Tim Hardaway vs. J.R. Smith: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of J.R. Smith and Tim Hardaway 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.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Tim Hardaway has better scoring averages both in the regular season and Playoffs and also scored more total points during the season while J.R. Smith scored more points in the postseason. 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 13 NBA regular seasons played, Tim Hardaway averages 5.3 points more than J.R. Smith in his 16 seasons (17.7 points against 12.4), and he also scored a total of 3,225 points more (15,373 vs. 12,148).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
Tim Hardaway | 17.7 | +5.3 | 13 |
J.R. Smith | 12.4 | 16 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
Tim Hardaway | 15,373 | +3,225 | 13 |
J.R. Smith | 12,148 | 16 |
Points in the Playoffs
In the NBA postseason Tim Hardaway has a better career point average than J.R. Smith (+6.1 points per game) while J.R. Smith scored more points (+550).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
Tim Hardaway | 16.8 | +6.1 | 9 |
J.R. Smith | 10.7 | 12 |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
Tim Hardaway | 943 | 9 | |
J.R. Smith | 1,493 | +550 | 12 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
20+ Point Games | ||||
Tim Hardaway | 360 | +200 | ||
J.R. Smith | 160 |
10+ Point Games | ||||
Tim Hardaway | 719 | +115 | ||
J.R. Smith | 604 |
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
Tim Hardaway | 853 | |||
J.R. Smith | 932 | +79 |
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
Tim Hardaway | 14 | |||
J.R. Smith | 45 | +31 |
Playoffs
30+ Point Games | ||||
Tim Hardaway | 7 | +7 | ||
J.R. Smith | 0 |
20+ Point Games | ||||
Tim Hardaway | 24 | +10 | ||
J.R. Smith | 14 |
10+ Point Games | ||||
Tim Hardaway | 42 | |||
J.R. Smith | 77 | +35 |
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
Tim Hardaway | 53 | |||
J.R. Smith | 130 | +77 |
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
Tim Hardaway | 3 | |||
J.R. Smith | 10 | +7 |
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
Tim Hardaway | 17.7 | 6.5 | 15.1 | 43.1 | 1.8 | 5.0 | 35.5 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 78.2 | 13 | 867 |
difference: | +5.3 | +2.0 | +4.4 | +1.3 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +1.8 | +1.4 | +1.8 | +4.9 | +3 | +110 |
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 | ||||
Tim Hardaway | 15,373 | 5,640 | 13,076 | 43.1 | 1,542 | 4,345 | 35.5 | 2,551 | 3,263 | 78.2 | 13 | 867 |
difference: | +3,225 | +1,260 | +2,611 | +1.3 | +388 | +833 | +1.8 | +1,093 | +1,273 | +4.9 | +3 | +110 |
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 | ||||
Tim Hardaway | 16.8 | 5.9 | 14.9 | 39.3 | 2.0 | 6.1 | 32.0 | 3.1 | 4.2 | 75.1 | 9 | 56 |
difference: | +6.1 | +2.2 | +5.6 | +0.4 | +0.1 | +0.4 | +4.7 | +1.9 | +2.6 | +4.5 | +3 | +84 |
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 | ||||
Tim Hardaway | 943 | 329 | 837 | 39.3 | 110 | 344 | 32.0 | 175 | 233 | 75.1 | 9 | 56 |
difference: | +550 | +190 | +469 | +0.4 | +184 | +457 | +4.7 | +14 | +5 | +4.5 | +3 | +84 |
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

Regular Season
J.R. Smith's additional seasons: | ||||
* J.R. Smith played 3 seasons more than Tim Hardaway in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 15 to 17, from 2018 to 2020—he averaged 7.8 points in a total of 97 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 8.3 ppg and his lowest 2.8. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
Tim Hardaway | - | DNP | 1990 | 0 |
J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2005 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
Tim Hardaway | 25.2 | +25.2 | 1991 | 9 |
J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
Tim Hardaway | - | DNP | 1993 | 0 |
J.R. Smith | 18.3 | +18.3 | 2008 | 4 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
Tim Hardaway | - | DNP | 1995 | 0 |
J.R. Smith | 14.9 | +14.9 | 2009 | 16 |
Season 10 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
Tim Hardaway | 9.0 | +9.0 | 1999 | 5 |
J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2014 | 0 |
Season 13 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
Tim Hardaway | - | DNP | 2002 | 0 |
J.R. Smith | 11.5 | +11.5 | 2016 | ![]() |
J.R. Smith's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 3 additional NBA seasons, J.R. Smith played in two Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those postseasons he averaged 6.6 points in a total of 32 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 8.7 ppg and his lowest 2. |