Steve Francis vs. Marcus Smart Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Marcus Smart and Steve Francis, 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 / Stats Rankings

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.

Steve Francis played 9 years in the NBA, 2 less than Marcus Smart, who played 11. Steve Francis had the first of his seasons in 1999-00, while Marcus Smart had his rookie season in 2014-15. 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
Steve Francis 9 1 1999-00 to 2007-08
Marcus Smart 11 9 2014-15 to 2024-25

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9

Rookie Season

Steve Francis Marcus Smart
Season 1999-002014-15
Team Houston RocketsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
-Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis 77 36.1 18.0 2.0 3.3 5.3 6.6 1.5 0.4 4.0 3.0 6.5 14.5 .445 1.4 4.0 .345 3.7 4.7 .786
difference:+10+9.1+10.2+1.1+0.9+2.0+3.5+0.1-2.7-0.4+3.9+7.4+.078+0.1+.010+2.5+2.8+.140
Marcus Smart 67 27.0 7.8 0.9 2.4 3.3 3.1 1.5 0.3 1.3 2.6 2.6 7.1 .367 1.4 4.1 .335 1.2 1.9 .646
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis DNP------ --- ----------
Marcus Smart 4 22.5 9.8 1.3 1.5 2.8 1.3 0.3 0.3 1.0 3.0 3.5 7.3 .483 0.8 3.3 .231 2.0 3.8 .533

Season 2

Steve Francis Marcus Smart
Season 2000-012015-16
Team Houston RocketsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis 80 39.9 19.9 2.4 4.5 6.9 6.5 1.8 0.4 3.3 3.4 6.9 15.2 .451 1.7 4.2 .396 4.5 5.5 .817
difference:+19+12.6+10.8+1.2+1.6+2.7+3.5+0.3+0.1-2.0-0.4+3.9+6.5+.103+0.7+0.2+.143+2.4+2.8+.040
Marcus Smart 61 27.3 9.1 1.2 2.9 4.2 3.0 1.5 0.3 1.3 3.0 3.0 8.7 .348 1.0 4.0 .253 2.1 2.7 .777
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis DNP------ --- ----------
Marcus Smart 6 32.2 12.0 1.3 3.2 4.5 3.0 1.7 0.8 2.5 2.8 3.7 10.0 .367 1.8 5.3 .344 2.8 3.5 .810

Season 3

Steve Francis Marcus Smart
Season 2001-022016-17
Team Houston RocketsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis 57 41.1 21.6 1.8 5.2 7.0 6.4 1.2 0.4 3.9 3.0 7.4 17.7 .417 1.2 3.7 .324 5.7 7.4 .773
difference:+22+10.7+11.0+0.8+2.3+3.1+1.8+0.4-1.9-0.6+4.0+8.2+.058+0.5+.041+3.1+4.2+.039
Marcus Smart 79 30.4 10.6 1.0 2.9 3.9 4.6 1.6 0.4 2.0 2.4 3.4 9.5 .359 1.2 4.2 .283 2.6 3.2 .812
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis DNP------ --- ----------
Marcus Smart 18 29.9 8.6 1.3 3.4 4.7 4.7 1.5 0.9 2.1 2.8 2.6 7.4 .351 1.6 4.1 .397 1.8 2.8 .640

Season 4

Steve Francis Marcus Smart
Season 2002-032017-18
Team Houston RocketsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis 81 41.0 21.0 2.0 4.2 6.2 6.2 1.7 0.5 3.7 3.1 7.0 16.2 .435 1.0 3.0 .354 5.9 7.3 .800
difference:+27+11.1+10.8+1.2+1.5+2.7+1.4+0.4+0.1-1.3-0.6+3.5+6.7+.068+0.4+1.6+.053+4.1+4.8+.071
Marcus Smart 54 29.9 10.2 0.8 2.7 3.5 4.8 1.3 0.4 2.4 2.5 3.5 9.5 .367 1.4 4.6 .301 1.8 2.5 .729
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis DNP------ --- ----------
Marcus Smart 15 29.9 9.8 0.9 2.8 3.7 5.3 1.7 0.7 2.4 2.9 3.2 9.5 .336 1.0 4.5 .221 2.4 3.3 .735

