Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Lauri Markkanen: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Lauri Markkanen and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 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
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has one of the highest career point averages in NBA history, and here we compare his scoring stats with those recorded by Lauri Markkanen.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 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 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 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: |
|
Who has better scoring stats? Career Numbers |
Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?
Points in the Regular Season
In his 8 NBA regular seasons played, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averages 6.1 points more than Lauri Markkanen in his 9 seasons (24.8 points against 18.7), and he also scored a total of 3,225 points more (12,015 vs. 8,790).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 24.8 | +6.1 | 8 |
| Lauri Markkanen | 18.7 | 9 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 12,015 | +3,225 | 8 |
| Lauri Markkanen | 8,790 | 9 | |
Scoring Titles | ||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 1 |  +1 |
| Lauri Markkanen | 0 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Lauri Markkanen didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 25.8 | +25.8 | 4 |
| Lauri Markkanen | 0 | 0 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 1,186 | +1,186 | 4 |
| Lauri Markkanen | 0 | 0 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
20+ Point Games | ||||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 335 | +133 | ||
| Lauri Markkanen | 202 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 443 | +27 | ||
| Lauri Markkanen | 416 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 482 | +12 | ||
| Lauri Markkanen | 470 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 2 | +1 | ||
| Lauri Markkanen | 1 | |||
Playoffs
Lauri Markkanen didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's point thresholds are omited here.
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 24.8 | 8.6 | 17.2 | 50.3 | 1.4 | 3.8 | 36.0 | 6.2 | 7.2 | 86.3 | 8 | 484 |
| difference: | +6.1 | +2.2 | +3.1 | +4.7 | +1.2 | +3.1 | +1.1 | +2.9 | +3.4 | +0.7 | +1 | +13 |
| Lauri Markkanen | 18.7 | 6.4 | 14.1 | 45.6 | 2.6 | 6.9 | 37.1 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 87.0 | 9 | 471 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 12,015 | 4,181 | 8,306 | 50.3 | 663 | 1,842 | 36.0 | 2,990 | 3,466 | 86.3 | 8 | 484 |
| difference: | +3,225 | +1,159 | +1,682 | +4.7 | +543 | +1,410 | +1.1 | +1,450 | +1,696 | +0.7 | +1 | +13 |
| Lauri Markkanen | 8,790 | 3,022 | 6,624 | 45.6 | 1,206 | 3,252 | 37.1 | 1,540 | 1,770 | 87.0 | 9 | 471 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 25.8 | 8.9 | 19.1 | 46.8 | 1.5 | 4.4 | 35.0 | 6.4 | 7.4 | 85.9 | 4 | 46 |
| difference: | +25.8 | +8.9 | +19.1 | +46.8 | +1.5 | +4.4 | +35.0 | +6.4 | +7.4 | +85.9 | +4 | +46 |
| Lauri Markkanen | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 1,186 | 411 | 878 | 46.8 | 71 | 203 | 35.0 | 293 | 341 | 85.9 | 4 | 46 |
| difference: | +1,186 | +411 | +878 | +46.8 | +71 | +203 | +35.0 | +293 | +341 | +85.9 | +4 | +46 |
| Lauri Markkanen | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA Scoring Leader
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 10.8 | 2019 | 82 | |
| Lauri Markkanen | 15.2 | +4.4 | 2018 | 68 |
Lauri Markkanen's additional seasons: | ||||
* Lauri Markkanen played 1 season more than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the NBA. In that year—his season 9 in 2026—he averaged 28.1 points in a total of 21 regular season games. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 13.7 | +13.7 | 2019 | 6 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP | 2018 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 16.3 | +16.3 | 2020 | 7 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP | 2019 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | - | DNP | 2022 | 0 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP | 2022 | 0 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 30.2 | +30.2 | 2024 | 10 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
Season 7 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | 29.9 | +29.9 | 2025 | 23 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
Season 8 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| Lauri Markkanen | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
| * season in progress | ||||
Lauri Markkanen's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* In his additional NBA year, Lauri Markkanen didn't play in the postseason (2026 season yet in progress). |