Joel Embiid vs. Zion Williamson: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Zion Williamson and Joel Embiid 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
Joel Embiid and Zion Williamson 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 Joel Embiid has better scoring average and totals in the regular season, and since Zion Williamson didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that Joel Embiid 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 10 NBA regular seasons played, Joel Embiid averages 3 points more than Zion Williamson in his 6 seasons (27.6 points against 24.6), and he also scored a total of 7,159 points more (12,659 vs. 5,500).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Joel Embiid | 27.6 | +3.0 | 10 |
| Zion Williamson | 24.6 | 6 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Joel Embiid | 12,659 | +7,159 | 10 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,500 | 6 | |
Scoring Titles | ||
| Joel Embiid | 2 |  +2 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Joel Embiid has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Joel Embiid | 24.9 | +24.9 | 7 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Joel Embiid | 1,469 | +1,469 | 7 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
70+ Point Games | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 1 | +1 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 1 | +1 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
50+ Point Games | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 8 | +8 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 367 | +192 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 175 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 449 | +229 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 220 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 458 | +234 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 224 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 1 | +1 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Joel Embiid's point thresholds are omited here.
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 27.6 | 9.1 | 18.1 | 50.1 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 33.8 | 8.3 | 10.0 | 82.8 | 10 | 459 |
| difference: | +3.0 | +0.3 | +2.0 | +8.5 | +1.1 | +3.0 | +2.1 | +2.8 | +2.0 | +13.7 | +4 | +235 |
| 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 | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 12,659 | 4,163 | 8,313 | 50.1 | 541 | 1,599 | 33.8 | 3,792 | 4,581 | 82.8 | 10 | 459 |
| difference: | +7,159 | +2,048 | +4,700 | +8.5 | +509 | +1,498 | +2.1 | +2,554 | +2,790 | +13.7 | +4 | +235 |
| 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 | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 24.9 | 7.9 | 17.2 | 45.9 | 1.1 | 3.8 | 28.9 | 8.0 | 9.7 | 82.8 | 7 | 59 |
| difference: | +24.9 | +7.9 | +17.2 | +45.9 | +1.1 | +3.8 | +28.9 | +8.0 | +9.7 | +82.8 | +7 | +59 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 1,469 | 466 | 1,015 | 45.9 | 65 | 225 | 28.9 | 472 | 570 | 82.8 | 7 | 59 |
| difference: | +1,469 | +466 | +1,015 | +45.9 | +65 | +225 | +28.9 | +472 | +570 | +82.8 | +7 | +59 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA Scoring LeaderRegular Season
Joel Embiid's additional seasons: | ||||
* Joel Embiid played 4 seasons more than Zion Williamson in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 7 to 10, from 2023 to 2026—he averaged 31.5 points in a total of 131 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 34.7 ppg and his lowest 19.4. In those 4 extra years over Zion Williamson, Joel Embiid won 1 scoring title. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Joel Embiid | - | DNP | 2017 | 0 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Joel Embiid | 21.4 | +21.4 | 2018 | 8 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Joel Embiid | 20.2 | +20.2 | 2019 | 11 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Joel Embiid | 30.0 | +30.0 | 2020 | 4 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Joel Embiid | 28.1 | +28.1 | 2021 | 11 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Joel Embiid | 23.6 | +23.6 | 2022 | 10 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| * season in progress | ||||
Joel Embiid's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 4 additional NBA seasons, Joel Embiid played in two Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 27.4 points in a total of 15 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 33 ppg and his lowest 23.7. |