Julius Erving vs. J.R. Smith: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Julius Erving and J.R. Smith all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Stats / Stats Rankings

This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Julius Erving, with a career spanning 11 seasons from 1977 to 1987, and J.R. Smith, with 16 seasons played from 2005 to 2020, stand among the league's historical elite..

Dive into a meticulous breakdown of their positions in every major statistical category—from scoring and rebounding to assists, steals, and blocks—across both regular season and their entire playoff careers. Our comprehensive tables offer side-by-side rankings, value comparisons, and key differences, ensuring you have all the definitive data to assess their historical impact.

First, review a concise summary of how they rank in NBA history in the main categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) for both total and per-game stats, and below, you can then explore in detail all their stats and their historical rankings.

Julius Erving vs. J.R. Smith
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Julius Erving J.R. Smith Julius Erving J.R. Smith
Points
79th
280th
26th
133rd
Rebounds
229th
+300th
53rd
243rd
Assists
205th
+300th
50th
283rd
Steals
53rd
194th
22nd
80th
Blocks
53rd
+300th
15th
257th
Years11161112

Julius Erving vs. J.R. Smith
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Julius Erving J.R. Smith Julius Erving J.R. Smith
Points
42nd
+300th
59th
+300th
Rebounds
265th
+300th
219th
+300th
Assists
251st
+300th
164th
+300th
Steals
31st
+300th
40th
+300th
Blocks
64th
+300th
42nd
+300th

The 3-point shot was implemented in the 1979-80 season.
* Some years in Julius Erving's career don't have data for these stats.

Comparisons on this page:

Their rankings for:
Season Totals - Playoffs Totals /
Season Per Game - Playoffs Per Game

Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played

Career Totals,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Julius Erving J.R. Smith Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
79th
280th
201 18,364 vs. 12,1486,216
Rebounds
229th
+300th
+71 5,601 vs. 3,0732,528
Assists
205th
+300th
+95 3,224 vs. 2,0771,147
Steals
53rd
194th
141 1,508 vs. 974534
Blocks
53rd
+300th
+247 1,293 vs. 2041,089
Offensive Rebounds
103rd
+300th
+197 2,067 vs. 4941,573
Defensive Rebounds
218th
+300th
+82 3,534 vs. 2,579955
Field Goals Made
69th
+300th
+231 7,237 vs. 4,3802,857
Field Goals Attempted
92nd
257th
165 14,276 vs. 10,4653,811
3-Pointers Made
+300th
24th
+276 46 vs. 1,9301,884
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
22nd
+278 176 vs. 5,1785,002
Free Throws Made
89th
+300th
+211 3,844 vs. 1,4582,386
Free Throws Attempted
87th
+300th
+213 4,950 vs. 1,9902,960

Games and Years:

Julius Erving J.R. Smith Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
+300th
177th
+123 836 vs. 977141
Seasons
+300th
91st
+209 11 vs. 165

Rankings by Points Scored:

Julius Erving J.R. Smith Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
109th
185th
76 9 vs. 45
50+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Julius Erving J.R. Smith Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
26th
133rd
107 3,088 vs. 1,4931,595
Rebounds
53rd
243rd
190 994 vs. 424570
Assists
50th
283rd
233 594 vs. 187407
Steals
22nd
80th
58 235 vs. 127108
Blocks
15th
257th
242 239 vs. 38201
Offensive Rebounds
22nd
+300th
+278 360 vs. 58302
Defensive Rebounds
58th
151st
93 634 vs. 366268
Field Goals Made
23rd
151st
128 1,187 vs. 519668
Field Goals Attempted
26th
118th
92 2,441 vs. 1,3061,135
3-Pointers Made
+300th
10th
+290 7 vs. 294287
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
12th
+288 36 vs. 801765
Free Throws Made
32nd
+300th
+268 707 vs. 161546
Free Throws Attempted
30th
293rd
263 908 vs. 228680

Games and Years:

Julius Erving J.R. Smith Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
65th
67th
2 141 vs. 1401
Playoffs
110th
76th
34 11 vs. 121

Rankings by Points Scored:

Julius Erving J.R. Smith Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
78th
-
1 vs. 01
50+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Julius Erving J.R. Smith Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
42nd
+300th
+258 21.97 vs. 12.439.53
Rebounds per game
265th
+300th
+35 6.70 vs. 3.153.55
Assists per game
251st
+300th
+49 3.86 vs. 2.131.73
Steals per game
31st
+300th
+269 1.80 vs. 1.000.81
Blocks per game
64th
+300th
+236 1.55 vs. 0.211.34
Offensive Rebounds per game
102nd
+300th
+198 2.47 vs. 0.511.97
Defensive Rebounds per game
252nd
+300th
+48 4.23 vs. 2.641.59
Field Goals Made per game
30th
+300th
+270 8.66 vs. 4.484.17
Field Goals Attempted per game
46th
+300th
+254 17.08 vs. 10.716.37
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
65th
+235 0.08 vs. 1.981.90
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
40th
+260 0.29 vs. 5.305.01
Free Throws Made per game
76th
+300th
+224 4.60 vs. 1.493.11
Free Throws Attempted per game
78th
+300th
+222 5.92 vs. 2.043.88

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Julius Erving J.R. Smith Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
59th
+300th
+241 21.90 vs. 10.6611.24
Rebounds per game
219th
+300th
+81 7.05 vs. 3.034.02
Assists per game
164th
+300th
+136 4.21 vs. 1.342.88
Steals per game
40th
+300th
+260 1.67 vs. 0.910.76
Blocks per game
42nd
+300th
+258 1.70 vs. 0.271.42
Offensive Rebounds per game
105th
+300th
+195 2.55 vs. 0.412.14
Defensive Rebounds per game
207th
+300th
+93 4.50 vs. 2.611.88
Field Goals Made per game
50th
+300th
+250 8.42 vs. 3.714.71
Field Goals Attempted per game
69th
+300th
+231 17.31 vs. 9.337.98
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
50th
+250 0.07 vs. 2.102.03
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
54th
+246 0.35 vs. 5.725.37
Free Throws Made per game
80th
+300th
+220 5.01 vs. 1.153.86
Free Throws Attempted per game
80th
+300th
+220 6.44 vs. 1.634.81

Note: the per game rankings on this page respect the minimums usually applied by the NBA for all-time leaders, 400 games for regular season stats unless the player reached these thresholds before: 10,000 points; 4,000 rebounds; 2,000 assists; 625 steals; 500 blocks; 250 3-pointers made. Also 3 minimum games for the Playoffs are applied.