Pau Gasol vs. J.R. Smith: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of J.R. Smith and Pau Gasol 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
Pau Gasol is among the NBA's all-time leaders in points and here we compare his scoring stats with those recorded by J.R. Smith.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Pau Gasol 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 18 NBA regular seasons played, Pau Gasol averages 4.6 points more than J.R. Smith in his 16 seasons (17.0 points against 12.4), and he also scored a total of 8,746 points more (20,894 vs. 12,148).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Pau Gasol | 17.0 | +4.6 | 18 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.4 | 16 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Pau Gasol | 20,894 | +8,746 | 18 |
| J.R. Smith | 12,148 | 16 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Pau Gasol has a better career point average than J.R. Smith (+4.7 points per game) and he also scored more points (+605).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Pau Gasol | 15.4 | +4.7 | 12 |
| J.R. Smith | 10.7 | 12 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Pau Gasol | 2,098 | +605 | 12 |
| J.R. Smith | 1,493 | 12 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Pau Gasol | 454 | +294 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 160 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Pau Gasol | 1,070 | +466 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 604 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Pau Gasol | 1,215 | +283 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 932 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Pau Gasol | 11 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 45 | +34 | ||
Playoffs
30+ Point Games | ||||
| Pau Gasol | 3 | +3 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Pau Gasol | 37 | +23 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 14 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Pau Gasol | 112 | +35 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 77 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Pau Gasol | 135 | +5 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 130 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Pau Gasol | 1 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 10 | +9 | ||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Pau Gasol | 17.0 | 6.5 | 12.8 | 50.7 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 36.8 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 75.3 | 18 | 1,226 |
| difference: | +4.6 | +2.0 | +2.1 | +8.9 | +1.9 | +4.9 | +0.5 | +2.4 | +3.1 | +2.0 | +2 | +249 |
| 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 | ||||
| Pau Gasol | 20,894 | 7,980 | 15,729 | 50.7 | 179 | 486 | 36.8 | 4,755 | 6,311 | 75.3 | 18 | 1,226 |
| difference: | +8,746 | +3,600 | +5,264 | +8.9 | +1,751 | +4,692 | +0.5 | +3,297 | +4,321 | +2.0 | +2 | +249 |
| 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 | ||||
| Pau Gasol | 15.4 | 6.0 | 11.8 | 50.8 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 29.7 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 74.1 | 12 | 136 |
| difference: | +4.7 | +2.3 | +2.5 | +11.0 | +2.0 | +5.4 | +7.0 | +2.2 | +3.0 | +3.5 | +4 | |
| 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 | ||||
| Pau Gasol | 2,098 | 812 | 1,600 | 50.8 | 11 | 37 | 29.7 | 463 | 625 | 74.1 | 12 | 136 |
| difference: | +605 | +293 | +294 | +11.0 | +283 | +764 | +7.0 | +302 | +397 | +3.5 | +4 | |
| 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
Pau Gasol's additional seasons: | ||||
* Pau Gasol played 3 seasons more than J.R. Smith in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 17 to 19, from 2017 to 2019—he averaged 9.9 points in a total of 171 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 12.4 ppg and his lowest 3.9. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Pau Gasol | - | DNP | 2002 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2005 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Pau Gasol | - | DNP | 2003 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Pau Gasol | - | DNP | 2007 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 11.2 | +11.2 | 2010 | 6 |
Season 10 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Pau Gasol | 19.6 | +19.6 | 2010 | 23 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2014 | 0 |
Season 14 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Pau Gasol | - | DNP | 2014 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 8.7 | +8.7 | 2018 | 22 |
Season 15 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Pau Gasol | 14.4 | +14.4 | 2015 | 10 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2019 | 0 |
Season 16 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Pau Gasol | - | DNP | 2016 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 2.0 | +2.0 | 2020 | 10 |
Pau Gasol's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 3 additional NBA seasons, Pau Gasol played in two Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 7.3 points in a total of 21 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 7.7 ppg and his lowest 6. |