Klay Thompson vs. Zion Williamson: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Zion Williamson and Klay Thompson 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 Klay Thompson.
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 Klay Thompson scored more points, and since Zion Williamson didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that Klay Thompson 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 5.7 points more than Klay Thompson in his 13 seasons (24.6 points against 18.9). On the other hand Klay Thompson scored a total of 11,254 points more than Zion Williamson (16,754 vs. 5,500).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Klay Thompson | 18.9 | 13 | |
| Zion Williamson | 24.6 | +5.7 | 6 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Klay Thompson | 16,754 | +11,254 | 13 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,500 | 6 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Klay Thompson has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Klay Thompson | 19.2 | +19.2 | 9 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Klay Thompson | 3,032 | +3,032 | 9 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Klay Thompson | 1 | +1 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
50+ Point Games | ||||
| Klay Thompson | 4 | +4 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Klay Thompson | 394 | +219 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 175 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Klay Thompson | 776 | +556 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 220 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Klay Thompson | 879 | +655 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 224 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Klay Thompson | 6 | +6 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Klay Thompson's point thresholds are omited here.
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Klay Thompson | 18.9 | 7.0 | 15.7 | 44.9 | 3.1 | 7.6 | 40.9 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 86.0 | 13 | 885 |
| difference: | +5.7 | +2.4 | +0.4 | +13.6 | +3.0 | +7.1 | +9.2 | +3.8 | +6.0 | +16.9 | +7 | +661 |
| 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 | ||||
| Klay Thompson | 16,754 | 6,232 | 13,868 | 44.9 | 2,751 | 6,719 | 40.9 | 1,539 | 1,789 | 86.0 | 13 | 885 |
| difference: | +11,254 | +4,117 | +10,255 | +13.6 | +2,719 | +6,618 | +9.2 | +301 | +2 | +16.9 | +7 | +661 |
| 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 | ||||
| Klay Thompson | 19.2 | 7.1 | 16.4 | 43.6 | 3.2 | 7.8 | 40.5 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 84.5 | 9 | 158 |
| difference: | +19.2 | +7.1 | +16.4 | +43.6 | +3.2 | +7.8 | +40.5 | +1.8 | +2.1 | +84.5 | +9 | +158 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Klay Thompson | 3,032 | 1,126 | 2,585 | 43.6 | 501 | 1,237 | 40.5 | 279 | 330 | 84.5 | 9 | 158 |
| difference: | +3,032 | +1,126 | +2,585 | +43.6 | +501 | +1,237 | +40.5 | +279 | +330 | +84.5 | +9 | +158 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Klay Thompson's additional seasons: | ||||
* Klay Thompson played 7 seasons more than Zion Williamson in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 7 to 13, from 2018 to 2026—he averaged 18.8 points in a total of 421 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 21.9 ppg and his lowest 10.9. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Klay Thompson | - | DNP | 2012 | 0 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Klay Thompson | 15.2 | +15.2 | 2013 | 12 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Klay Thompson | 16.4 | +16.4 | 2014 | 7 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Klay Thompson | 18.6 | +18.6 | 2015 | 21 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Klay Thompson | 24.3 | +24.3 | 2016 | 24 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Klay Thompson | 15.0 | +15.0 | 2017 | 17 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| * season in progress | ||||
Klay Thompson's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 7 additional NBA seasons, Klay Thompson played in 4 Playoffs and won two NBA Championships. In those postseasons he averaged 19.6 points in a total of 77 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 20.7 ppg and his lowest 18.5. |