Derrick Rose vs. Zion Williamson: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Zion Williamson and Derrick Rose 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
Zion Williamson has one of the highest career point averages in NBA history, and here we compare his scoring stats with those recorded by Derrick Rose.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that in the regular season Zion Williamson has a better scoring average and Derrick Rose scored more points, and since Zion Williamson didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that Derrick Rose has better playoff stats. 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 6 NBA regular seasons played, Zion Williamson averages 7.2 points more than Derrick Rose in his 15 seasons (24.6 points against 17.4). On the other hand Derrick Rose scored a total of 7,073 points more than Zion Williamson (12,573 vs. 5,500).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Derrick Rose | 17.4 | 15 | |
| Zion Williamson | 24.6 | +7.2 | 6 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Derrick Rose | 12,573 | +7,073 | 15 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,500 | 6 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Derrick Rose has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Derrick Rose | 21.9 | +21.9 | 8 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Derrick Rose | 1,141 | +1,141 | 8 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
50+ Point Games | ||||
| Derrick Rose | 1 | +1 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Derrick Rose | 293 | +118 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 175 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Derrick Rose | 594 | +374 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 220 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Derrick Rose | 714 | +490 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 224 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Derrick Rose | 9 | +9 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Derrick Rose's point thresholds are omited here.
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Derrick Rose | 17.4 | 6.8 | 14.9 | 45.6 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 31.6 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 83.1 | 15 | 723 |
| difference: | +7.2 | +2.6 | +1.2 | +13.0 | +0.7 | +2.1 | +0.1 | +2.5 | +4.4 | +14.0 | +9 | +499 |
| Zion Williamson | 24.6 | 9.4 | 16.1 | 58.5 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 31.7 | 5.5 | 8.0 | 69.1 | 6 | 224 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Derrick Rose | 12,573 | 4,921 | 10,798 | 45.6 | 590 | 1,866 | 31.6 | 2,141 | 2,575 | 83.1 | 15 | 723 |
| difference: | +7,073 | +2,806 | +7,185 | +13.0 | +558 | +1,765 | +0.1 | +903 | +784 | +14.0 | +9 | +499 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,500 | 2,115 | 3,613 | 58.5 | 32 | 101 | 31.7 | 1,238 | 1,791 | 69.1 | 6 | 224 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Derrick Rose | 21.9 | 8.4 | 19.7 | 42.6 | 1.3 | 4.1 | 32.2 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 84.5 | 8 | 52 |
| difference: | +21.9 | +8.4 | +19.7 | +42.6 | +1.3 | +4.1 | +32.2 | +3.9 | +4.6 | +84.5 | +8 | +52 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Derrick Rose | 1,141 | 436 | 1,024 | 42.6 | 68 | 211 | 32.2 | 201 | 238 | 84.5 | 8 | 52 |
| difference: | +1,141 | +436 | +1,024 | +42.6 | +68 | +211 | +32.2 | +201 | +238 | +84.5 | +8 | +52 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
Regular Season
Derrick Rose's additional seasons: | ||||
* Derrick Rose played 12 seasons more than Zion Williamson in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 7 to 18, from 2016 to 2024—he averaged 14.1 points in a total of 483 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 18.1 ppg and his lowest 5.6. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Derrick Rose | 19.7 | +19.7 | 2009 | 7 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Derrick Rose | 26.8 | +26.8 | 2010 | 5 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Derrick Rose | 27.1 | +27.1 | 2011 | 16 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Derrick Rose | 23.0 | +23.0 | 2012 | 1 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Derrick Rose | - | DNP | 2014 | 0 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Derrick Rose | 20.3 | +20.3 | 2015 | 12 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| * season in progress | ||||
Derrick Rose's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 12 additional NBA seasons, Derrick Rose played in 6 Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 15.7 points in a total of 26 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 19.4 ppg and his lowest 0. |