Nikola Jokic vs. J.R. Smith: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of J.R. Smith and Nikola Jokic 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
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Nikola Jokic 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 11 NBA regular seasons played, Nikola Jokic averages 9.5 points more than J.R. Smith in his 16 seasons (21.9 points against 12.4), and he also scored a total of 4,565 points more (16,713 vs. 12,148).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Nikola Jokic | 21.9 | +9.5 | 11 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.4 | 16 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Nikola Jokic | 16,713 | +4,565 | 11 |
| J.R. Smith | 12,148 | 16 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Nikola Jokic has a better career point average than J.R. Smith (+16.7 points per game) and he also scored more points (+1,087).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Nikola Jokic | 27.4 | +16.7 | 7 |
| J.R. Smith | 10.7 | 12 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Nikola Jokic | 2,580 | +1,087 | 7 |
| J.R. Smith | 1,493 | 12 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 1 | +1 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
50+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 4 | +4 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 454 | +294 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 160 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 660 | +56 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 604 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 756 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 932 | +176 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 6 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 45 | +39 | ||
Playoffs
50+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 1 | +1 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
40+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 7 | +7 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
30+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 35 | +35 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 81 | +67 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 14 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 94 | +17 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 77 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 94 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 130 | +36 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 0 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 10 | +10 | ||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 21.9 | 8.4 | 15.0 | 56.1 | 1.1 | 3.1 | 36.2 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 82.5 | 11 | 762 |
| difference: | +9.5 | +3.9 | +4.3 | +14.3 | +0.9 | +2.2 | +1.1 | +2.5 | +2.8 | +9.2 | +5 | +215 |
| 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 | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 16,713 | 6,420 | 11,436 | 56.1 | 850 | 2,347 | 36.2 | 3,023 | 3,666 | 82.5 | 11 | 762 |
| difference: | +4,565 | +2,040 | +971 | +14.3 | +1,080 | +2,831 | +1.1 | +1,565 | +1,676 | +9.2 | +5 | +215 |
| 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 | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 27.4 | 10.4 | 19.8 | 52.5 | 1.8 | 4.5 | 38.8 | 4.9 | 5.9 | 82.6 | 7 | 94 |
| difference: | +16.7 | +6.7 | +10.5 | +12.7 | +0.3 | +1.2 | +2.1 | +3.7 | +4.3 | +12.0 | +5 | +46 |
| 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 | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 2,580 | 978 | 1,864 | 52.5 | 165 | 425 | 38.8 | 459 | 556 | 82.6 | 7 | 94 |
| difference: | +1,087 | +459 | +558 | +12.7 | +129 | +376 | +2.1 | +298 | +328 | +12.0 | +5 | +46 |
| 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
J.R. Smith's additional seasons: | ||||
* J.R. Smith played 6 seasons more than Nikola Jokic in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 12 to 17, from 2015 to 2020—he averaged 10.2 points in a total of 285 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 12.4 ppg and his lowest 2.8. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | - | DNP | 2016 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2005 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | - | DNP | 2017 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | - | DNP | 2018 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 4.5 | +4.5 | 2007 | 4 |
Season 10 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | 26.2 | +26.2 | 2025 | 14 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2014 | 0 |
Season 11 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.8 | +12.8 | 2015 | 18 |
| * season in progress | ||||
J.R. Smith's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 6 additional NBA seasons, J.R. Smith played in 5 Playoffs and won two NBA Championships. In those postseasons he averaged 9.3 points in a total of 89 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 12.8 ppg and his lowest 2. |