Tony Smith vs. Tristan Thompson Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Tristan Thompson and Tony Smith, 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.

Tony Smith played 9 years in the NBA, 4 less than Tristan Thompson, who played 13. Tony Smith had the first of his seasons in 1990-91, while Tristan Thompson had his rookie season in 2011-12. 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
Tony Smith 9 6 1990-91 to 2000-01
Tristan Thompson 13 8 2011-12 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Tony Smith Tristan Thompson
Season 1990-912011-12
Team Los Angeles LakersCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Playoffs Lakers 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 %
Tony Smith 64 10.9 3.7 0.4 0.7 1.1 2.1 0.4 0.2 1.1 1.3 1.5 3.4 .441 0.0 0.1 .000 0.6 0.9 .702
Tristan Thompson 60 23.7 8.2 3.1 3.4 6.5 0.5 0.5 1.0 1.4 2.2 3.2 7.4 .439 0.0 0.0 .000 1.8 3.2 .552
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith 7 5.7 2.0 0.4 0.0 0.4 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.9 .462 0.0 0.0 - 0.3 0.4 .667
Tristan Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Tony Smith Tristan Thompson
Season 1991-922012-13
Team Los Angeles LakersCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers 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 %
Tony Smith 63 13.0 4.4 0.5 0.7 1.2 1.7 0.6 0.1 0.8 1.4 1.8 4.5 .399 0.0 0.2 .000 0.8 1.2 .653
Tristan Thompson 82 31.3 11.7 3.7 5.7 9.4 1.3 0.7 0.9 1.5 2.9 4.8 9.7 .488 0.0 0.0 .000 2.2 3.5 .608
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith 4 10.0 1.8 0.3 0.3 0.5 1.3 1.0 0.0 0.8 1.3 0.8 2.5 .300 0.0 0.5 .000 0.3 0.5 .500
Tristan Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Tony Smith Tristan Thompson
Season 1992-932013-14
Team Los Angeles LakersCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers 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 %
Tony Smith 55 13.7 6.0 0.8 0.7 1.6 1.1 0.9 0.1 0.7 1.3 2.4 5.0 .484 0.0 0.2 .182 1.1 1.5 .756
Tristan Thompson 82 31.6 11.7 3.3 5.9 9.2 0.9 0.5 0.4 1.3 2.3 4.4 9.3 .477 0.0 0.0 .000 2.9 4.1 .693
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith 5 14.6 6.8 1.0 0.6 1.6 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.6 2.8 2.6 5.0 .520 0.4 0.8 .500 1.2 1.8 .667
Tristan Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Tony Smith Tristan Thompson
Season 1993-942014-15
Team Los Angeles LakersCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayCavaliers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith 73 22.2 8.8 1.5 1.2 2.7 2.0 0.8 0.2 1.0 1.8 3.7 8.5 .441 0.2 0.7 .320 1.2 1.6 .714
Tristan Thompson 82 26.8 8.5 3.3 4.7 8.0 0.5 0.4 0.7 1.0 2.3 3.3 6.0 .547 0.0 0.0 - 1.9 3.0 .641
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith ------- --- ----------
Tristan Thompson 20 36.4 9.6 4.4 6.4 10.8 0.5 0.3 1.2 0.8 2.5 3.6 6.5 .558 0.0 0.0 - 2.4 4.1 .585

Season 5

Tony Smith Tristan Thompson
Season 1994-952015-16
Team Los Angeles LakersCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith 61 16.8 5.6 0.7 1.0 1.8 1.7 0.8 0.1 0.8 1.8 2.2 5.1 .427 0.5 1.5 .352 0.7 1.0 .698
Tristan Thompson 82 27.7 7.8 3.3 5.7 9.0 0.8 0.5 0.6 0.7 2.5 3.0 5.1 .588 0.0 0.0 - 1.8 3.0 .616
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith 6 4.5 1.5 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.7 0.2 0.5 2.2 .231 0.5 1.7 .300 0.0 0.3 .000
Tristan Thompson 21 29.6 6.7 4.1 4.9 9.0 0.7 0.4 0.9 0.8 2.6 2.3 4.4 .527 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 3.5 .575

Season 6

Tony Smith Tristan Thompson
Season 1995-962016-17
Team Phoenix Suns, Miami HeatCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Heat Lost East Conf 1st RdCavaliers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith 59 15.9 5.1 0.5 1.1 1.6 2.6 0.6 0.2 1.1 1.8 2.0 4.6 .423 0.6 2.0 .328 0.5 0.8 .609
Tristan Thompson 78 29.9 8.1 3.7 5.5 9.2 1.0 0.5 1.1 0.8 2.3 3.4 5.6 .600 0.0 0.0 .000 1.4 2.7 .498
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith 3 20.3 7.3 1.0 0.3 1.3 2.7 1.3 0.0 1.0 2.3 3.0 6.3 .474 1.3 3.3 .400 0.0 0.0 -
Tristan Thompson 18 31.2 8.2 3.8 4.5 8.3 1.4 0.5 0.7 1.2 2.0 3.0 5.1 .587 0.0 0.0 - 2.2 3.3 .667

