Larry Johnson vs. Zion Williamson: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Zion Williamson and Larry Johnson 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.
Zion Williamson has one of the highest career point averages in NBA history, and here we compare his scoring stats with those recorded by Larry Johnson.
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 Larry Johnson scored more points, and since Zion Williamson didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that Larry Johnson 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 5 NBA regular seasons played, Zion Williamson averages 8.5 points more than Larry Johnson in his 10 seasons (24.7 points against 16.2). On the other hand Larry Johnson scored a total of 6,171 points more than Zion Williamson (11,450 vs. 5,279).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Larry Johnson | 16.2 | 10 | |
| Zion Williamson | 24.7 | +8.5 | 5 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Larry Johnson | 11,450 | +6,171 | 10 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,279 | 5 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Larry Johnson has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Larry Johnson | 14.2 | +14.2 | 6 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Larry Johnson | 937 | +937 | 6 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Larry Johnson | 235 | +67 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 168 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Larry Johnson | 577 | +367 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 210 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Larry Johnson | 704 | +490 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 214 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Larry Johnson | 3 | +3 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
Playoffs
Zion Williamson didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Larry Johnson's point thresholds are omited here.
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Larry Johnson | 16.2 | 6.2 | 12.9 | 48.4 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 33.2 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 76.6 | 10 | 707 |
| difference: | +8.5 | +3.3 | +3.3 | +10.4 | +0.4 | +1.1 | +0.5 | +2.2 | +3.7 | +7.7 | +5 | +493 |
| Zion Williamson | 24.7 | 9.5 | 16.2 | 58.9 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 32.7 | 5.4 | 7.9 | 68.9 | 5 | 214 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Larry Johnson | 11,450 | 4,401 | 9,086 | 48.4 | 367 | 1,104 | 33.2 | 2,281 | 2,978 | 76.6 | 10 | 707 |
| difference: | +6,171 | +2,360 | +5,618 | +10.4 | +335 | +1,006 | +0.5 | +1,116 | +1,288 | +7.7 | +5 | +493 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,279 | 2,041 | 3,468 | 58.9 | 32 | 98 | 32.7 | 1,165 | 1,690 | 68.9 | 5 | 214 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Larry Johnson | 14.2 | 5.3 | 11.0 | 48.3 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 30.3 | 2.8 | 3.7 | 76.7 | 6 | 66 |
| difference: | +14.2 | +5.3 | +11.0 | +48.3 | +0.7 | +2.3 | +30.3 | +2.8 | +3.7 | +76.7 | +6 | +66 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Larry Johnson | 937 | 351 | 727 | 48.3 | 47 | 155 | 30.3 | 188 | 245 | 76.7 | 6 | 66 |
| difference: | +937 | +351 | +727 | +48.3 | +47 | +155 | +30.3 | +188 | +245 | +76.7 | +6 | +66 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
Regular Season
Larry Johnson's additional seasons: | ||||
* Larry Johnson played 5 seasons more than Zion Williamson in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 6 to 10, from 1997 to 2001—he averaged 12.3 points in a total of 330 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 15.5 ppg and his lowest 9.9. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Larry Johnson | - | DNP | 1992 | 0 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Larry Johnson | 19.8 | +19.8 | 1993 | 9 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Larry Johnson | - | DNP | 1994 | 0 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Larry Johnson | 20.8 | +20.8 | 1995 | 4 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Larry Johnson | - | DNP | 1996 | 0 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
Larry Johnson's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 5 additional NBA seasons, Larry Johnson played in 4 Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 12.8 points in a total of 53 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 17.9 ppg and his lowest 11.3. |