Jimmy Butler vs. Zion Williamson: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Zion Williamson 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
Zion Williamson has one of the highest career point averages in NBA history, and here we compare his scoring stats with those recorded by Jimmy Butler.
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 Jimmy Butler scored more points, and since Zion Williamson didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that Jimmy Butler 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 6.3 points more than Jimmy Butler in his 15 seasons (24.6 points against 18.3). On the other hand Jimmy Butler scored a total of 10,822 points more than Zion Williamson (16,322 vs. 5,500).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Jimmy Butler | 18.3 | 15 | |
| Zion Williamson | 24.6 | +6.3 | 6 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Jimmy Butler | 16,322 | +10,822 | 15 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,500 | 6 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Jimmy Butler has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Jimmy Butler | 21.1 | +21.1 | 12 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Jimmy Butler | 2,745 | +2,745 | 12 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
50+ Point Games | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 2 | +2 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 412 | +237 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 175 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 732 | +512 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 220 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 866 | +642 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 224 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 25 | +25 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Jimmy Butler's point thresholds are omited here.
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 18.3 | 5.9 | 12.5 | 47.3 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 33.1 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 84.4 | 15 | 891 |
| difference: | +6.3 | +3.5 | +3.6 | +11.2 | +0.7 | +1.9 | +1.4 | +0.2 | +1.3 | +15.3 | +9 | +667 |
| 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 | ||||
| Jimmy Butler | 16,322 | 5,278 | 11,161 | 47.3 | 704 | 2,129 | 33.1 | 5,062 | 6,001 | 84.4 | 15 | 891 |
| difference: | +10,822 | +3,163 | +7,548 | +11.2 | +672 | +2,028 | +1.4 | +3,824 | +4,210 | +15.3 | +9 | +667 |
| 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 | ||||
| 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: | +21.1 | +7.1 | +15.5 | +45.9 | +1.2 | +3.5 | +34.4 | +5.7 | +6.9 | +82.7 | +12 | +130 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
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: | +2,745 | +923 | +2,012 | +45.9 | +156 | +454 | +34.4 | +743 | +898 | +82.7 | +12 | +130 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
Regular Season
Jimmy Butler's additional seasons: | ||||
* Jimmy Butler played 11 seasons more than Zion Williamson in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 7 to 17, from 2018 to 2026—he averaged 20.0 points in a total of 602 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 22.9 ppg and his lowest 17.5. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jimmy Butler | 0.0 | 2012 | 3 | |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jimmy Butler | 13.3 | +13.3 | 2013 | 12 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jimmy Butler | 13.6 | +13.6 | 2014 | 5 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jimmy Butler | 22.9 | +22.9 | 2015 | 12 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jimmy Butler | - | DNP | 2016 | 0 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Jimmy Butler | 22.7 | +22.7 | 2017 | 6 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| * season in progress | ||||
Jimmy Butler's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 11 additional NBA seasons, Jimmy Butler played in 9 Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 22.2 points in a total of 114 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 27.4 ppg and his lowest 14.5. |