. Smith 7.7
200655

Season 3

Points per gameYearGames
Deandre Ayton 14.4
+1.4
202169
J.R. Smith 13.0
200763

Season 4

Points per gameYearGames
Deandre Ayton 17.2
+4.9
202258
J.R. Smith 12.3
200874

Season 5

Points per gameYearGames
Deandre Ayton 18.0
+2.8
202367
J.R. Smith 15.2
200981

Season 6

Points per gameYearGames
Deandre Ayton 16.7
+1.3
202455
J.R. Smith 15.4
201075

Season 7

Points per gameYearGames
Deandre Ayton 14.4
+2.1
202540
J.R. Smith 12.3
201179

Season 8

Points per gameYearGames
Deandre Ayton 15.5
+3.0
202615
J.R. Smith 12.5
201235

J.R. Smith's additional seasons:

* J.R. Smith played 9 seasons more than Deandre Ayton in the NBA.

In those years—his seasons 9 to 17, from 2013 to 2020—he averaged 12.3 points in a total of 509 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 18.1 ppg and his lowest 2.8.

Playoffs

Rookie Season

Points per gameYearGames
Deandre Ayton -
DNP
20190
J.R. Smith -
DNP
20050

Season 2

Points per gameYearGames
Deandre Ayton -
DNP
20200
J.R. Smith -
DNP
20060

Season 3

Points per gameYearGames
Deandre Ayton 15.8
+11.3
202122
J.R. Smith 4.5
20074

Season 4

Points per gameYearGames
Deandre Ayton 17.9
202213
J.R. Smith 18.3
+0.4
20084

Season 5

Points per gameYearGames
Deandre Ayton 13.4
202310
J.R. Smith 14.9
+1.5
200916

Season 6

Points per gameYearGames
Deandre Ayton -
DNP
20240
J.R. Smith 11.2
+11.2
20106

Season 7

Points per gameYearGames
Deandre Ayton -
DNP
20250
J.R. Smith 9.8
+9.8
20115

Season 8

Points per gameYearGames
Deandre Ayton -
DNP *
20260
J.R. Smith 12.2
+12.2
20125
* season in progress

J.R. Smith's additional Playoffs:

* During his 9 additional NBA seasons, J.R. Smith played in 7 Playoffs and won two NBA Championships. In those postseasons he averaged 10.3 points in a total of 118 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 14.3 ppg and his lowest 2.