Ron Harper vs. Dennis Smith Jr. Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Dennis Smith Jr. and Ron Harper, 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.

Ron Harper played 15 years in the NBA, 8 more than Dennis Smith Jr., who played 7. Ron Harper had the first of his seasons in 1986-87, while Dennis Smith Jr. had his rookie season in 2017-18. 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 achivements, 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
Ron Harper 15 10 1986-87 to 2000-01
Dennis Smith Jr. 7 0 2017-18 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15

Rookie Season

Ron Harper Dennis Smith Jr.
Season 1986-872017-18
Team Cleveland CavaliersDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
-Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 82 37.4 22.9 2.1 2.7 4.8 4.8 2.5 1.0 4.2 3.0 9.0 19.7 .455 0.2 1.1 .213 4.7 6.9 .684
Dennis Smith Jr. 69 29.7 15.2 0.7 3.0 3.8 5.2 1.0 0.3 2.8 2.2 5.9 14.8 .395 1.5 4.9 .313 1.9 2.8 .694
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper ------- --- ----------
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Ron Harper Dennis Smith Jr.
Season 1987-882018-19
Team Cleveland CavaliersDallas Mavericks, New York Knicks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost East Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 57 32.1 15.4 1.1 2.8 3.9 4.9 2.1 0.9 2.8 2.8 6.0 12.8 .464 0.1 0.4 .150 3.4 4.9 .705
Dennis Smith Jr. 53 28.5 13.6 0.6 2.3 2.9 4.8 1.3 0.4 2.9 2.4 5.2 12.3 .428 1.3 3.9 .322 1.9 2.9 .635
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 4 33.5 17.8 1.0 4.0 5.0 3.8 2.8 1.0 2.8 2.3 7.5 15.8 .476 0.0 0.5 .000 2.8 4.0 .688
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Ron Harper Dennis Smith Jr.
Season 1988-892019-20
Team Cleveland CavaliersNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Cavaliers Lost East Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 82 34.8 18.6 1.5 3.5 5.0 5.3 2.3 0.9 2.8 2.7 7.2 14.0 .511 0.4 1.4 .250 3.9 5.2 .751
Dennis Smith Jr. 34 15.8 5.5 0.6 1.7 2.3 2.9 0.8 0.2 1.7 1.9 2.1 6.2 .341 0.5 1.6 .296 0.8 1.6 .509
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 5 37.8 19.6 1.4 2.8 4.2 4.0 2.2 0.8 1.4 4.0 7.8 13.8 .565 0.0 0.4 .000 4.0 5.2 .769
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Ron Harper Dennis Smith Jr.
Season 1989-902020-21
Team Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles ClippersNew York Knicks, Detroit Pistons
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 35 39.1 22.8 2.1 3.8 5.9 5.2 2.3 1.2 2.9 3.0 8.6 18.2 .473 0.4 1.5 .275 5.2 6.6 .788
Dennis Smith Jr. 23 18.3 6.7 0.5 1.9 2.4 3.3 1.0 0.6 1.1 1.6 2.5 6.3 .400 0.8 2.5 .328 0.8 1.1 .731
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper ------- --- ----------
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------

Season 5

Ron Harper Dennis Smith Jr.
Season 1990-912021-22
Team Los Angeles ClippersPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 39 35.5 19.6 1.5 3.3 4.8 5.4 1.7 0.9 3.3 2.8 7.3 18.7 .391 1.2 3.8 .324 3.7 5.6 .668
Dennis Smith Jr. 37 17.2 5.6 0.5 1.8 2.4 3.6 1.2 0.3 1.4 1.4 2.1 5.1 .418 0.2 0.7 .222 1.1 1.7 .656
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper ------- --- ----------
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Ron Harper Dennis Smith Jr.
Season 1991-922022-23
Team Los Angeles ClippersCharlotte Hornets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Clippers Lost West Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 82 38.3 18.2 1.5 4.0 5.5 5.1 1.9 0.9 3.1 2.4 6.9 15.8 .440 0.8 2.6 .303 3.6 4.9 .736
Dennis Smith Jr. 54 25.7 8.8 0.5 2.6 3.1 4.8 1.4 0.5 1.5 2.3 3.4 8.4 .412 0.4 2.1 .216 1.4 2.0 .736
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 5 41.2 18.0 2.0 4.4 6.4 4.6 1.0 0.8 3.0 2.6 7.8 17.4 .448 0.2 1.8 .111 2.2 2.8 .786
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------

