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NBA player comparison

Greg Smith vs. Norris Cole: Career comparison

hussEyquationShort-career comparison
Regular-season verdict

Greg Smith ranks higher in career impact

Impact comparison

Box impact estimates points per 100 possessions above each season's league average. Higher is better. Career ranks and average league finishes work the other way: lower is better.

#2867LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#2894
-1.9LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-2.6
-1.9LeadsAverage box impact to dateEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-4.4
#256LeadsBest league finish#317
-50 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value-354 pts
149Games360Leads

Career Impact Rank places Greg Smith #2867 and Norris Cole #2894. 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.

Short-career comparisonhusseyquation.com/compare/greg-smith-smithgr02/norris-cole/career
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedGreg Smith328.320 · No. 2,867Norris Cole331.640 · No. 2,894

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.

Greg Smith

328.320 composite · No. 2,867 all-time

Greg Smith's Career Composite windows
Window and finishes usedAverage finishWeightContribution
Best 3No. 2562012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate2 open slots × No. 352320.00050%160.000
Best 5No. 2562012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate4 open slots × No. 352332.80030%99.840
Best 10No. 2562012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate9 open slots × No. 352342.40020%68.480

160.000 + 99.840 + 68.480= 328.320

Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 352, this player's stored replacement finish.

Norris Cole

331.640 composite · No. 2,894 all-time

Norris Cole's Career Composite windows
Window and finishes usedAverage finishWeightContribution
Best 3No. 3172014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 3272013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 3342015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate326.00050%163.000
Best 5No. 3172014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 3272013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 3342015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 3432011–12Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 3472012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate333.60030%100.080
Best 10No. 3172014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 3272013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 3342015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 3432011–12Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 3472012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate5 open slots × No. 352342.80020%68.560

163.000 + 100.080 + 68.560= 331.640

Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 352, this player's stored replacement finish.

Averages, contributions, and totals are displayed to three decimal places. The ranking calculation keeps full source precision. Read the full method →

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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.

Impact: Greg Smith and Norris Cole
MetricGreg SmithNorris Cole
Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#2867Better result for this metric.#2894
Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better320.0Better result for this metric.326.0
Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better332.8Better result for this metric.333.6
Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better342.4Better result for this metric.342.8
Show more stats: Impact
Impact: Greg Smith and Norris Cole
MetricGreg SmithNorris Cole
Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement#4143Better result for this metric.#4786
Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-1.9Better result for this metric.-2.6
Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is betterUnavailable-3.4
Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is betterUnavailable-4.4
Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is betterUnavailableUnavailable
Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better-50 ptsBetter result for this metric.-354 pts
Seasons ranked No. 100
Top-five impact seasons00
Top-ten impact seasons00

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.

Playing time and workload: Greg Smith and Norris Cole
MetricGreg SmithNorris Cole
Games149360
Minutes1,8348,018

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.

Shooting: Greg Smith and Norris Cole
MetricGreg SmithNorris Cole
True shooting percentage62.3%Better result for this metric.47.5%
True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile63.6%Better result for this metric.47.6%
Show more stats: Shooting
Shooting: Greg Smith and Norris Cole
MetricGreg SmithNorris Cole
Field-goal percentage61.7%Better result for this metric.40.7%
Three-point percentage0.0%32.4%Better result for this metric.
Free-throw percentage57.6%74.3%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.

Passing: Greg Smith and Norris Cole
MetricGreg SmithNorris Cole
Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile3.5%18.9%Better result for this metric.
Assists per game0.32.7Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Passing
Passing: Greg Smith and Norris Cole
MetricGreg SmithNorris Cole
Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile11.0%Better result for this metric.16.5%

Rebounding

Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.

Rebounding: Greg Smith and Norris Cole
MetricGreg SmithNorris Cole
Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile16.4%Better result for this metric.5.3%
Rebounds per game3.3Better result for this metric.1.9

Defense

Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.

Defense: Greg Smith and Norris Cole
MetricGreg SmithNorris Cole
Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile0.8%1.8%Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Defense
Defense: Greg Smith and Norris Cole
MetricGreg SmithNorris Cole
Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile2.7%Better result for this metric.0.3%

Scoring

Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.

Scoring: Greg Smith and Norris Cole
MetricGreg SmithNorris Cole
Points per game4.07.0Better result for this metric.

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.

Ranking result

Regular Season Impact

Greg Smith ranks higher in career impact.

Greg SmithMetricNorris Cole
#2867LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#2894
-1.9LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-2.6
Not availableBest 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-4.4
-50 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better-354 pts

This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.

Context

Team Success

Norris Cole leads every available measure below.

Greg SmithMetricNorris Cole
212Listed-team regular-season wins325Leads
53.8%Listed-team winning percentage58.2%Leads
250-win team seasons2
060-win team seasons1Leads
3Playoff team seasons5Leads

Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.

Context

Playoff Résumé

Norris Cole leads every available measure below.

Greg SmithMetricNorris Cole
2Playoff appearances5Leads
6Playoff games68Leads
3Team playoff wins46Leads
0Finals appearances3Leads
0Championships2Leads

Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.

Context

Awards

No recorded measure separates these careers.

Greg SmithMetricNorris Cole
Not availableAll-StarNot available
Not availableMVPNot available
Not availableAll-NBANot available
Not availableAll-DefenseNot available
Not availableDPOYNot available
Not availableRookie of the YearNot available

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.

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.

View
Align careers by
Greg SmithNorris ColePeak seasonHistorical source qualification

Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average

S1
S2
S3
S4
S5
S6

Striped bars mark seasons with fewer than 40 games. A dashed mark means that player had no season at the aligned point.

S means NBA season number; A means player age. Peak labels identify each player's accepted best season. Hover or focus any pair for season detail, or open Season timeline for the complete evidence ledger.