Shaquille O'Neal vs. J.R. Smith: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of J.R. Smith and Shaquille O'Neal 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
Shaquille O'Neal is among the NBA's all-time leaders in points and also has one of the highest career averages in league history, 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 Shaquille O'Neal 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 19 NBA regular seasons played, Shaquille O'Neal averages 11.3 points more than J.R. Smith in his 16 seasons (23.7 points against 12.4), and he also scored a total of 16,448 points more (28,596 vs. 12,148).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 23.7 | +11.3 | 19 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.4 | 16 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 28,596 | +16,448 | 19 |
| J.R. Smith | 12,148 | 16 | |
Scoring Titles | ||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 2 |  +2 |
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Shaquille O'Neal has a better career point average than J.R. Smith (+13.6 points per game) and he also scored more points (+3,757).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 24.3 | +13.6 | 17 |
| J.R. Smith | 10.7 | 12 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 5,250 | +3,757 | 17 |
| J.R. Smith | 1,493 | 12 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 1 | +1 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
50+ Point Games | ||||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 3 | +3 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 826 | +666 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 160 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 1,132 | +528 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 604 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 1,205 | +273 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 932 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 2 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 45 | +43 | ||
Playoffs
40+ Point Games | ||||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 12 | +12 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
30+ Point Games | ||||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 55 | +55 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 148 | +134 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 14 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 206 | +129 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 77 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 215 | +85 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 130 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 1 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 10 | +9 | ||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 23.7 | 9.4 | 16.1 | 58.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 9.3 | 52.7 | 19 | 1,207 |
| difference: | +11.3 | +4.9 | +5.4 | +16.4 | +2.0 | +5.3 | +32.8 | +3.4 | +7.3 | +20.6 | +3 | +230 |
| 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 | ||||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 28,596 | 11,330 | 19,457 | 58.2 | 1 | 22 | 4.5 | 5,935 | 11,252 | 52.7 | 19 | 1,207 |
| difference: | +16,448 | +6,950 | +8,992 | +16.4 | +1,929 | +5,156 | +32.8 | +4,477 | +9,262 | +20.6 | +3 | +230 |
| 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 | ||||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 24.3 | 9.4 | 16.8 | 56.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 5.4 | 10.7 | 50.4 | 17 | 216 |
| difference: | +13.6 | +5.7 | +7.5 | +16.5 | +2.1 | +5.7 | +36.7 | +4.2 | +9.1 | +20.2 | +5 | +76 |
| 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 | ||||
| Shaquille O'Neal | 5,250 | 2,041 | 3,627 | 56.3 | 0 | 0 | - | 1,168 | 2,317 | 50.4 | 17 | 216 |
| difference: | +3,757 | +1,522 | +2,321 | +16.5 | +294 | +801 | +36.7 | +1,007 | +2,089 | +20.2 | +5 | +76 |
| 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 Scoring Leader
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Shaquille O'Neal's additional seasons: | ||||
* Shaquille O'Neal played 4 seasons more than J.R. Smith in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 18 to 21, from 2008 to 2011—he averaged 13.9 points in a total of 226 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 17.8 ppg and his lowest 9.2. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Shaquille O'Neal | - | DNP | 1993 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2005 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 20.7 | +20.7 | 1994 | 3 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
Season 10 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 28.5 | +28.5 | 2002 | 19 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2014 | 0 |
Season 16 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 15.2 | +15.2 | 2008 | 5 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2019 | 0 |
Shaquille O'Neal's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 4 additional NBA seasons, Shaquille O'Neal played in 3 Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 11.4 points in a total of 18 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 15.2 ppg and his lowest 1. |