Payton Pritchard vs. Kenny Smith Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Kenny Smith and Payton Pritchard, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

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.

Payton Pritchard played 5 years in the NBA, 5 less than Kenny Smith, who played 10. Payton Pritchard had the first of his seasons in 2020-21, while Kenny Smith had his rookie season in 1987-88. 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
Payton Pritchard 5 5 2020-21 to 2024-25
Kenny Smith 10 5 1987-88 to 1996-97

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5

Rookie Season

Payton Pritchard Kenny Smith
Season 2020-211987-88
Team Boston CelticsSacramento Kings
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Payton Pritchard 66 19.2 7.7 0.5 1.9 2.4 1.8 0.6 0.1 0.8 1.6 2.8 6.3 .440 1.5 3.8 .411 0.6 0.7 .889
difference:+5+16.4+6.1+0.2+0.3+0.1+5.3+0.9-2.2-0.7+2.6+5.1+.037+1.3+3.2+.103+2.1+2.6+.070
Kenny Smith 61 35.6 13.8 0.7 1.6 2.3 7.1 1.5 0.1 3.0 2.3 5.4 11.4 .477 0.2 0.6 .308 2.7 3.3 .819
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Payton Pritchard 5 13.4 3.4 0.4 1.4 1.8 2.4 0.4 0.0 0.6 0.8 1.2 3.4 .353 0.6 2.0 .300 0.4 0.4 1.000
Kenny Smith DNP------ --- ----------

Season 2

Payton Pritchard Kenny Smith
Season 2021-221988-89
Team Boston CelticsSacramento Kings
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Payton Pritchard 71 14.1 6.2 0.5 1.4 1.9 2.0 0.4 0.1 0.6 0.9 2.3 5.3 .429 1.4 3.5 .412 0.3 0.3 1.000
difference:+10+24.7+11.1+0.1+0.8+0.9+5.7+0.9-2.5-1.2+4.5+9.3+.033+0.8+1.9+.053+2.9+4.1+.263
Kenny Smith 81 38.8 17.3 0.6 2.2 2.8 7.7 1.3 0.1 3.1 2.1 6.8 14.6 .462 0.6 1.6 .359 3.2 4.4 .737
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Payton Pritchard 24 12.9 4.8 0.4 1.5 1.9 1.6 0.3 0.1 0.4 1.0 1.8 4.3 .422 1.0 3.0 .333 0.2 0.3 .667
Kenny Smith DNP------ --- ----------

Season 3

Payton Pritchard Kenny Smith
Season 2022-231989-90
Team Boston CelticsSacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Payton Pritchard 48 13.4 5.6 0.5 1.3 1.8 1.3 0.3 0.0 0.8 0.8 2.1 5.1 .412 1.2 3.2 .364 0.3 0.3 .750
difference:+31+17.2+6.3+0.3+0.5+0.2+4.3+0.7+0.1-1.3-1.0+2.7+5.2+.054+0.9+2.1+.051+1.7+2.2+.071
Kenny Smith 79 30.6 11.9 0.2 1.8 2.0 5.6 1.0 0.1 2.1 1.8 4.8 10.3 .466 0.3 1.1 .313 2.0 2.5 .821
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Payton Pritchard 10 5.7 3.2 0.0 0.6 0.6 1.1 0.1 0.0 0.5 0.3 1.2 2.2 .545 0.4 1.0 .400 0.4 0.5 .800
Kenny Smith DNP------ --- ----------

Season 4

Payton Pritchard Kenny Smith
Season 2023-241990-91
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Payton Pritchard 82 22.3 9.6 0.9 2.4 3.2 3.4 0.5 0.1 0.7 1.3 3.6 7.7 .468 1.8 4.7 .385 0.6 0.7 .821
difference:+4+12.3+8.1+0.4+0.8+1.1+3.7+0.9-2.3-0.4+3.1+5.2+.052+1.2+3.0+.022+3.1+3.7+.023
Kenny Smith 78 34.6 17.7 0.5 1.6 2.1 7.1 1.4 0.1 3.0 1.7 6.7 12.9 .520 0.6 1.7 .363 3.7 4.4 .844
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Payton Pritchard 19 18.7 6.4 0.7 1.2 1.9 2.1 0.2 0.0 0.7 1.2 2.3 5.5 .419 1.2 3.2 .383 0.6 0.6 .917
difference:+16+19.0+8.9+0.6+0.1+0.8+5.9+1.1+0.3-1.3-0.5+3.7+7.2+.055+0.5+1.9+.117+2.1+2.4+.028
Kenny Smith 3 37.7 15.3 1.3 1.3 2.7 8.0 1.3 0.3 2.0 1.7 6.0 12.7 .474 0.7 1.3 .500 2.7 3.0 .889

Season 5

Payton Pritchard Kenny Smith
Season 2024-251991-92
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement Sixth Man of the Year-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Payton Pritchard 80 28.4 14.3 1.3 2.6 3.8 3.5 0.9 0.2 1.0 1.5 5.1 10.8 .472 3.2 7.8 .407 0.9 1.1 .845
difference:+1+5.4+0.3+0.9+0.8+1.6+3.4+0.4+0.1-1.8-0.1+0.2+0.4+.003+2.5+6.1+.013+1.8+2.0+.021
Kenny Smith 81 33.8 14.0 0.4 1.8 2.2 6.9 1.3 0.1 2.8 1.4 5.3 11.2 .475 0.7 1.7 .394 2.7 3.1 .866
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Payton Pritchard 11 27.5 11.9 0.8 1.5 2.3 1.5 0.5 0.0 0.8 1.7 4.1 9.0 .455 2.5 6.1 .403 1.3 1.5 .824
Kenny Smith DNP------ --- ----------

Additional Years

* Kenny Smith played 5 seasons more than Payton Pritchard in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 6 to 10, from 1993 to 1997—Kenny Smith played in 4 Playoffs and won two NBA Championships.