Dwight Howard vs. Zion Williamson: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Zion Williamson and Dwight Howard 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 Dwight Howard.
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 Dwight Howard scored more points, and since Zion Williamson didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that Dwight Howard 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 8.9 points more than Dwight Howard in his 18 seasons (24.6 points against 15.7). On the other hand Dwight Howard scored a total of 13,985 points more than Zion Williamson (19,485 vs. 5,500).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Dwight Howard | 15.7 | 18 | |
| Zion Williamson | 24.6 | +8.9 | 6 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Dwight Howard | 19,485 | +13,985 | 18 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,500 | 6 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Dwight Howard has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Dwight Howard | 15.3 | +15.3 | 12 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Dwight Howard | 1,909 | +1,909 | 12 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Dwight Howard | 391 | +216 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 175 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Dwight Howard | 955 | +735 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 220 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Dwight Howard | 1,227 | +1003 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 224 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Dwight Howard | 15 | +15 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Dwight Howard's point thresholds are omited here.
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Dwight Howard | 15.7 | 5.7 | 9.7 | 58.7 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 21.4 | 4.3 | 7.6 | 56.7 | 18 | 1,242 |
| difference: | +8.9 | +3.7 | +6.4 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.4 | +10.3 | +1.2 | +0.4 | +12.4 | +12 | +1,018 |
| 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 | ||||
| Dwight Howard | 19,485 | 7,051 | 12,016 | 58.7 | 22 | 103 | 21.4 | 5,361 | 9,455 | 56.7 | 18 | 1,242 |
| difference: | +13,985 | +4,936 | +8,403 | +0.1 | +10 | +2 | +10.3 | +4,123 | +7,664 | +12.4 | +12 | +1,018 |
| 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 | ||||
| Dwight Howard | 15.3 | 5.4 | 9.2 | 58.9 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 14.3 | 4.4 | 8.0 | 54.8 | 12 | 125 |
| difference: | +15.3 | +5.4 | +9.2 | +58.9 | +0.1 | +14.3 | +4.4 | +8.0 | +54.8 | +12 | +125 | |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Dwight Howard | 1,909 | 681 | 1,156 | 58.9 | 1 | 7 | 14.3 | 546 | 997 | 54.8 | 12 | 125 |
| difference: | +1,909 | +681 | +1,156 | +58.9 | +1 | +7 | +14.3 | +546 | +997 | +54.8 | +12 | +125 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Dwight Howard's additional seasons: | ||||
* Dwight Howard played 12 seasons more than Zion Williamson in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 7 to 18, from 2011 to 2022—he averaged 14.5 points in a total of 753 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 22.9 ppg and his lowest 6.2. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Dwight Howard | - | DNP | 2005 | 0 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Dwight Howard | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Dwight Howard | 15.3 | +15.3 | 2007 | 4 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Dwight Howard | 18.9 | +18.9 | 2008 | 10 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Dwight Howard | 20.3 | +20.3 | 2009 | 23 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Dwight Howard | 18.1 | +18.1 | 2010 | 14 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| * season in progress | ||||
Dwight Howard's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 12 additional NBA seasons, Dwight Howard played in 8 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those postseasons he averaged 12.7 points in a total of 74 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 27 ppg and his lowest 4.7. |