Michael Jordan vs. Jayson Tatum: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Jayson Tatum and Michael Jordan 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.
Michael Jordan and Jayson Tatum have two of the highest career scoring averages in league history (MJ is at the top of that list and he is also one of the all-time leaders in total points) and here we compare all their scoring stats.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Michael Jordan has better scoring stats than Jayson Tatum 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 15 NBA regular seasons played, Michael Jordan averages 6.5 points more than Jayson Tatum in his 8 seasons (30.1 points against 23.6), and he also scored a total of 18,508 points more (32,292 vs. 13,784).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Michael Jordan | 30.1 | +6.5 | 15 |
| Jayson Tatum | 23.6 | 8 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Michael Jordan | 32,292 | +18,508 | 15 |
| Jayson Tatum | 13,784 | 8 | |
Scoring Titles | ||
| Michael Jordan | 10 |  +10 |
| Jayson Tatum | 0 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Michael Jordan has a better career point average than Jayson Tatum (+9.1 points per game) and he also scored more points (+3,051).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Michael Jordan | 33.4 | +9.1 | 13 |
| Jayson Tatum | 24.3 | 8 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Michael Jordan | 5,987 | +3,051 | 13 |
| Jayson Tatum | 2,936 | 8 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Michael Jordan | 4 | +3 | ||
| Jayson Tatum | 1 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Michael Jordan | 926 | +551 | ||
| Jayson Tatum | 375 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Michael Jordan | 1,059 | +509 | ||
| Jayson Tatum | 550 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Michael Jordan | 1,072 | +488 | ||
| Jayson Tatum | 584 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Michael Jordan | 0 | |||
| Jayson Tatum | 1 | +1 | ||
Playoffs
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Michael Jordan | 1 | +1 | ||
| Jayson Tatum | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Michael Jordan | 173 | +89 | ||
| Jayson Tatum | 84 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Michael Jordan | 179 | +64 | ||
| Jayson Tatum | 115 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Michael Jordan | 179 | +58 | ||
| Jayson Tatum | 121 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Michael Jordan | 0 | |||
| Jayson Tatum | 0 | |||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Michael Jordan | 30.1 | 11.4 | 22.9 | 49.7 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 32.7 | 6.8 | 8.2 | 83.5 | 15 | 1,072 |
| difference: | +6.5 | +3.2 | +5.1 | +3.8 | +2.1 | +5.4 | +4.3 | +2.3 | +2.8 | +0.5 | +7 | +487 |
| Jayson Tatum | 23.6 | 8.2 | 17.8 | 45.9 | 2.6 | 7.1 | 37.0 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 84.0 | 8 | 585 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Michael Jordan | 32,292 | 12,192 | 24,537 | 49.7 | 581 | 1,778 | 32.7 | 7,327 | 8,772 | 83.5 | 15 | 1,072 |
| difference: | +18,508 | +7,403 | +14,108 | +3.8 | +965 | +2,403 | +4.3 | +4,667 | +5,605 | +0.5 | +7 | +487 |
| Jayson Tatum | 13,784 | 4,789 | 10,429 | 45.9 | 1,546 | 4,181 | 37.0 | 2,660 | 3,167 | 84.0 | 8 | 585 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Michael Jordan | 33.4 | 12.2 | 25.1 | 48.7 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 33.2 | 8.2 | 9.9 | 82.8 | 13 | 179 |
| difference: | +9.1 | +4.1 | +6.6 | +4.8 | +1.6 | +4.4 | +1.6 | +2.6 | +3.2 | +1.3 | +5 | +58 |
| Jayson Tatum | 24.3 | 8.1 | 18.5 | 43.9 | 2.4 | 6.9 | 34.8 | 5.6 | 6.7 | 84.1 | 8 | 121 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Michael Jordan | 5,987 | 2,188 | 4,497 | 48.7 | 148 | 446 | 33.2 | 1,463 | 1,766 | 82.8 | 13 | 179 |
| difference: | +3,051 | +1,205 | +2,256 | +4.8 | +144 | +394 | +1.6 | +785 | +960 | +1.3 | +5 | +58 |
| Jayson Tatum | 2,936 | 983 | 2,241 | 43.9 | 292 | 840 | 34.8 | 678 | 806 | 84.1 | 8 | 121 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA Scoring Leader
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Michael Jordan | 28.2 | +14.3 | 1985 | 82 |
| Jayson Tatum | 13.9 | 2018 | 80 | |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Michael Jordan | 22.7 | +7.0 | 1986 | 18 |
| Jayson Tatum | 15.7 | 2019 | 79 | |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Michael Jordan | 37.1 | +13.7 | 1987 | 82 |
| Jayson Tatum | 23.4 | 2020 | 66 | |
Michael Jordan's additional seasons: | ||||
* Michael Jordan played 7 seasons more than Jayson Tatum in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 9 to 15, from 1993 to 2003—he averaged 27.5 points in a total of 483 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 32.6 ppg and his lowest 20. In those 7 extra years over Jayson Tatum, Michael Jordan won 4 scoring titles. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Michael Jordan | 29.3 | +10.8 | 1985 | 4 |
| Jayson Tatum | 18.5 | 2018 | 19 | |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Michael Jordan | 43.7 | +28.5 | 1986 | 3 |
| Jayson Tatum | 15.2 | 2019 | 9 | |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Michael Jordan | 35.7 | +10.0 | 1987 | 3 |
| Jayson Tatum | 25.7 | 2020 | 17 | |
Michael Jordan's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 7 additional NBA seasons, Michael Jordan played in 5 Playoffs and won 4 NBA Championships. In those postseasons he averaged 32.2 points in a total of 87 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 35.1 ppg and his lowest 30.7. |