Season 7

Ron Harper Dennis Smith Jr.
Season 1992-932023-24
Team Los Angeles ClippersBrooklyn Nets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Clippers Lost West Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 80 37.1 18.0 1.5 3.9 5.3 4.5 2.2 0.9 2.8 2.7 6.8 15.0 .451 0.7 2.3 .280 3.8 5.0 .769
Dennis Smith Jr. 56 18.9 6.6 0.9 2.0 2.9 3.6 1.2 0.2 1.2 2.2 2.6 6.0 .435 0.6 1.9 .294 0.8 1.0 .741
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 5 34.8 18.0 0.8 3.2 4.0 3.2 3.0 2.0 2.2 1.4 7.4 15.6 .474 1.0 2.0 .500 2.2 3.4 .647
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Ron Harper Dennis Smith Jr.
Season 1993-94-
Team Los Angeles Clippers-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 75 38.1 20.1 1.7 4.4 6.1 4.6 1.9 0.7 3.2 2.2 7.6 17.8 .426 0.9 3.1 .301 4.0 5.6 .715
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper ------- --- ----------
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Ron Harper Dennis Smith Jr.
Season 1994-95-
Team Chicago Bulls-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf Semis-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 77 19.9 6.9 0.7 1.7 2.3 2.0 1.3 0.4 1.3 1.7 2.7 6.4 .426 0.4 1.4 .282 1.1 1.7 .618
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 6 6.7 2.0 0.3 0.7 1.0 0.7 0.5 0.2 0.2 1.0 1.0 2.3 .429 0.0 0.3 .000 0.0 0.0 -
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Ron Harper Dennis Smith Jr.
Season 1995-96-
Team Chicago Bulls-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA Champion-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 80 23.6 7.4 0.9 1.7 2.7 2.6 1.3 0.4 0.9 1.7 2.9 6.3 .467 0.4 1.3 .269 1.2 1.7 .705
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 18 27.4 8.8 1.4 2.3 3.7 2.5 1.4 0.4 1.0 2.1 3.2 7.4 .425 0.8 2.6 .319 1.6 2.3 .690
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Ron Harper Dennis Smith Jr.
Season 1996-97-
Team Chicago Bulls-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA Champion-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 76 22.9 6.3 0.6 1.9 2.5 2.5 1.1 0.5 0.7 1.8 2.3 5.3 .436 0.9 2.5 .362 0.8 1.1 .707
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 19 27.1 7.5 1.1 3.2 4.3 3.0 1.3 0.7 0.6 2.3 2.6 6.6 .400 1.1 3.2 .344 1.1 1.5 .750
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Ron Harper Dennis Smith Jr.
Season 1997-98-
Team Chicago Bulls-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA Champion-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 82 27.9 9.3 1.3 2.2 3.5 2.9 1.3 0.6 1.1 2.2 3.6 8.1 .441 0.2 1.0 .190 2.0 2.6 .750
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 21 26.9 6.7 1.0 2.6 3.7 2.3 1.0 0.9 0.9 2.0 2.7 5.8 .459 0.2 0.9 .263 1.1 1.9 .615
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Ron Harper Dennis Smith Jr.
Season 1998-99-
Team Chicago Bulls-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 35 31.6 11.2 1.4 3.7 5.1 3.3 1.7 1.0 1.9 2.3 4.2 11.1 .377 0.8 2.4 .318 2.0 2.9 .703
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper ------- --- ----------
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------

Season 14

Ron Harper Dennis Smith Jr.
Season 1999-00-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA Champion-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 80 25.5 7.0 1.2 3.0 4.2 3.4 1.1 0.5 1.7 2.1 2.7 6.6 .399 0.4 1.3 .311 1.3 1.8 .680
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 23 28.0 8.6 1.3 2.4 3.7 3.2 1.0 0.6 1.2 2.7 3.4 7.9 .431 0.4 1.7 .231 1.4 2.0 .702
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------

Season 15

Ron Harper Dennis Smith Jr.
Season 2000-01-
Team Los Angeles Lakers-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA Champion-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 47 24.2 6.5 1.0 2.6 3.5 2.4 0.8 0.5 1.3 1.5 2.7 5.8 .469 0.4 1.5 .264 0.7 1.0 .708
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ron Harper 6 7.3 2.2 0.2 1.2 1.3 0.7 0.7 0.2 0.2 0.7 0.8 1.7 .500 0.2 0.7 .250 0.3 0.5 .667
Dennis Smith Jr. ------- --- ----------