Jimmy Butler vs. J.R. Smith: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of J.R. Smith and Jimmy Butler 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
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Jimmy Butler has better scoring stats than J.R. Smith in averages and totals, both in the regular season and Playoffs. 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: |
|
Who has better scoring stats? Career Numbers |
Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?
Points in the Regular Season
In his 14 NBA regular seasons played, Jimmy Butler averages 5.9 points more than J.R. Smith in his 16 seasons (18.3 points against 12.4), and he also scored a total of 3,750 points more (15,898 vs. 12,148).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Jimmy Butler | 18.3 | +5.9 | 14 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.4 | 16 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Jimmy Butler | 15,898 | +3,750 | 14 |
| J.R. Smith | 12,148 | 16 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Jimmy Butler has a better career point average than J.R. Smith (+10.4 points per game) and he also scored more points (+1,252).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Jimmy Butler | 21.1 | +10.4 | 12 |
| J.R. Smith | 10.7 | 12 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Jimmy Butler | 2,745 | +1,252 | 12 |
| J.R. Smith | 1,493 | 12 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
50+ Point Games | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 2 | +2 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 399 | +239 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 160 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 712 | +108 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 604 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 844 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 932 | +88 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 25 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 45 | +20 | ||
Playoffs
50+ Point Games | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 1 | +1 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
40+ Point Games | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 8 | +8 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
30+ Point Games | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 24 | +24 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 70 | +56 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 14 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 114 | +37 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 77 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 127 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 130 | +3 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 3 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 10 | +7 | ||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 18.3 | 5.9 | 12.6 | 47.2 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 32.8 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 84.3 | 14 | 869 |
| difference: | +5.9 | +1.4 | +1.9 | +5.3 | +1.2 | +2.9 | +4.5 | +4.2 | +4.7 | +11.0 | +2 | +108 |
| 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 | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 15,898 | 5,147 | 10,909 | 47.2 | 684 | 2,084 | 32.8 | 4,920 | 5,833 | 84.3 | 14 | 869 |
| difference: | +3,750 | +767 | +444 | +5.3 | +1,246 | +3,094 | +4.5 | +3,462 | +3,843 | +11.0 | +2 | +108 |
| 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 | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 21.1 | 7.1 | 15.5 | 45.9 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 34.4 | 5.7 | 6.9 | 82.7 | 12 | 130 |
| difference: | +10.4 | +3.4 | +6.2 | +6.1 | +0.9 | +2.2 | +2.3 | +4.5 | +5.3 | +12.1 | +10 | |
| 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 | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 2,745 | 923 | 2,012 | 45.9 | 156 | 454 | 34.4 | 743 | 898 | 82.7 | 12 | 130 |
| difference: | +1,252 | +404 | +706 | +6.1 | +138 | +347 | +2.3 | +582 | +670 | +12.1 | +10 | |
| 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 ChampionRegular Season
J.R. Smith's additional seasons: | ||||
* J.R. Smith played 1 season more than Jimmy Butler in the NBA. In that year—his season 16 in 2020—he averaged 2.8 points in a total of 6 regular season games. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jimmy Butler | 0.0 | 2012 | 3 | |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2005 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jimmy Butler | 13.3 | +13.3 | 2013 | 12 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jimmy Butler | - | DNP | 2016 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 14.9 | +14.9 | 2009 | 16 |
Season 10 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jimmy Butler | 14.5 | +14.5 | 2021 | 4 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2014 | 0 |
Season 13 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jimmy Butler | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 8.1 | +8.1 | 2017 | 18 |
Season 15 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jimmy Butler | 19.2 | +19.2 | 2025 | 11 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2019 | 0 |
J.R. Smith's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* In his additional NBA year, J.R. Smith played in the Playoffs and won the NBA Championship. In those postseasons he averaged 2.0 points in a total of 10 games. |