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Player profile · GSW / SDC / SEA
Phil Smith
Phil Smith stats, teams and career impact
#493 all-timeCareer averages · 15.1 PPG · 3.0 RPG · 3.9 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Shooting guard
- Final NBA team
- Seattle SuperSonics
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) · 185 lb (84 kg)
- Born
- April 22, 1952
- Died
- July 29, 2002 (50 yrs old)
- College
- San Francisco
- NBA seasons
- 9 seasons · 1974–75 to 1982–83
Career summaryPhil Smith was a shooting guard who played 9 NBA seasons, from 1974–75 through 1982–83.
- Career PPG
- 15.1
- Career RPG
- 3.0
- Career APG
- 3.9
- #20 in 1975–76
- #493 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Phil Smith ranks #493 all time
Phil Smith ranks #493 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #39.3. His full-career value ranks #447, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.
450+ minutes required per season
659 games · Career Value Rank #447
NBA honors2× All-Star · All-NBA · All-DefenseContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Phil 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.
- Larry Steele Similar career path
- Eddie Johnson Similar career path
- Buddy Hield Similar career path
- Paul Seymour Similar career path
- Charles Smith Similar career path
- Bogdan Bogdanović Similar career path
- Jim Brewer Same-era comparison
- Campy Russell Same-era comparison
- Steve Hawes Same-era comparison
- Kevin Porter Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Golden State Warriors, San Diego Clippers, and Seattle SuperSonics
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 47.6%FG%
- Three-point
- 25.3%3P%
- Free throw
- 77.9%FT%
659 career games · 19,166 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
Phil 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 →
| 1982–83 | 5.7 | 1.6 | 2.7 | -1.65 | SEA | 79 | 17 | 15.7 | 43.8% | 37.5% | 75.9% | #174 | 9.3 |
| 1981–82 | 11.5 | 2.5 | 4.1 | -2.30 | SDC/SEA | 74 | 41 | 27.6 | 44.7% | 18.5% | 73.1% | #204 | -12.8 |
| 1980–81 | 16.8 | 2.1 | 4.9 | +0.39 | SDC | 76 | 0 | 31.3 | 49.1% | 22.2% | 75.7% | #87 | 118.5 |
| 1979–80 | 15.5 | 2.9 | 3.7 | -0.42 | GSW | 51 | 0 | 30.4 | 47.4% | 31.8% | 78.9% | #112 | 51.5 |
| 1978–79 | 19.9 | 3.6 | 4.4 | +1.35 | GSW | 59 | 0 | 38.8 | 50.1% | — | 76.1% | #50 | 163.0 |
| 1977–78 | 19.7 | 3.7 | 4.8 | +1.05 | GSW | 82 | 82 | 35.9 | 47.2% | — | 81.2% | #53 | 198.3 |
| 1976–77 | 19.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +0.41 | GSW | 82 | 82 | 35.1 | 47.9% | — | 78.5% | #81 | 155.7 |
| 1975–76 | 20.0 | 4.6 | 4.4 | +2.34 | GSW | 82 | 82 | 34.1 | 47.7% | — | 78.8% | #20 | 273.5 |
| 1974–75 | 7.7 | 1.9 | 1.8 | +0.95 | GSW | 74 | 0 | 14.3 | 47.6% | — | 80.4% | #48 | 69.8 |
| Career | 15.1 | 3.0 | 3.9 | — | GSW/SDC/SEA | 659 | — | 29.1 | 47.6% | 25.3% | 77.9% | — | — |
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.
56.1 composite · lower is better
50.4 average league finish
1,027 total value
Career standing
How Phil 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 Score56.1
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
- 9
- All-time rank
- #493
Strongest seasons
Every season
Phil 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
| 1982–83Historical Defense Estimate | SEA | 30 | 79 | 1,238 | -1.65 | 31.6 | #174 | 9.3 | 34th | Broad |
| 1981–82Historical Defense Estimate | SDC/SEA | 29 | 74 | 2,042 | -2.30 | 20.1 | #204 | -12.8 | 18th | Broad |
| 1980–81Historical Defense Estimate | SDC | 28 | 76 | 2,378 | +0.39 | 65.3 | #87 | 118.5 | 70th | Broad |
| 1979–80Historical Defense Estimate | GSW | 27 | 51 | 1,552 | -0.42 | 51.9 | #112 | 51.5 | 48th | Broad |
| 1978–79Historical Defense Estimate | GSW | 26 | 59 | 2,288 | +1.35 | 78.4 | #50 | 163.0 | 78th | Broad |
| 1977–78Historical Defense Estimate | GSW | 25 | 82 | 2,940 | +1.05 | 78.0 | #53 | 198.3 | 86th | Broad |
| 1976–77Historical Defense Estimate | GSW | 24 | 82 | 2,880 | +0.41 | 67.1 | #81 | 155.7 | 80th | Broad |
| 1975–76Historical Defense Estimate | GSW | 23 | 82 | 2,793 | +2.34 | 89.9 | #20 | 273.5 | 93rd | Broad |
| 1974–75Historical Defense Estimate | GSW | 22 | 74 | 1,055 | +0.95 | 74.9 | #48 | 69.8 | 58th | Broad |
Career movement
Phil Smith's career impact by season
Peak +2.34 in 1975–76 · 9 seasons · 19,166 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.
Phil SmithLarry Steele
| NBA season | Phil Smith | Larry Steele |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| 2 | 2.3 | -0.2 |
| 3 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| 4 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| 5 | 1.3 | 0.7 |
| 6 | -0.4 | 0.8 |
| 7 | 0.4 | -1.0 |
| 8 | -2.3 | -2.7 |
| 9 | -1.7 | -2.5 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Phil 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.
SG · All-Time Career #460
Larry Steele
94career similarity score
90/100 closest-season score · 1975–76 ↔ 1974–75SG · All-Time Career #668Eddie Johnson
94career similarity score
96/100 closest-season score · 1975–76 ↔ 1979–80SG · All-Time Career #798Buddy Hield
93career similarity score
92/100 closest-season score · 1975–76 ↔ 2018–19Impact 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 →