Kevin Love vs. J.R. Smith: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of J.R. Smith and Kevin Love 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 Kevin Love has better scoring averages both in the regular season and Playoffs and also scored more total points during the season while J.R. Smith scored more points in the postseason. 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 18 NBA regular seasons played, Kevin Love averages 3.7 points more than J.R. Smith in his 16 seasons (16.1 points against 12.4), and he also scored a total of 3,323 points more (15,471 vs. 12,148).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Kevin Love | 16.1 | +3.7 | 18 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.4 | 16 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Kevin Love | 15,471 | +3,323 | 18 |
| J.R. Smith | 12,148 | 16 | |
Points in the Playoffs
In the NBA postseason Kevin Love has a better career point average than J.R. Smith (+1.9 points per game) while J.R. Smith scored more points (+381).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Kevin Love | 12.6 | +1.9 | 6 |
| J.R. Smith | 10.7 | 12 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Kevin Love | 1,112 | 6 | |
| J.R. Smith | 1,493 | +381 | 12 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
50+ Point Games | ||||
| Kevin Love | 1 | +1 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Kevin Love | 321 | +161 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 160 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Kevin Love | 725 | +121 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 604 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Kevin Love | 937 | +5 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 932 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Kevin Love | 25 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 45 | +20 | ||
Playoffs
30+ Point Games | ||||
| Kevin Love | 2 | +2 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Kevin Love | 20 | +6 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 14 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Kevin Love | 49 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 77 | +28 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Kevin Love | 83 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 130 | +47 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Kevin Love | 5 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 10 | +5 | ||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Kevin Love | 16.1 | 5.3 | 12.1 | 43.8 | 1.8 | 4.8 | 36.8 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 82.8 | 18 | 962 |
| difference: | +3.7 | +0.8 | +1.4 | +1.9 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +2.3 | +2.5 | +9.5 | +2 | +15 |
| 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 | ||||
| Kevin Love | 15,471 | 5,089 | 11,622 | 43.8 | 1,684 | 4,572 | 36.8 | 3,609 | 4,358 | 82.8 | 18 | 962 |
| difference: | +3,323 | +709 | +1,157 | +1.9 | +246 | +606 | +0.5 | +2,151 | +2,368 | +9.5 | +2 | +15 |
| 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 | ||||
| Kevin Love | 12.6 | 4.1 | 10.3 | 40.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 39.7 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 85.5 | 6 | 88 |
| difference: | +1.9 | +0.4 | +1.0 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +0.7 | +3.0 | +1.2 | +1.2 | +14.9 | +6 | +52 |
| 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 | ||||
| Kevin Love | 1,112 | 362 | 904 | 40.0 | 175 | 441 | 39.7 | 213 | 249 | 85.5 | 6 | 88 |
| difference: | +381 | +157 | +402 | +0.3 | +119 | +360 | +3.0 | +52 | +21 | +14.9 | +6 | +52 |
| 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
Kevin Love's additional seasons: | ||||
* Kevin Love played 1 season more than J.R. Smith in the NBA. In that year—his season 18 in 2026—he averaged 5.0 points in a total of 10 regular season games. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kevin Love | - | DNP | 2009 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2005 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kevin Love | - | DNP | 2010 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kevin Love | - | DNP | 2011 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 4.5 | +4.5 | 2007 | 4 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kevin Love | - | DNP | 2012 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 18.3 | +18.3 | 2008 | 4 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kevin Love | - | DNP | 2013 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 14.9 | +14.9 | 2009 | 16 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kevin Love | - | DNP | 2014 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 11.2 | +11.2 | 2010 | 6 |
Season 10 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kevin Love | 14.9 | +14.9 | 2018 | 21 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2014 | 0 |
Season 11 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kevin Love | - | DNP | 2019 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.8 | +12.8 | 2015 | 18 |
Season 12 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kevin Love | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.8 | +12.8 | 2015 | 18 |
Season 13 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kevin Love | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 11.5 | +11.5 | 2016 | 21 |
Season 14 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kevin Love | - | DNP | 2022 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 8.1 | +8.1 | 2017 | 18 |
Season 16 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kevin Love | 1.8 | +1.8 | 2024 | 5 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2019 | 0 |
Season 17 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kevin Love | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 2.0 | +2.0 | 2020 | 10 |
Kevin Love's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* In his additional NBA year, Kevin Love didn't play in the postseason (2026 season yet in progress). |