J.R. Smith vs. Zion Williamson: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Zion Williamson 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
Zion Williamson has one of the highest career point averages in NBA history, and here we compare his scoring stats with those recorded by J.R. Smith.
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 J.R. Smith scored more points, and since Zion Williamson didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that J.R. Smith 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 12.2 points more than J.R. Smith in his 16 seasons (24.6 points against 12.4). On the other hand J.R. Smith scored a total of 6,690 points more than Zion Williamson (12,148 vs. 5,458).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| J.R. Smith | 12.4 | 16 | |
| Zion Williamson | 24.6 | +12.2 | 6 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| J.R. Smith | 12,148 | +6,690 | 16 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,458 | 6 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously J.R. Smith has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| J.R. Smith | 10.7 | +10.7 | 12 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| J.R. Smith | 1,493 | +1,493 | 12 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
20+ Point Games | ||||
| J.R. Smith | 160 | |||
| Zion Williamson | 174 | +14 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| J.R. Smith | 604 | +386 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 218 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| J.R. Smith | 932 | +710 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 222 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| J.R. Smith | 45 | +45 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so J.R. Smith's point thresholds are omited here.
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: | +12.2 | +5.0 | +5.4 | +16.8 | +1.9 | +4.9 | +4.6 | +4.0 | +6.0 | +4.3 | +10 | +755 |
| Zion Williamson | 24.6 | 9.5 | 16.1 | 58.6 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 32.7 | 5.5 | 8.0 | 69.0 | 6 | 222 |
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: | +6,690 | +2,280 | +6,883 | +16.8 | +1,898 | +5,080 | +4.6 | +232 | +212 | +4.3 | +10 | +755 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,458 | 2,100 | 3,582 | 58.6 | 32 | 98 | 32.7 | 1,226 | 1,778 | 69.0 | 6 | 222 |
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: | +10.7 | +3.7 | +9.3 | +39.7 | +2.1 | +5.7 | +36.7 | +1.2 | +1.6 | +70.6 | +12 | +140 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
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: | +1,493 | +519 | +1,306 | +39.7 | +294 | +801 | +36.7 | +161 | +228 | +70.6 | +12 | +140 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
J.R. Smith's additional seasons: | ||||
* J.R. Smith played 11 seasons more than Zion Williamson in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 7 to 17, from 2011 to 2020—he averaged 12.3 points in a total of 623 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 18.1 ppg and his lowest 2.8. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2005 | 0 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| J.R. Smith | 4.5 | +4.5 | 2007 | 4 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| J.R. Smith | 18.3 | +18.3 | 2008 | 4 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| J.R. Smith | 14.9 | +14.9 | 2009 | 16 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| J.R. Smith | 11.2 | +11.2 | 2010 | 6 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| * season in progress | ||||
J.R. Smith's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 11 additional NBA seasons, J.R. Smith played in 9 Playoffs and won two NBA Championships. In those postseasons he averaged 10.4 points in a total of 128 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 14.3 ppg and his lowest 2. |