Gary Payton vs. Zion Williamson: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Zion Williamson and Gary Payton 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.
Gary Payton is among the NBA's all-time leaders in points while Zion Williamson has one of the highest career 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 in the regular season Zion Williamson has a better scoring average and Gary Payton scored more points, and since Zion Williamson didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that Gary Payton 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 5 NBA regular seasons played, Zion Williamson averages 8.4 points more than Gary Payton in his 17 seasons (24.7 points against 16.3). On the other hand Gary Payton scored a total of 16,534 points more than Zion Williamson (21,813 vs. 5,279).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Gary Payton | 16.3 | 17 | |
| Zion Williamson | 24.7 | +8.4 | 5 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Gary Payton | 21,813 | +16,534 | 17 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,279 | 5 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Gary Payton has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Gary Payton | 14.0 | +14.0 | 15 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Gary Payton | 2,155 | +2,155 | 15 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Gary Payton | 515 | +347 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 168 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Gary Payton | 1,035 | +825 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 210 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Gary Payton | 1,304 | +1090 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 214 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Gary Payton | 31 | +31 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Gary Payton's point thresholds are omited here.
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Gary Payton | 16.3 | 6.5 | 14.0 | 46.6 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 31.7 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 72.9 | 17 | 1,335 |
| difference: | +8.4 | +3.0 | +2.2 | +12.3 | +0.7 | +2.2 | +1.0 | +3.0 | +4.5 | +4.0 | +12 | +1,121 |
| Zion Williamson | 24.7 | 9.5 | 16.2 | 58.9 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 32.7 | 5.4 | 7.9 | 68.9 | 5 | 214 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Gary Payton | 21,813 | 8,708 | 18,698 | 46.6 | 1,132 | 3,570 | 31.7 | 3,265 | 4,480 | 72.9 | 17 | 1,335 |
| difference: | +16,534 | +6,667 | +15,230 | +12.3 | +1,100 | +3,472 | +1.0 | +2,100 | +2,790 | +4.0 | +12 | +1,121 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,279 | 2,041 | 3,468 | 58.9 | 32 | 98 | 32.7 | 1,165 | 1,690 | 68.9 | 5 | 214 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Gary Payton | 14.0 | 5.6 | 12.6 | 44.1 | 0.9 | 2.8 | 31.5 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 70.6 | 15 | 154 |
| difference: | +14.0 | +5.6 | +12.6 | +44.1 | +0.9 | +2.8 | +31.5 | +2.0 | +2.8 | +70.6 | +15 | +154 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Gary Payton | 2,155 | 855 | 1,938 | 44.1 | 137 | 435 | 31.5 | 308 | 436 | 70.6 | 15 | 154 |
| difference: | +2,155 | +855 | +1,938 | +44.1 | +137 | +435 | +31.5 | +308 | +436 | +70.6 | +15 | +154 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Gary Payton's additional seasons: | ||||
* Gary Payton played 12 seasons more than Zion Williamson in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 6 to 17, from 1996 to 2007—he averaged 17.6 points in a total of 926 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 24.2 ppg and his lowest 5.3. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Gary Payton | 4.8 | +4.8 | 1991 | 5 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Gary Payton | 7.6 | +7.6 | 1992 | 8 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Gary Payton | 12.3 | +12.3 | 1993 | 19 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Gary Payton | 15.8 | +15.8 | 1994 | 5 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Gary Payton | 17.8 | +17.8 | 1995 | 4 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
Gary Payton's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 12 additional NBA seasons, Gary Payton played in 10 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those postseasons he averaged 14.9 points in a total of 113 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 25.8 ppg and his lowest 0. |