Jayson Tatum vs. Zion Williamson: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Zion Williamson and Jayson Tatum 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 and Jayson Tatum have two of the highest career scoring 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 Jayson Tatum scored more points, and since Zion Williamson didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that Jayson Tatum 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 1.1 points more than Jayson Tatum in his 8 seasons (24.7 points against 23.6). On the other hand Jayson Tatum scored a total of 8,478 points more than Zion Williamson (13,784 vs. 5,306).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Jayson Tatum | 23.6 | 8 | |
| Zion Williamson | 24.7 | +1.1 | 6 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Jayson Tatum | 13,784 | +8,478 | 8 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,306 | 6 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Jayson Tatum has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Jayson Tatum | 24.3 | +24.3 | 8 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Jayson Tatum | 2,936 | +2,936 | 8 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Jayson Tatum | 1 | +1 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
50+ Point Games | ||||
| Jayson Tatum | 5 | +5 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Jayson Tatum | 375 | +206 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 169 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Jayson Tatum | 550 | +339 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 211 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Jayson Tatum | 584 | +369 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 215 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Jayson Tatum | 1 | +1 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Jayson Tatum's point thresholds are omited here.
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Jayson Tatum | 23.6 | 8.2 | 17.8 | 45.9 | 2.6 | 7.1 | 37.0 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 84.0 | 8 | 585 |
| difference: | +1.1 | +1.3 | +1.6 | +12.9 | +2.5 | +6.6 | +4.3 | +1.0 | +2.5 | +15.1 | +2 | +370 |
| Zion Williamson | 24.7 | 9.5 | 16.2 | 58.8 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 32.7 | 5.5 | 7.9 | 68.9 | 6 | 215 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Jayson Tatum | 13,784 | 4,789 | 10,429 | 45.9 | 1,546 | 4,181 | 37.0 | 2,660 | 3,167 | 84.0 | 8 | 585 |
| difference: | +8,478 | +2,738 | +6,940 | +12.9 | +1,514 | +4,083 | +4.3 | +1,488 | +1,465 | +15.1 | +2 | +370 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,306 | 2,051 | 3,489 | 58.8 | 32 | 98 | 32.7 | 1,172 | 1,702 | 68.9 | 6 | 215 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Jayson Tatum | 24.3 | 8.1 | 18.5 | 43.9 | 2.4 | 6.9 | 34.8 | 5.6 | 6.7 | 84.1 | 8 | 121 |
| difference: | +24.3 | +8.1 | +18.5 | +43.9 | +2.4 | +6.9 | +34.8 | +5.6 | +6.7 | +84.1 | +8 | +121 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Jayson Tatum | 2,936 | 983 | 2,241 | 43.9 | 292 | 840 | 34.8 | 678 | 806 | 84.1 | 8 | 121 |
| difference: | +2,936 | +983 | +2,241 | +43.9 | +292 | +840 | +34.8 | +678 | +806 | +84.1 | +8 | +121 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Jayson Tatum's additional seasons: | ||||
* Jayson Tatum played 2 seasons more than Zion Williamson in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 7 to 8, from 2024 to 2025—he averaged 26.8 points in a total of 146 regular season games. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jayson Tatum | 18.5 | +18.5 | 2018 | 19 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jayson Tatum | 15.2 | +15.2 | 2019 | 9 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jayson Tatum | 25.7 | +25.7 | 2020 | 17 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jayson Tatum | 30.6 | +30.6 | 2021 | 5 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jayson Tatum | 25.6 | +25.6 | 2022 | 24 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jayson Tatum | 27.2 | +27.2 | 2023 | 20 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| * season in progress | ||||
Jayson Tatum's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 2 additional NBA seasons, Jayson Tatum played in two Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those postseasons he averaged 25.9 points in a total of 27 games. |