Bob Pettit vs. Josh Smith Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Josh Smith and Bob Pettit, 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.

Bob Pettit played 11 years in the NBA, 2 less than Josh Smith, who played 13. Bob Pettit had the first of his seasons in 1954-55, while Josh 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 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
Bob Pettit 11 9 1954-55 to 1964-65
Josh Smith 13 8 2004-05 to 2017-18

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Bob Pettit Josh Smith
Season 1954-552004-05
Team Milwaukee HawksAtlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rookie of the Year-
-Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
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 %
Bob Pettit 72 36.9 20.4 - - 13.8 3.2 - - - 3.6 7.2 17.8 .407 - - - 5.9 7.9 .751
Josh Smith 74 27.7 9.7 2.0 4.2 6.2 1.7 0.8 1.9 1.8 2.1 3.7 8.1 .455 0.1 0.3 .174 2.2 3.2 .688
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit ------- --- ----------
Josh Smith ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Bob Pettit Josh Smith
Season 1955-562005-06
Team St. Louis HawksAtlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Hawks Lost West Div FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 72 38.8 25.7 - - 16.2 2.6 - - - 2.8 9.0 20.9 .429 - - - 7.7 10.5 .736
Josh Smith 80 32.0 11.3 2.2 4.4 6.6 2.4 0.8 2.6 2.0 3.3 4.1 9.7 .425 0.4 1.4 .309 2.6 3.7 .719
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 8 34.3 19.1 - - 10.5 2.3 - - - 2.5 5.9 16.0 .367 - - - 7.4 8.8 .843
Josh Smith ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Bob Pettit Josh Smith
Season 1956-572006-07
Team St. Louis HawksAtlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Hawks Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 71 35.1 24.7 - - 14.6 1.9 - - - 2.5 8.6 20.8 .415 - - - 7.5 9.6 .773
Josh Smith 72 36.8 16.4 2.3 6.3 8.6 3.3 1.4 2.9 3.2 3.3 6.1 13.8 .439 0.5 2.1 .250 3.7 5.4 .693
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 10 43.0 29.8 - - 16.8 2.5 - - - 3.3 9.8 23.7 .414 - - - 10.2 13.3 .767
Josh Smith ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Bob Pettit Josh Smith
Season 1957-582007-08
Team St. Louis HawksAtlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionHawks Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 70 36.1 24.6 - - 17.4 2.2 - - - 3.2 8.3 20.3 .410 - - - 8.0 10.6 .749
Josh Smith 81 35.5 17.2 2.0 6.2 8.2 3.4 1.5 2.8 3.0 3.3 6.4 14.0 .457 0.3 1.2 .253 4.1 5.8 .710
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 11 39.1 24.2 - - 16.5 1.8 - - - 2.8 8.2 20.9 .391 - - - 7.8 10.7 .729
Josh Smith 7 33.9 15.7 1.0 5.4 6.4 2.9 1.7 2.9 3.7 3.7 5.0 12.6 .398 0.4 2.6 .167 5.3 6.3 .841

Season 5

Bob Pettit Josh Smith
Season 1958-592008-09
Team St. Louis HawksAtlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Hawks Lost West Div FinalsHawks 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 %
Bob Pettit 72 39.9 29.2 - - 16.4 3.1 - - - 2.8 10.0 22.8 .438 - - - 9.3 12.2 .759
Josh Smith 69 35.1 15.6 1.9 5.3 7.2 2.4 1.4 1.6 2.3 2.7 6.1 12.3 .492 0.4 1.3 .299 3.1 5.2 .588
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 6 42.8 27.8 - - 12.5 2.3 - - - 3.3 9.7 22.8 .423 - - - 8.5 10.8 .785
Josh Smith 11 37.3 17.1 2.2 5.3 7.5 2.2 1.1 1.5 1.9 3.3 6.1 14.5 .421 0.2 1.4 .133 4.7 6.5 .732

Season 6

Bob Pettit Josh Smith
Season 1959-602009-10
Team St. Louis HawksAtlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Hawks Lost NBA FinalsHawks 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 %
Bob Pettit 72 40.2 26.1 - - 17.0 3.6 - - - 2.8 9.3 21.2 .438 - - - 7.6 10.0 .753
Josh Smith 81 35.4 15.7 2.8 6.0 8.7 4.2 1.6 2.1 2.4 3.0 6.2 12.3 .505 0.0 0.1 .000 3.2 5.2 .618
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 14 41.1 26.1 - - 15.8 3.7 - - - 3.1 9.2 20.9 .442 - - - 7.6 10.1 .754
Josh Smith 11 35.6 14.1 3.4 5.6 9.0 2.6 1.2 1.7 1.5 2.7 5.6 11.7 .481 0.2 0.5 .333 2.6 4.0 .659