Season 5

Steve Francis Marcus Smart
Season 2003-042018-19
Team Houston RocketsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdCeltics Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis 79 40.4 16.6 1.5 4.0 5.5 6.2 1.8 0.4 3.7 3.3 5.7 14.1 .403 0.9 3.2 .292 4.3 5.5 .775
difference:+1+12.9+7.7+0.8+1.8+2.6+2.2-2.2-0.8+2.7+7.0+.019+0.7+1.1+.072+3.0+3.9+.031
Marcus Smart 80 27.5 8.9 0.7 2.2 2.9 4.0 1.8 0.4 1.5 2.5 3.0 7.1 .422 1.6 4.3 .364 1.3 1.6 .806
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis 5 44.6 19.2 1.2 7.2 8.4 7.6 1.4 0.2 4.2 3.6 6.0 14.0 .429 1.4 3.4 .412 5.8 8.0 .725
difference:+3+28.6+15.7+0.8+7.2+6.4+5.6+0.1+0.2-2.7-2.1+5.5+8.5+.338+0.9+2.1+.321+3.8+5.0+.058
Marcus Smart 2 16.0 3.5 2.0 0.0 2.0 2.0 1.5 0.0 1.5 1.5 0.5 5.5 .091 0.5 5.5 .091 2.0 3.0 .667

Season 6

Steve Francis Marcus Smart
Season 2004-052019-20
Team Orlando MagicBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis 78 38.2 21.3 1.6 4.2 5.8 7.0 1.4 0.4 4.1 3.5 7.2 17.1 .423 0.5 1.6 .299 6.4 7.8 .823
difference:+18+6.2+8.4+0.9+1.1+2.0+2.1+0.3+0.1-2.4-0.8+2.9+5.7+.048+1.8+5.0+.048+4.3+5.3+.013
Marcus Smart 60 32.0 12.9 0.7 3.1 3.8 4.9 1.7 0.5 1.7 2.7 4.3 11.4 .375 2.3 6.6 .347 2.1 2.5 .836
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis DNP------ --- ----------
Marcus Smart 17 38.1 14.5 0.6 4.6 5.2 4.6 1.2 0.5 2.6 3.2 4.6 11.6 .394 2.4 7.2 .333 2.9 3.3 .875

Season 7

Steve Francis Marcus Smart
Season 2005-062020-21
Team Orlando Magic, New York KnicksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis 70 34.2 14.4 1.1 3.1 4.1 4.9 1.1 0.2 3.1 2.9 4.8 10.9 .435 0.4 1.2 .301 4.5 5.7 .787
difference:+22+1.3+1.3+0.3+0.4+0.6+0.8+0.4+0.3-1.1-0.3+0.6+0.3+.037+1.5+4.7+.029+1.8+2.3+.003
Marcus Smart 48 32.9 13.1 0.8 2.7 3.5 5.7 1.5 0.5 2.0 2.6 4.2 10.6 .398 1.9 5.9 .330 2.7 3.4 .790
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis DNP------ --- ----------
Marcus Smart 5 36.6 17.8 0.8 3.6 4.4 6.0 1.0 0.2 2.8 2.8 5.8 13.2 .439 3.2 8.6 .372 3.0 4.2 .714

Season 8

Steve Francis Marcus Smart
Season 2006-072021-22
Team New York KnicksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Defensive Player of the Year
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis 44 28.1 11.3 0.8 2.8 3.6 3.9 0.9 0.3 2.3 2.9 3.2 7.8 .408 1.0 2.5 .378 4.0 4.8 .829
difference:+27+4.2+0.8+0.2+0.4+0.2+2.0+0.8-0.1-0.6+1.0+2.3+.010+0.7+2.6+.047+2.0+2.3+.036
Marcus Smart 71 32.3 12.1 0.6 3.2 3.8 5.9 1.7 0.3 2.2 2.3 4.2 10.1 .418 1.7 5.1 .331 2.0 2.5 .793
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis DNP------ --- ----------
Marcus Smart 21 36.2 15.4 1.0 3.6 4.5 5.9 1.2 0.2 2.5 3.4 5.4 13.3 .405 2.3 6.5 .350 2.4 3.0 .806

Season 9

Steve Francis Marcus Smart
Season 2007-082022-23
Team Houston RocketsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis 10 19.9 5.5 0.8 1.5 2.3 3.0 0.9 0.5 1.4 2.5 1.9 5.7 .333 0.4 1.7 .235 1.3 2.3 .565
difference:+51+12.2+6.0+0.9+0.8+3.3+0.6+0.1-0.9-0.3+2.2+4.2+.082+1.5+3.9+.101+0.1+0.4+.181
Marcus Smart 61 32.1 11.5 0.8 2.4 3.1 6.3 1.5 0.4 2.3 2.8 4.1 9.9 .415 1.9 5.6 .336 1.4 1.9 .746
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Steve Francis DNP------ --- ----------
Marcus Smart 20 34.0 14.9 1.1 3.0 4.0 5.1 1.3 0.3 2.3 1.9 5.1 11.2 .453 2.2 6.1 .361 2.6 3.3 .800

Additional Years

* Marcus Smart played 2 seasons more than Steve Francis in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 10 to 11, from 2024 to 2025—Marcus Smart didn't play in the postseason.