How Good Was Kenny 'The Jet' Smith Actually?

Kenny Smith is famous for being an instigator on Inside the NBA and helping Hakeem to win two championships with the Rockets. He was never a star like Barkley or Shaq, but Kenny did have a productive NBA career. So how good was he actually?

Follow Nonstop

Imagery supplied by Getty Images

[nonstop]

Who's career should we make a video on next?

[mightymidget]

Kenny: “Hakeem Olajuwon used to say this to me all the time-“
Charles Barkley: “Kenny can you get me some water?”

[evflorybarnes]

This video made me realize that Kenny has something on Barkley and Shaq. He was an essential part to two Houston championship runs, particularly the games that knocked Barkley and The Suns out of the playoffs in 94' and finished off Shaq and The Magic in the 95' Finals

[whitemambaxe]

“Kenny bring me some water” - Hakeem Olajuwon

[strawberrykiwicapri]

honestly didn’t know kenny balled like that, anyone averaging 17 and 7 in multiple seasons is a solid role player for any era

[joejoiner]

Starting PG on a team that won Back to Back championships... that's how good he was

[damonsonnier]

Kenny Smith shot 7 3-pointers in game 1 of the 1995 Finals, which was an NBA record at the time. The 90s Rockets were arguably the first team to heavily establish the 3-point shot with Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell, Sam Cassell, Clyde Drexler, Mario Elie, and Robert Horry.

[rohanbhaunt]

DAMN !! Didn't know Kenny had such a great career. Game tying 3 in a finals game, Record for most 3s in a finals game that stood for 15 years, 17th in MVP voting ahead of Hakeem, these are some insane achievements that any NBA player would love to add in their resume. Don't think he gets enough credit for his contribution in a championship team because now he shares a desk with two of the best players to ever play the game and he wasn't as great as them, but he was definitely more than a role player and a legend in his own right.

[chrisford]

I will never accept Kenny Smith slander of any kind. As a Rockets fan growing up watching him play, he was criminally underrated. In today's wide open NBA he would've been absolutely deadly in his prime. Him pump faking Hardaway into oblivion and burying that 3 pointer in game 1 of the NBA Finals is a moment I will never forget.

[zacharylewis]

Kenny was something every team would kill for: consistent reliability.

[AJARyan-ynuv]

‘His small stature of only 6ft2.’ Only in basketball 😂

[Anthony-ndvk]

With efficiency ratings that high on limited minutes, Kenny would have been considered a better player in this era now than his own era where big men dominated.

[ShutThePuck]

Kenny is what you call a hall of fame role player, can't carry a team but excels in his role and depending on the match ups or the moment, can be the most important player that day. You don't win 2 championships without a player like Kenny supporting an all time great like Hakeem.

[df]

Kenny Smith layup over Sabonis in the USA vs Russia world championship was some gánster play. Sabonis was considered the best center in the world at one time. Plus the USA won by one basket show how brave Kenny was for going strong to the basket. Great video 🎉

[MannyMensah]

I had no idea he was a good player after his career. I glad he continues his basketball knowledge on TNT.

[hardwoodthought]

Kenny actually finished tied for 17th in MVP voting in 1990-91

For reference, Kyrie has never finished with a share of the MVP voting

Madness

[anthonyriche]

Great piece on Kenny Smith- one of the greatest point guards to come out of NY. It's worth mentioning he went to Archbishop Molloy where he was followed by another great point guard also named Kenny- Kenny Anderson.

[AirRusher]

Most NBA fans have no idea that Kenny Smith is a really good player as he one of the greatest role players in NBA history just because those fans only remember him as an analyst for TNT's Inside the NBA.

[disheemthomas]

Last yr in his Hall Of Fame speech, Rudy Tomjanovich thanked Kenny (& Otis Thorpe) 4 making the greatest sacrifices of all his players and putting up w his substitution rotations. That context shows his #'s could've been far better, but he conceded 2 his role in order 2 win.

[thomas_the_cat]

he's not a bonafide star, but prime kenny smith was kinda ahead of his time and would fit in today's era... has hops, can play point, and can shoot threes