The Index · Legend
Rik SmitsIndiana Pacers · #45
Rik Smits is a retired center best known with the Indiana Pacers. The Dunking Dutchman; a Pacers stalwart. Career averages: 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
Balladex Impact · 56
R
◆ Rated
Indiana Pacers · #45 · Center
Rik Smits
Season avg12.9 pts · 5.1 reb · 1.1 ast · .484 fg
Career avg14.9 pts · 6.1 reb · 1.4 ast · .507 fg
IMPACTBalladex Impact 56 — Rotation piece tierINDEXRik Smits · Indiana PacersIMPACTBalladex Impact 56 — Rotation piece tierINDEXRik Smits · Indiana Pacers
Scouting report
Rik Smits — the report card
Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades from the DNA model + real production.
C-
Retired standout · center · Impact 56
Rik Smits is a retired center best known with the Indiana Pacers. The Dunking Dutchman; a Pacers stalwart. Career averages: 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds
D
OffenseC-
DefenseD
Feel / IQD
Playmaking
Below average creator
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C+
Scoring
Strong scorer
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C-
Rebounding
Average on the glass
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F
3PT / spacing
Below average spacing
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D
Perimeter D
Below average on the perimeter
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C
Paint / rim D
Average at the rim
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C-
Clutch
Average late
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C+
Athleticism
Average tools
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D
Basketball IQ
Reads the game
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A+
Durability
Availability
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Act II
Where Rik Smits stands
Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.
The laddersmodel · recomputes nightly
✦ Balladex Consensus: Rotation piece tier — a blend of Impact, production and résumé.
Futures & chases
—MVP odds
56Impact index
147Star score
Career scoring average14.9 ppg
Seasons in the index12
Accolades on file1
1× NBA All-Star
Stat explorer
Rik Smits — every number, three levels deep
Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.
C+
Scoring
12.9 PPG
drill in ↓
D
Playmaking
1.1 APG
drill in ↓
C-
Rebounding
5.1 RPG
drill in ↓
F
Shooting
— 3P%
drill in ↓
The engine
How the model sees Rik Smits
Projection = per-minute rate × projected minutes. Rates are recency- and health-weighted, aged along a per-stat curve, and adjusted for live usage/role. No black box — every number shows its work.
Projected 2000-01 73% confidence
12.6
pts
10.6–14.6
4.8
reb
3.9–5.7
1.1
ast
0.5–1.7
22.6
min
proj
68
gp
health
.488
fg%
~base
—
3p%
~base
Bands widen as confidence drops. Derived live from the real 12-season history below.
What moves the points line vs last season
Last season 12.9 → projected 12.6 PPG
Minutes / role
-0.4
Development (his trend)
-0.1
Age curve
+0.0
Live context
+0.2
Net vs last season-0.3 PPG
Everything it reads
📊
12 seasons of per-minute rates
every box line, minutes-normalized
real
⚖
Recency × games-played weight
recent, healthy seasons anchor the baseline
auto
📈
Weighted least-squares trend
his own trajectory, read season over season
+dev
🕰
Per-stat aging curves
age — — applied per stat
curve
🔌
Live role context
usage & role shifts fold in when the feed is present
+ctx
🏥
Durability signal
GP last 3: 73 / 49 / 79 → games & confidence
health
The real history it trains onsource: Basketball-Reference · verified
Rik Smits career stats, season by season
| Season | GP | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-89 | 82 | 24.9 | 11.7 | 6.1 | 0.9 | .517 | |
| 1989-90 | 82 | 29.3 | 15.5 | 6.2 | 1.7 | .533 | |
| 1990-91 | 76 | 22.2 | 10.9 | 4.7 | 1.1 | .485 | |
| 1991-92 | 74 | 23.9 | 13.8 | 5.6 | 1.6 | .510 | |
| 1992-93 | 81 | 25.6 | 14.3 | 5.3 | 1.5 | .486 | |
| 1993-94 | 78 | 27.1 | 15.7 | 6.2 | 2.0 | .534 | |
| 1994-95 | 78 | 30.5 | 17.9 | 7.7 | 1.4 | .526 | |
| 1995-96 | 63 | 30.2 | 18.5 | 6.9 | 1.7 | .521 | .200 |
| 1996-97 | 52 | 29.2 | 17.1 | 6.9 | 1.3 | .486 | .250 |
| 1997-98 | 73 | 28.6 | 16.7 | 6.9 | 1.4 | .495 | |
| 1998-99 | 49 | 25.9 | 14.9 | 5.6 | 1.1 | .490 | |
| 1999-00 | 79 | 23.4 | 12.9 | 5.1 | 1.1 | .484 | |
| Career | 867 | 26.6 | 14.9 | 6.1 | 1.4 |
Source: Basketball-Reference. Backtested against completed player-seasons in the index. The same engine powers Tonight's projection, EraLab, and the role simulator — one model, asked different questions. Illustrative.
Act III
The Lab
Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.
Gold = MVP / Championship season · hover any bar. Real per-game data; per-36 & totals derived.
EraLab · the stat time machinenovel
Re-express a season in today's pace-and-space.
—raw PPG
→
—in 2026 pace
why
Player DNA + compssimilarity model
Scoring map · clickable zonesShotChart
Team-tinted. Modeled where tracking data is absent.
Role simulatorpowered by GM engine
Change the roster around him — his projection updates live.
Projected line shifts to — usage , assists rise as primary initiator. Title odds . Illustrative.
Context
Are the Indiana Pacers built to win?
Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.
22–60proj record
#13conf seed
-7.5net rtg
110.2off rtg
117.8def rtg
1%playoff odds
Roster delta · what changed
Drop coverage — Sits the big back to wall off the rim and lives with contested mid-range looks.. Core trending improving. Defensive anchors: Ivica Zubac, Andrew Nembhard.
How his role moves
Projected 22–60, 13th in the East. Real team projection from the roster + last-season baselines. His usage, minutes and creation load move with roster health.
Balladex Impact
56 of 99
Rotation piece tier.
Rarity
◆ Rated
Collectible tier.
Résumé
1 accolades
1× NBA All-Star
Act IV
The Ballad of Rik Smits
Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.
Indiana Pacers
Turning pro
Drafted 1988 as a Center.
true
Rik Smits is a retired NBA center. The Dunking Dutchman; a Pacers stalwart.
Chapter
He averaged 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists over his career.
Where things stand
A retired center and Indiana Pacers name.
▶
▶
Smits's story
The documentary, narrated
Highlights
Off the court
Measurables ESPN
- Height
- 7' 4"
- Weight
- 265 lbs
- College
- Marist
- Experience
- 12th Season
- NBA debut
- 1988
- Draft
- 1988
- Jersey
- #45
Career
The Dunking Dutchman; a Pacers stalwart.
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The person
A retired center and Indiana Pacers name.
Retired
Indiana Pacers
Standout
Verified profiles & sources
FAQ
Rik Smits — frequently asked
The questions people ask most about Rik Smits, answered.
What were Rik Smits's career averages?
Rik Smits averaged 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
Is Rik Smits in the Hall of Fame?
Rik Smits is a retired center and a notable pro, though not currently a Hall of Fame inductee.
Rik Smits career stats & accolades are real, and team projections and recent-game home/away splits are computed from real production. DNA ratings, grades, tonight's projection, ladders, live win probability and simulator outputs are Balladex model output. Not affiliated with the NBA.
