Magic Johnson vs. J.R. Smith: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of J.R. Smith and Magic 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.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Magic Johnson has better scoring stats than J.R. Smith in averages and totals, both in the regular season and Playoffs. 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 13 NBA regular seasons played, Magic Johnson averages 7.1 points more than J.R. Smith in his 16 seasons (19.5 points against 12.4), and he also scored a total of 5,559 points more (17,707 vs. 12,148).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Magic Johnson | 19.5 | +7.1 | 13 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.4 | 16 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Magic Johnson | 17,707 | +5,559 | 13 |
| J.R. Smith | 12,148 | 16 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Magic Johnson has a better career point average than J.R. Smith (+8.8 points per game) and he also scored more points (+2,208).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Magic Johnson | 19.5 | +8.8 | 13 |
| J.R. Smith | 10.7 | 12 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Magic Johnson | 3,701 | +2,208 | 13 |
| J.R. Smith | 1,493 | 12 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Magic Johnson | 447 | +287 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 160 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Magic Johnson | 825 | +221 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 604 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Magic Johnson | 903 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 932 | +29 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Magic Johnson | 3 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 45 | +42 | ||
Playoffs
40+ Point Games | ||||
| Magic Johnson | 4 | +4 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
30+ Point Games | ||||
| Magic Johnson | 12 | +12 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Magic Johnson | 83 | +69 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 14 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Magic Johnson | 182 | +105 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 77 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Magic Johnson | 189 | +59 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 130 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Magic Johnson | 1 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 10 | +9 | ||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Magic Johnson | 19.5 | 6.9 | 13.2 | 52.0 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 30.3 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 84.8 | 13 | 906 |
| difference: | +7.1 | +2.4 | +2.5 | +10.1 | +1.6 | +4.1 | +7.0 | +4.0 | +4.5 | +11.5 | +3 | +71 |
| 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 | ||||
| Magic Johnson | 17,707 | 6,211 | 11,951 | 52.0 | 325 | 1,074 | 30.3 | 4,960 | 5,850 | 84.8 | 13 | 906 |
| difference: | +5,559 | +1,831 | +1,486 | +10.1 | +1,605 | +4,104 | +7.0 | +3,502 | +3,860 | +11.5 | +3 | +71 |
| 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 | ||||
| Magic Johnson | 19.5 | 6.8 | 13.4 | 50.6 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 24.1 | 5.6 | 6.7 | 83.8 | 13 | 190 |
| difference: | +8.8 | +3.1 | +4.1 | +10.8 | +1.8 | +4.6 | +12.6 | +4.4 | +5.1 | +13.2 | +1 | +50 |
| 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 | ||||
| Magic Johnson | 3,701 | 1,291 | 2,552 | 50.6 | 51 | 212 | 24.1 | 1,068 | 1,274 | 83.8 | 13 | 190 |
| difference: | +2,208 | +772 | +1,246 | +10.8 | +243 | +589 | +12.6 | +907 | +1,046 | +13.2 | +1 | +50 |
| 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
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 18.0 | +7.7 | 1980 | 77 |
| J.R. Smith | 10.3 | 2005 | 76 | |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 21.6 | +13.9 | 1981 | 37 |
| J.R. Smith | 7.7 | 2006 | 55 | |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 18.6 | +5.6 | 1982 | 78 |
| J.R. Smith | 13.0 | 2007 | 63 | |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 16.8 | +4.5 | 1983 | 79 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.3 | 2008 | 74 | |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 17.6 | +2.4 | 1984 | 67 |
| J.R. Smith | 15.2 | 2009 | 81 | |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 18.3 | +2.9 | 1985 | 77 |
| J.R. Smith | 15.4 | 2010 | 75 | |
Season 7 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 18.8 | +6.5 | 1986 | 72 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.3 | 2011 | 79 | |
Season 8 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 23.9 | +11.4 | 1987 | 80 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.5 | 2012 | 35 | |
J.R. Smith's additional seasons: | ||||
* J.R. Smith played 3 seasons more than Magic Johnson in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 14 to 16, from 2018 to 2020—he averaged 7.8 points in a total of 97 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 8.3 ppg and his lowest 2.8. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 18.3 | +18.3 | 1980 | 16 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2005 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 17.0 | +17.0 | 1981 | 3 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 17.4 | +12.9 | 1982 | 14 |
| J.R. Smith | 4.5 | 2007 | 4 | |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 17.9 | 1983 | 15 | |
| J.R. Smith | 18.3 | +0.4 | 2008 | 4 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 18.2 | +3.3 | 1984 | 21 |
| J.R. Smith | 14.9 | 2009 | 16 | |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 17.5 | +6.3 | 1985 | 19 |
| J.R. Smith | 11.2 | 2010 | 6 | |
Season 7 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 21.6 | +11.8 | 1986 | 14 |
| J.R. Smith | 9.8 | 2011 | 5 | |
Season 8 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 21.8 | +9.6 | 1987 | 18 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.2 | 2012 | 5 | |
Season 10 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Magic Johnson | 18.4 | +18.4 | 1989 | 14 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2014 | 0 |
J.R. Smith's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 3 additional NBA seasons, J.R. Smith played in two Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those postseasons he averaged 6.6 points in a total of 32 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 8.7 ppg and his lowest 2. |