J.R. Smith vs. Fred VanVleet: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Fred VanVleet and J.R. Smith 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 Fred VanVleet has better scoring averages both in the regular season and Playoffs while J.R. Smith scored more total points in both stages. 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 9 NBA regular seasons played, Fred VanVleet averages 2.5 points more than J.R. Smith in his 16 seasons (14.9 points against 12.4). On the other hand J.R. Smith scored a total of 3,944 points more than Fred VanVleet (12,148 vs. 8,204).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| J.R. Smith | 12.4 | 16 | |
| Fred VanVleet | 14.9 | +2.5 | 9 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| J.R. Smith | 12,148 | +3,944 | 16 |
| Fred VanVleet | 8,204 | 9 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Fred VanVleet has a better career point average than J.R. Smith (+0.3 points per game) while J.R. Smith scored more points (+844).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| J.R. Smith | 10.7 | 12 | |
| Fred VanVleet | 11.0 | +0.3 | 6 |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| J.R. Smith | 1,493 | +844 | 12 |
| Fred VanVleet | 649 | 6 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
50+ Point Games | ||||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
| Fred VanVleet | 1 | +1 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| J.R. Smith | 160 | |||
| Fred VanVleet | 164 | +4 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| J.R. Smith | 604 | +211 | ||
| Fred VanVleet | 393 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| J.R. Smith | 932 | +403 | ||
| Fred VanVleet | 529 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| J.R. Smith | 45 | +24 | ||
| Fred VanVleet | 21 | |||
Playoffs
30+ Point Games | ||||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
| Fred VanVleet | 1 | +1 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| J.R. Smith | 14 | +2 | ||
| Fred VanVleet | 12 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| J.R. Smith | 77 | +48 | ||
| Fred VanVleet | 29 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| J.R. Smith | 130 | +77 | ||
| Fred VanVleet | 53 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| J.R. Smith | 10 | +4 | ||
| Fred VanVleet | 6 | |||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| 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 |
| difference: | +2.5 | +0.5 | +1.8 | +1.7 | +0.5 | +1.5 | +0.2 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +12.9 | +7 | +427 |
| Fred VanVleet | 14.9 | 5.0 | 12.5 | 40.1 | 2.5 | 6.8 | 37.1 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 86.2 | 9 | 550 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| 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 |
| difference: | +3,944 | +1,617 | +3,580 | +1.7 | +544 | +1,447 | +0.2 | +166 | +492 | +12.9 | +7 | +427 |
| Fred VanVleet | 8,204 | 2,763 | 6,885 | 40.1 | 1,386 | 3,731 | 37.1 | 1,292 | 1,498 | 86.2 | 9 | 550 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| 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 |
| difference: | +0.3 | +0.0 | +0.1 | +1.6 | +0.2 | +15.6 | +6 | +81 | ||||
| Fred VanVleet | 11.0 | 3.7 | 9.3 | 39.7 | 2.2 | 5.7 | 38.3 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 86.2 | 6 | 59 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| J.R. Smith | 1,493 | 519 | 1,306 | 39.7 | 294 | 801 | 36.7 | 161 | 228 | 70.6 | 12 | 140 |
| difference: | +844 | +300 | +755 | +0.0 | +164 | +462 | +1.6 | +80 | +134 | +15.6 | +6 | +81 |
| Fred VanVleet | 649 | 219 | 551 | 39.7 | 130 | 339 | 38.3 | 81 | 94 | 86.2 | 6 | 59 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
J.R. Smith's additional seasons: | ||||
* J.R. Smith played 8 seasons more than Fred VanVleet in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 10 to 17, from 2014 to 2020—he averaged 11.2 points in a total of 429 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 14.5 ppg and his lowest 2.8. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2005 | 0 |
| Fred VanVleet | 2.0 | +2.0 | 2017 | 7 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
| Fred VanVleet | 6.8 | +6.8 | 2018 | 6 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| J.R. Smith | 14.9 | +14.9 | 2009 | 16 |
| Fred VanVleet | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
Season 7 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| J.R. Smith | 9.8 | +9.8 | 2011 | 5 |
| Fred VanVleet | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
Season 8 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| J.R. Smith | 12.2 | +12.2 | 2012 | 5 |
| Fred VanVleet | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
J.R. Smith's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 8 additional NBA seasons, J.R. Smith played in 6 Playoffs and won two NBA Championships. In those postseasons he averaged 9.9 points in a total of 107 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 12.8 ppg and his lowest 2. |