Season 7

Tony Smith Tristan Thompson
Season 1996-972017-18
Team Charlotte HornetsCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Hornets Lost East Conf 1st RdCavaliers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith 69 18.7 5.0 0.6 0.8 1.4 2.2 0.7 0.3 1.1 1.6 2.0 4.9 .409 0.5 1.4 .323 0.6 0.9 .644
Tristan Thompson 53 20.2 5.8 2.4 4.3 6.6 0.6 0.3 0.3 0.7 1.9 2.5 4.4 .562 0.0 0.0 - 0.8 1.5 .544
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith 2 4.5 0.5 0.0 0.5 0.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 1.5 0.5 0.0 0.5 .000 0.0 0.5 .000 0.5 1.0 .500
Tristan Thompson 19 21.9 6.2 2.3 3.6 5.9 0.6 0.1 0.4 0.6 1.4 2.6 4.4 .590 0.0 0.1 .000 1.1 1.4 .741

Season 8

Tony Smith Tristan Thompson
Season 1997-982018-19
Team Milwaukee BucksCleveland Cavaliers
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 %
Tony Smith 7 11.4 2.7 0.6 0.4 1.0 1.4 0.7 0.3 1.3 1.0 1.1 3.4 .333 0.0 0.6 .000 0.4 0.6 .750
Tristan Thompson 43 27.9 10.9 4.0 6.2 10.2 2.0 0.7 0.4 1.4 2.1 4.7 8.8 .529 0.0 0.0 - 1.6 2.5 .642
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith ------- --- ----------
Tristan Thompson ------- --- ----------

Note: Tony Smith didn't play in 1998-99 and 1999-00.

Season 9

Tony Smith Tristan Thompson
Season 2000-012019-20
Team Atlanta HawksCleveland Cavaliers
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 %
Tony Smith 6 13.0 2.8 0.3 0.2 0.5 1.7 1.2 0.0 1.5 2.0 1.3 3.8 .348 0.0 0.3 .000 0.2 0.3 .500
Tristan Thompson 57 30.2 12.0 4.0 6.2 10.1 2.1 0.6 0.9 1.8 2.2 5.1 9.9 .512 0.2 0.4 .391 1.7 2.8 .615
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith ------- --- ----------
Tristan Thompson ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Tony Smith Tristan Thompson
Season -2020-21
Team -Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Celtics 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 %
Tony Smith ------- --- ----------
Tristan Thompson 54 23.8 7.6 3.1 5.0 8.1 1.2 0.4 0.6 1.1 2.2 3.1 6.0 .518 0.0 0.1 .000 1.3 2.2 .592
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith ------- --- ----------
Tristan Thompson 5 26.4 10.4 5.8 4.0 9.8 1.0 0.8 1.2 1.0 2.4 4.0 6.8 .588 0.0 0.0 - 2.4 3.4 .706

Season 11

Tony Smith Tristan Thompson
Season -2021-22
Team -Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Bulls 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 %
Tony Smith ------- --- ----------
Tristan Thompson 57 15.7 6.0 2.1 2.9 5.1 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.8 1.7 2.5 4.7 .528 0.0 0.1 .333 1.1 2.0 .526
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith ------- --- ----------
Tristan Thompson 5 7.6 0.8 0.4 1.2 1.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 1.0 0.8 0.4 1.0 .400 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -

Season 12

Tony Smith Tristan Thompson
Season -2022-23
Team -Los Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Lakers 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 %
Tony Smith ------- --- ----------
Tristan Thompson ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith ------- --- ----------
Tristan Thompson 6 5.3 1.8 0.7 1.0 1.7 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.8 1.8 .455 0.0 0.0 - 0.2 0.8 .200

Season 13

Tony Smith Tristan Thompson
Season -2023-24
Team -Cleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Cavaliers 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 %
Tony Smith ------- --- ----------
Tristan Thompson 49 11.2 3.3 1.5 2.1 3.6 1.0 0.2 0.3 0.6 1.2 1.5 2.4 .608 0.0 0.0 .000 0.3 1.1 .288
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Tony Smith ------- --- ----------
Tristan Thompson 10 8.7 1.5 1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 0.1 0.5 0.2 0.9 0.7 1.6 .438 0.0 0.0 - 0.1 0.2 .500