Jayson Tatum
2017–18 to 2025–26 · 9 seasons · active
NBA player comparison
Jayson Tatum vs. Kawhi Leonard: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Kawhi Leonard ranks higher in career impact so far
Kawhi Leonard
2011–12 to 2025–26 · 14 seasons · active
Impact comparison
#208Career Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank#35Leads
+5.0Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+8.9Leads
+4.2Best 5 average impact+7.8Leads
15.7Best 3 average finishAverage league place; closer to No. 1 is better3.3Leads
+2,241 ptsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+4,051 ptsLeads
0Top-10 impact seasons6Leads
Career Impact Rank places Kawhi Leonard #35 and Jayson Tatum #208. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three.
Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedJayson Tatum27.593 · No. 208Kawhi Leonard4.827 · No. 35
Only the three league-finish windows below determine Career Impact Rank. Career Value and peak impact are separate measures; neither adds points to this calculation. Lower composite scores rank higher.
Jayson Tatum
27.593 composite · No. 208 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 152025–26No. 162022–23No. 162024–25 | 15.667 | 50% | 7.833 |
| Best 5No. 152025–26No. 162022–23No. 162024–25No. 192019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 242023–24 | 18.000 | 30% | 5.400 |
| Best 10No. 152025–26No. 162022–23No. 162024–25No. 192019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 242023–24No. 252020–21No. 252021–22No. 792017–18Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1272018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate1 open slot × No. 372 | 71.800 | 20% | 14.360 |
7.833 + 5.400 + 14.360= 27.593
Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 372, this player's stored replacement finish.
Kawhi Leonard
4.827 composite · No. 35 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 32016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 32025–26No. 42015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 3.333 | 50% | 1.667 |
| Best 5No. 32016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 32025–26No. 42015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 72019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 82014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 5.000 | 30% | 1.500 |
| Best 10No. 32016–17Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 32025–26No. 42015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 72019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 82014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 102018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 112023–24No. 122020–21No. 122022–23No. 132013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 8.300 | 20% | 1.660 |
1.667 + 1.500 + 1.660= 4.827
Averages, contributions, and totals are displayed to three decimal places. The ranking calculation keeps full source precision. Read the full method →
Full comparison · Career comparison
Understand the numbers
Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.
1 · Ranking evidence
Impact: who ranks higher, and why?
Career Impact Rank compares entire regular-season careers across NBA history. It combines average league places across the best three, five, and ten seasons, weighted 50%, 30%, and 20%. A lower rank or average place is better.
| Metric | Jayson Tatum | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank | #208 | #35Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average finish | 15.7 | 3.3Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average finish | 18.0 | 5.0Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average finish | 71.8 | 8.3Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Jayson Tatum | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #148 | #44Better result for this metric. |
| Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average | +5.0 | +8.9Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average impact | +4.5 | +8.3Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average impact | +4.2 | +7.8Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average impact | Unavailable | +6.6 |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +2,241 pts | +4,051 ptsBetter result for this metric. |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 0 | 3Better result for this metric. |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 0 | 6Better result for this metric. |
2 · Playing time and responsibility
How much did each player take on?
Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.
| Metric | Jayson Tatum | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 601 | 798 |
| Minutes | 20,707 | 25,368 |
3 · Individual skills
Where does each player have an advantage?
These are each player's averages across up to ten best seasons. Career Impact Rank gives the Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights, giving the most weight to the highest peak. The model accounts for position, role, pace, playing time, and team results. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.
Shooting
True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.
| Metric | Jayson Tatum | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 58.2% | 60.7%Better result for this metric. |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 57.6% | 60.9%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Jayson Tatum | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 45.8% | 49.9%Better result for this metric. |
| Three-point percentage | 36.8% | 39.1%Better result for this metric. |
| Free-throw percentage | 83.9% | 86.3%Better result for this metric. |
Passing
Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.
| Metric | Jayson Tatum | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 18.7%Better result for this metric. | 18.1% |
| Assists per game | 3.9Better result for this metric. | 3.1 |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Jayson Tatum | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 10.5% | 8.9%Better result for this metric. |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Jayson Tatum | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 12.1%Better result for this metric. | 11.3% |
| Rebounds per game | 7.4Better result for this metric. | 6.4 |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Jayson Tatum | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.6% | 2.7%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Jayson Tatum | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.6% | 1.6% |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Jayson Tatum | Kawhi Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 23.5Better result for this metric. | 20.7 |
4 · Team context, not ranking inputs
What happened with and without them?
A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.
Four separate questions
Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards
These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.
Career to date. At least one player is active. Every total below stops after the latest completed season in this data; nothing is projected.
Regular Season Impact
Kawhi Leonard ranks higher in career impact so far.
Jayson TatumMetricKawhi Leonard
#208Career Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank#35Leads
+5.0Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+8.9Leads
+4.2Best 5 average impact+7.8Leads
+2,241 ptsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+4,051 ptsLeads
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
Kawhi Leonard leads every available measure below.
Jayson TatumMetricKawhi Leonard
477Listed-team regular-season wins741Leads
66.4%Listed-team winning percentage66.6%Leads
650-win team seasons9Leads
260-win team seasons3Leads
9Playoff team seasons13Leads
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Playoff Résumé
Kawhi Leonard leads every available measure below.
Jayson TatumMetricKawhi Leonard
9Playoff appearances12Leads
127Playoff games146Leads
77Team playoff wins97Leads
2Finals appearances3Leads
1Championships2Leads
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
Kawhi Leonard leads every available measure below.
Jayson TatumMetricKawhi Leonard
6All-Star7Leads
0MVP0
5All-NBA7Leads
0All-Defense7Leads
0DPOY2Leads
0Rookie of the Year0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.
How each context field is counted
- Listed-team regular-season wins
- The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
- Listed-team winning percentage
- Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
- 50- and 60-win team seasons
- Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
- Team seasons reaching playoffs
- Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
- Playoff appearances and games
- Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
- Team playoff wins
- Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
- Finals appearances and championships
- Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
- Awards
- Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.
Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09. Active-career totals are results to date through the latest completed season in the source.
Career Shape Explorer
How the careers developed
Follow every regular season by NBA experience or age. This view describes the path; it does not create another verdict.
Jayson TatumKawhi LeonardPeak seasonHistorical source qualification
Career to date. Active careers stop at the latest completed season; no future seasons are projected.
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average
Striped bars mark seasons with fewer than 40 games. A dashed mark means that player had no season at the aligned point.
Season-by-season evidenceRead both careers at the same stage
Every observed season keeps its age, era-centered impact estimate, league rank when qualified, career-stage label, and exact evidence link. A missing career point stays missing.
Jayson TatumNBA seasonKawhi Leonard
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
No season
Season 10No season
Season 11No season
Season 12No season
Season 13No season
Season 14Observed values come from the accepted season comparison record. Historical source qualifications stay attached to affected seasons. Missing means no NBA season exists at that aligned point; it is never interpolated. Missing is not the same as estimated.