Season 7

Bob Pettit Josh Smith
Season 1960-612010-11
Team St. Louis HawksAtlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Hawks Lost NBA FinalsHawks 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 %
Bob Pettit 76 39.8 27.9 - - 20.3 3.4 - - - 2.9 10.1 22.6 .447 - - - 7.7 10.6 .724
Josh Smith 77 34.4 16.5 1.7 6.8 8.5 3.3 1.3 1.6 2.6 2.8 6.5 13.5 .477 0.7 2.0 .331 3.0 4.1 .725
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 12 43.8 28.6 - - 17.6 3.2 - - - 3.5 9.8 23.7 .412 - - - 9.1 12.0 .757
Josh Smith 12 36.5 15.1 1.5 7.0 8.5 2.9 1.1 2.1 2.2 3.3 5.8 14.3 .404 0.3 2.0 .125 3.3 5.6 .597

Season 8

Bob Pettit Josh Smith
Season 1961-622011-12
Team St. Louis HawksAtlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Did Not PlayHawks Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 78 42.1 31.1 - - 18.7 3.7 - - - 3.8 11.1 24.7 .450 - - - 8.9 11.6 .771
Josh Smith 66 35.3 18.8 2.1 7.5 9.6 3.9 1.4 1.7 2.5 2.6 7.6 16.7 .458 0.4 1.7 .257 3.1 4.9 .630
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit ------- --- ----------
Josh Smith 5 39.2 16.8 2.0 11.6 13.6 4.8 0.6 1.0 3.0 2.8 6.8 17.6 .386 0.0 0.8 .000 3.2 4.2 .762

Season 9

Bob Pettit Josh Smith
Season 1962-632012-13
Team St. Louis HawksAtlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Hawks Lost West Div FinalsHawks Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 79 39.1 28.4 - - 15.1 3.1 - - - 3.6 9.8 22.1 .446 - - - 8.7 11.2 .774
Josh Smith 76 35.3 17.5 1.8 6.7 8.4 4.2 1.2 1.8 3.0 2.3 7.2 15.6 .465 0.8 2.6 .303 2.2 4.2 .517
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 11 42.1 31.8 - - 15.1 3.0 - - - 3.1 10.8 23.5 .459 - - - 10.2 13.1 .778
Josh Smith 6 33.2 17.0 1.7 5.8 7.5 3.5 1.8 0.5 2.7 3.5 6.5 15.0 .433 0.8 3.3 .250 3.2 6.0 .528

Season 10

Bob Pettit Josh Smith
Season 1963-642013-14
Team St. Louis HawksDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Hawks Lost West Div FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 80 41.2 27.4 - - 15.3 3.2 - - - 3.8 9.9 21.4 .463 - - - 7.6 9.6 .789
Josh Smith 77 35.5 16.4 1.3 5.4 6.8 3.3 1.4 1.4 2.6 2.6 6.7 16.0 .419 0.9 3.4 .264 2.1 3.9 .532
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 12 41.2 21.0 - - 14.5 2.8 - - - 3.7 7.8 18.8 .412 - - - 5.5 6.6 .835
Josh Smith ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Bob Pettit Josh Smith
Season 1964-652014-15
Team St. Louis HawksDetroit Pistons, Houston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Hawks Lost West Div SemisRockets Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 50 35.1 22.5 - - 12.4 2.6 - - - 3.3 7.9 18.5 .429 - - - 6.6 8.1 .820
Josh Smith 83 27.7 12.4 1.8 4.6 6.4 3.3 1.0 1.4 2.5 2.7 5.0 11.9 .419 0.9 2.7 .316 1.5 3.1 .498
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit 4 23.8 11.5 - - 6.0 2.0 - - - 2.5 3.8 10.3 .366 - - - 4.0 5.0 .800
Josh Smith 17 23.3 13.5 1.5 4.1 5.6 2.7 0.5 1.0 2.2 2.4 5.0 11.4 .438 1.6 4.2 .380 1.9 4.4 .432

Season 12

Bob Pettit Josh Smith
Season -2015-16
Team -Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Rockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit ------- --- ----------
Josh Smith 55 16.0 6.0 0.9 2.6 3.5 1.6 0.6 0.9 1.4 2.1 2.3 6.3 .364 0.7 2.6 .287 0.7 1.2 .552
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit ------- --- ----------
Josh Smith 4 9.5 4.0 0.3 0.3 0.5 1.0 0.3 0.3 1.3 1.8 1.5 3.3 .462 1.0 2.0 .500 0.0 0.5 .000

Note: Josh Smith didn't play in 2016-17.

Season 13

Bob Pettit Josh Smith
Season -2017-18
Team -New Orleans Pelicans
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 %
Bob Pettit ------- --- ----------
Josh Smith 3 4.0 0.7 1.0 0.3 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.3 1.3 .250 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bob Pettit ------- --- ----------
Josh Smith ------- --- ----------