Hoops Nightly
vs
2025-26
Head to head · 2025-26 regular season · stats.nba.com

Aaron Gordon vs Jabari Smith Jr.

12-5categories
Gordon · Smith Jr.
Aaron Gordon
Gordon
Nuggets
2025-26
Smith Jr.
Rockets
Jabari Smith Jr.
36
Games
availability
77
27.9
Minutes
per game
35.1
16.2
Points
per game
15.8
5.8
Rebounds
per game
6.9
2.7
Assists
per game
1.9
0.9
Steals + blocks
per game
1.6
1.1
Turnovers
per game · lower is better
1.4
49.7%
Field goal %
44.9%
38.9%
Three-point %
4.4 vs 6.3 attempts
36.3%
76.7%
Free throw %
77.5%
62.0%
True shooting
TS%
56.9%
21.3%
Usage
USG%
17.9%
13.0%
Assist %
of teammates' baskets
7.3%
10.2%
Rebound %
of available
9.6%
+12.7
Net rating
on court
+5.0
11.7%
PIE
player impact estimate
9.3%
+7.6
Plus-minus
per game
+3.4
Bars show each player's share of the pair's total; the better number is in the club's color (turnovers: fewer is better).

Where the gap is

from the numbers above

Aaron Gordon scored more in 2025-26, 0.4 points a game apart (16.2 vs 15.8), on Gordon's heavier usage (21.3% vs 17.9%).

Gordon is the more efficient scorer by true shooting, 62.0% to 56.9%; TS% folds threes and free throws into one number, so the gap survives shot-diet differences.

Playmaking goes to Gordon (2.7 vs 1.9 assists), the glass to Smith Jr. (6.9 vs 5.8 rebounds).

Availability is part of the comparison: Smith Jr. played 41 more games (77 vs 36 of 82).

With Gordon on the floor his team outscored opponents by +12.7 per 100 possessions, against +5.0 for Smith Jr.; on-court net rating carries the teammates with it, so read it next to PIE.

On the books for 2026-27: Gordon $33.7M through 2028-29, Smith Jr. $23.6M through 2030-31. Whether either fits a trade is a Trade Machine question, not a stat one.

Splits

2025-26 · from the game logs
Gordon
2025-26
Smith Jr.
27-9
Record when playing
48-29
14.7
Points at home
16.3
17.8
Points on the road
15.3
14.4
Points in wins
17.0
21.4
Points in losses
13.7
50
Season high
32
1
30-point games
2
3
Double-doubles
14
Gordon · last 5
Fri, Oct 16 at LAL0 pts · 0 reb · 0 ast
Wed, Oct 14 at LAC8 pts · 6 reb · 2 ast
Sun, Oct 11 vs CHI25 pts · 6 reb · 0 ast
Tue, Oct 6 at UTA18 pts · 5 reb · 0 ast
Sun, Oct 4 vs UTA12 pts · 4 reb · 0 ast
Smith Jr. · last 5
Wed, Oct 21 vs DAL30 pts · 5 reb · 1 ast
Thu, Oct 15 vs OKC4 pts · 6 reb · 0 ast
Sun, Oct 11 vs DAL14 pts · 9 reb · 4 ast
Fri, Oct 9 at DAL12 pts · 4 reb · 1 ast
Fri, May 1 vs LAL9 pts · 12 reb · 3 ast
Gordon · contract
2026-27$33.7M
2027-28player option$36.4M
2028-29$39.0M
Smith Jr. · contract
2026-27$23.6M
2027-28$21.8M
2028-29$23.6M
2029-30$25.5M
2030-31$27.4M

More comparisons

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Per-game numbers and percentages are 2025-26 regular season from stats.nba.com; splits and last games from our own game logs; contract figures are cap hits from public salary data and can lag a signing by a day. Bold marks the better number in each row (turnovers: fewer is better).