Cooper Flagg vs. J.R. Smith Season by Season Comparison
Side by side comparison of each NBA season of J.R. Smith and Cooper Flagg, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.
Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.
Cooper Flagg played 1 year in the NBA, 15 less than J.R. Smith, who played 16. Cooper Flagg had his first NBA Season in 2025-26, while J.R. Smith had his rookie season in 2004-05. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achievements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.
Their Careers | |||
| Player | Total Seasons | Playoffs Played | NBA Years |
| Cooper Flagg | 1 | 0 | 2025-26 |
| J.R. Smith | 16 | 12 | 2004-05 to 2019-20 |
Comparison Season by Season |
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Jump to season: | ||
Rookie Season |
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| Cooper Flagg | J.R. Smith | |
| Season | 2025-26 | 2004-05 |
| Team | Dallas Mavericks | New Orleans Hornets |
| Honors & Awards | ||
| Playoffs | Did Not Play | Did Not Play |
Rookie Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Cooper Flagg | 1 | 32.0 | 10.0 | 1.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 13.0 | .308 | 0.0 | 1.0 | .000 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.000 |
| difference: | +75 | +7.5 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +7.5 | +8.0 | +1.9 | +0.3 | +0.1 | -1.6 | -1.2 | +0.1 | +3.2 | +.086 | +1.1 | +2.7 | +.288 | +0.5 | +0.1 | +.311 |
| J.R. Smith | 76 | 24.5 | 10.3 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 3.9 | 9.8 | .394 | 1.1 | 3.7 | .288 | 1.5 | 2.1 | .689 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Neiher Cooper Flagg nor J.R. Smith played in the postseason in their season 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Additional Years |
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* J.R. Smith played 15 seasons more than Cooper Flagg in the NBA. In that period—his seasons 2 to 16, from 2006 to 2020—J.R. Smith played in 12 Playoffs and won two NBA Championships. In those 15 extra years over Cooper Flagg, J.R. Smith got these achievements: | |
| Honors & Awards |  1 Sixth Man of the Year |