Yao Ming vs. J.R. Smith: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of J.R. Smith and Yao Ming 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 Yao Ming has better scoring averages both in the regular season and Playoffs while J.R. Smith scored more total points in both stages. 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, Yao Ming averages 6.6 points more than J.R. Smith in his 16 seasons (19.0 points against 12.4). On the other hand J.R. Smith scored a total of 2,901 points more than Yao Ming (12,148 vs. 9,247).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Yao Ming | 19.0 | +6.6 | 8 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.4 | 16 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Yao Ming | 9,247 | 8 | |
| J.R. Smith | 12,148 | +2,901 | 16 |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Yao Ming has a better career point average than J.R. Smith (+9.1 points per game) while J.R. Smith scored more points (+938).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Yao Ming | 19.8 | +9.1 | 4 |
| J.R. Smith | 10.7 | 12 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Yao Ming | 555 | 4 | |
| J.R. Smith | 1,493 | +938 | 12 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Yao Ming | 232 | +72 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 160 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Yao Ming | 440 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 604 | +164 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Yao Ming | 483 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 932 | +449 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Yao Ming | 3 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 45 | +42 | ||
Playoffs
30+ Point Games | ||||
| Yao Ming | 3 | +3 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Yao Ming | 15 | +1 | ||
| J.R. Smith | 14 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Yao Ming | 26 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 77 | +51 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Yao Ming | 28 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 130 | +102 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Yao Ming | 0 | |||
| J.R. Smith | 10 | +10 | ||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Yao Ming | 19.0 | 7.0 | 13.3 | 52.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 20.0 | 5.1 | 6.1 | 83.3 | 8 | 486 |
| difference: | +6.6 | +2.5 | +2.6 | +10.6 | +2.0 | +5.3 | +17.3 | +3.6 | +4.1 | +10.0 | +8 | +491 |
| 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 | ||||
| Yao Ming | 9,247 | 3,380 | 6,445 | 52.4 | 2 | 10 | 20.0 | 2,485 | 2,984 | 83.3 | 8 | 486 |
| difference: | +2,901 | +1,000 | +4,020 | +10.6 | +1,928 | +5,168 | +17.3 | +1,027 | +994 | +10.0 | +8 | +491 |
| 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 | ||||
| Yao Ming | 19.8 | 7.0 | 13.4 | 51.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 5.9 | 7.1 | 83.3 | 4 | 28 |
| difference: | +9.1 | +3.3 | +4.1 | +12.1 | +2.1 | +5.7 | +36.7 | +4.7 | +5.5 | +12.7 | +8 | +112 |
| 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 | ||||
| Yao Ming | 555 | 195 | 376 | 51.9 | 0 | 0 | - | 165 | 198 | 83.3 | 4 | 28 |
| difference: | +938 | +324 | +930 | +12.1 | +294 | +801 | +36.7 | +4 | +30 | +12.7 | +8 | +112 |
| 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
J.R. Smith's additional seasons: | ||||
* J.R. Smith played 9 seasons more than Yao Ming in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 9 to 17, from 2013 to 2020—he averaged 12.3 points in a total of 509 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 18.1 ppg and his lowest 2.8. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Yao Ming | - | DNP | 2003 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2005 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Yao Ming | 15.0 | +15.0 | 2004 | 5 |
| J.R. Smith | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Yao Ming | - | DNP | 2006 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 18.3 | +18.3 | 2008 | 4 |
Season 6 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Yao Ming | - | DNP | 2008 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 11.2 | +11.2 | 2010 | 6 |
Season 8 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Yao Ming | - | DNP | 2011 | 0 |
| J.R. Smith | 12.2 | +12.2 | 2012 | 5 |
J.R. Smith's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 9 additional NBA seasons, J.R. Smith played in 7 Playoffs and won two NBA Championships. In those postseasons he averaged 10.3 points in a total of 118 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 14.3 ppg and his lowest 2. |