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.

Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?

Points by Thresholds

Career Shooting Stats Comparison

Year by Year Points Average Comparison

= NBA Champion

Regular 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

Season 9	Points per game		Year	Games
Magic Johnson	19.6	+1.5	1988	72
J.R. Smith	18.1		2013	80

Season 10	Points per game		Year	Games
Magic Johnson	22.5	+8.0	1989	77
J.R. Smith	14.5		2014	74

Season 11	Points per game		Year	Games
Magic Johnson	22.3	+10.2	1990	79
J.R. Smith	12.1		2015	70

Season 12	Points per game		Year	Games
Magic Johnson	19.4	+7.0	1991	79
J.R. Smith	12.4		2016	77

Season 13	Points per game		Year	Games
Magic Johnson	14.6	+6.0	1996	32
J.R. Smith	8.6		2017	41

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 9	Points per game		Year	Games
Magic Johnson	19.9	+5.6	1988	24
J.R. Smith	14.3		2013	11

Season 10	Points per game		Year	Games
Magic Johnson	18.4	+18.4	1989	14
J.R. Smith	-	DNP	2014	0

Season 11	Points per game		Year	Games
Magic Johnson	25.2	+12.4	1990	9
J.R. Smith	12.8		2015	18

Season 12	Points per game		Year	Games
Magic Johnson	21.8	+10.3	1991	19
J.R. Smith	11.5		2016	21

Season 13	Points per game		Year	Games
Magic Johnson	15.3	+7.2	1996	4
J.R. Smith	8.1		2017	18

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.