Nikola Jokic vs. Lauri Markkanen: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Lauri Markkanen 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 average and totals in the regular season, and since Lauri Markkanen didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that Nikola Jokic 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 11 NBA regular seasons played, Nikola Jokic averages 3.3 points more than Lauri Markkanen in his 9 seasons (22.0 points against 18.7), and he also scored a total of 8,112 points more (16,979 vs. 8,867).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Nikola Jokic | 22.0 | +3.3 | 11 |
| Lauri Markkanen | 18.7 | 9 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Nikola Jokic | 16,979 | +8,112 | 11 |
| Lauri Markkanen | 8,867 | 9 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Lauri Markkanen didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Nikola Jokic has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Nikola Jokic | 27.4 | +27.4 | 7 |
| Lauri Markkanen | 0 | 0 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Nikola Jokic | 2,580 | +2,580 | 7 |
| Lauri Markkanen | 0 | 0 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 1 | +1 | ||
| Lauri Markkanen | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 463 | +259 | ||
| Lauri Markkanen | 204 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 669 | +250 | ||
| Lauri Markkanen | 419 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 765 | +292 | ||
| Lauri Markkanen | 473 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 6 | +5 | ||
| Lauri Markkanen | 1 | |||
Playoffs
Lauri Markkanen didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Nikola Jokic's point thresholds are omited here.
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 22.0 | 8.4 | 15.0 | 56.2 | 1.1 | 3.1 | 36.3 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 82.5 | 11 | 771 |
| difference: | +3.3 | +2.0 | +0.9 | +10.6 | +1.5 | +3.8 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +1.0 | +4.5 | +2 | +297 |
| Lauri Markkanen | 18.7 | 6.4 | 14.1 | 45.6 | 2.6 | 6.9 | 37.0 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 87.0 | 9 | 474 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Nikola Jokic | 16,979 | 6,514 | 11,596 | 56.2 | 869 | 2,393 | 36.3 | 3,082 | 3,738 | 82.5 | 11 | 771 |
| difference: | +8,112 | +3,467 | +4,914 | +10.6 | +343 | +881 | +0.7 | +1,521 | +1,943 | +4.5 | +2 | +297 |
| Lauri Markkanen | 8,867 | 3,047 | 6,682 | 45.6 | 1,212 | 3,274 | 37.0 | 1,561 | 1,795 | 87.0 | 9 | 474 |
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: | +27.4 | +10.4 | +19.8 | +52.5 | +1.8 | +4.5 | +38.8 | +4.9 | +5.9 | +82.6 | +7 | +94 |
| Lauri Markkanen | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
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: | +2,580 | +978 | +1,864 | +52.5 | +165 | +425 | +38.8 | +459 | +556 | +82.6 | +7 | +94 |
| Lauri Markkanen | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Nikola Jokic's additional seasons: | ||||
* Nikola Jokic played 2 seasons more than Lauri Markkanen in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 10 to 11, from 2025 to 2026—he averaged 29.6 points in a total of 96 regular season games. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | - | DNP | 2016 | 0 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP | 2018 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | - | DNP | 2017 | 0 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP | 2019 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | - | DNP | 2018 | 0 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | 25.1 | +25.1 | 2019 | 14 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | 24.4 | +24.4 | 2020 | 19 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP | 2022 | 0 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | 29.8 | +29.8 | 2021 | 10 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
Season 7 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | 31.0 | +31.0 | 2022 | 5 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
Season 8 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | 30.0 | +30.0 | 2023 | 20 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
Season 9 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Nikola Jokic | 28.7 | +28.7 | 2024 | 12 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| * season in progress | ||||
Nikola Jokic's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 2 additional NBA seasons, Nikola Jokic played in one postseason. In those postseasons he averaged 26.2 points in a total of 14 games. |