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Player profile · ATL / DEN / DET / HOU / ORL / SAC
Kenny Smith
Kenny Smith stats, teams and career impact
#603 all-timeCareer averages · 12.8 PPG · 2.0 RPG · 5.5 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Point guard
- Teams in final NBA season
- Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, and Orlando Magic
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) · 170 lb (77 kg)
- Born
- March 8, 1965 (61 yrs old)
- College
- UNC
- NBA seasons
- 10 seasons · 1987–88 to 1996–97
Career summaryKenny Smith was a point guard who played 10 NBA seasons, from 1987–88 through 1996–97.
- Career PPG
- 12.8
- Career RPG
- 2.0
- Career APG
- 5.5
- #33 in 1990–91
- #603 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Kenny Smith ranks #603 all time
Kenny Smith ranks #603 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #40.7. His full-career value ranks #483, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.
450+ minutes required per season
737 games · Career Value Rank #483
Head to head
Compare Kenny Smith with…
Ten suggested matchups, selected from familiar debates, similar careers, and players from the same era. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Norm Van Lier Similar career path
- Pete Maravich Similar career path
- Jay Humphries Similar career path
- Lucius Allen Similar career path
- Archie Clark Similar career path
- Kevin Porter Similar career path
- Reggie Williams Same-era comparison
- Charles Smith Same-era comparison
- Scott Brooks Same-era comparison
- Ken Norman Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, and Orlando Magic
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 48.0%FG%
- Three-point
- 39.9%3P%
- Free throw
- 82.9%FT%
737 career games · 22,213 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Kenny Smith stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1996–97 | 6.3 | 0.9 | 2.4 | -1.45 | DEN/DET/ORL | 48 | 3 | 15.9 | 42.3% | 43.7% | 86.7% | #188 | 8.0 |
| 1995–96 | 8.5 | 1.4 | 3.6 | -1.16 | HOU | 68 | 56 | 23.8 | 43.3% | 38.2% | 82.1% | #176 | 26.3 |
| 1994–95 | 10.4 | 1.9 | 4.0 | +2.06 | HOU | 81 | 81 | 25.1 | 48.4% | 42.9% | 85.1% | #45 | 161.6 |
| 1993–94 | 11.6 | 1.8 | 4.2 | +0.01 | HOU | 78 | 78 | 28.3 | 48.0% | 40.5% | 87.1% | #107 | 87.9 |
| 1992–93 | 13.0 | 2.0 | 5.4 | +1.95 | HOU | 82 | 82 | 29.5 | 52.0% | 43.8% | 87.8% | #44 | 188.0 |
| 1991–92 | 14.0 | 2.2 | 6.9 | -0.10 | HOU | 81 | 80 | 33.8 | 47.5% | 39.4% | 86.6% | #114 | 102.7 |
| 1990–91 | 17.7 | 2.1 | 7.1 | +2.39 | HOU | 78 | 78 | 34.6 | 52.0% | 36.3% | 84.4% | #33 | 243.3 |
| 1989–90 | 11.9 | 2.0 | 5.6 | -1.65 | ATL/SAC | 79 | 51 | 30.6 | 46.6% | 31.3% | 82.1% | #185 | 17.2 |
| 1988–89 | 17.3 | 2.8 | 7.7 | -0.87 | SAC | 81 | 81 | 38.8 | 46.2% | 35.9% | 73.7% | #139 | 74.2 |
| 1987–88 | 13.8 | 2.3 | 7.1 | -1.33 | SAC | 61 | 60 | 35.6 | 47.7% | 30.8% | 81.9% | #153 | 30.5 |
| Career | 12.8 | 2.0 | 5.5 | — | ATL/DEN/DET/HOU/ORL/SAC | 737 | — | 30.1 | 48.0% | 39.9% | 82.9% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
64.6 composite · lower is better
68.6 average league finish
940 total value
Career standing
How Kenny Smith ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score64.6
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- —
- Qualified seasons
- 10
- All-time rank
- #603
Strongest seasons
Every season
Kenny Smith advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1996–97Historical Defense Estimate | DEN/DET/ORL | 31 | 48 | 765 | -1.45 | 40.8 | #188 | 8.0 | 38th | Standard |
| 1995–96Historical Defense Estimate | HOU | 30 | 68 | 1,617 | -1.16 | 46.2 | #176 | 26.3 | 48th | Broad |
| 1994–95Historical Defense Estimate | HOU | 29 | 81 | 2,030 | +2.06 | 85.8 | #45 | 161.6 | 82nd | Broad |
| 1993–94Historical Defense Estimate | HOU | 28 | 78 | 2,209 | +0.01 | 63.6 | #107 | 87.9 | 66th | Broad |
| 1992–93Historical Defense Estimate | HOU | 27 | 82 | 2,422 | +1.95 | 85.4 | #44 | 188.0 | 84th | Broad |
| 1991–92Historical Defense Estimate | HOU | 26 | 81 | 2,735 | -0.10 | 60.9 | #114 | 102.7 | 68th | Broad |
| 1990–91Historical Defense Estimate | HOU | 25 | 78 | 2,699 | +2.39 | 89.0 | #33 | 243.3 | 91st | Broad |
| 1989–90Historical Defense Estimate | ATL/SAC | 24 | 79 | 2,421 | -1.65 | 35.9 | #185 | 17.2 | 39th | Broad |
| 1988–89Historical Defense Estimate | SAC | 23 | 81 | 3,145 | -0.87 | 47.5 | #139 | 74.2 | 60th | Broad |
| 1987–88Historical Defense Estimate | SAC | 22 | 61 | 2,170 | -1.33 | 39.2 | #153 | 30.5 | 44th | Broad |
Career movement
Kenny Smith's career impact by season
Peak +2.39 in 1990–91 · 10 seasons · 22,213 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutes
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Kenny SmithNorm Van Lier
| NBA season | Kenny Smith | Norm Van Lier |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -1.3 | -0.9 |
| 2 | -0.9 | 1.4 |
| 3 | -1.6 | 2.1 |
| 4 | 2.4 | 2.7 |
| 5 | -0.1 | 0.3 |
| 6 | 1.9 | 0.5 |
| 7 | 0.0 | -0.2 |
| 8 | 2.1 | -0.0 |
| 9 | -1.2 | -0.8 |
| 10 | -1.4 | -0.4 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Kenny Smith
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
PG · All-Time Career #286
Norm Van Lier
93career similarity score
97/100 closest-season score · 1990–91 ↔ 1972–73SG · All-Time Career #350Pete Maravich
93career similarity score
91/100 closest-season score · 1990–91 ↔ 1973–74PG · All-Time Career #721Jay Humphries
93career similarity score
93/100 closest-season score · 1990–91 ↔ 1989–90Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →