RealGM

I just wanted to see how good everyone thought JR Smith was right now and how good you think Smith could be?

Right now Smith is a 6th man. He'll shoot you in and out of games. He has the ability to take it to the rim and finish, but why he hasn't taken the time to develop a mid-range game or play defense is beyond me...

He has all the tools to be a GREAT player in the NBA instead he's just average. I think playing for Karl has actually somewhat spoiled him, since his role is to just come in and chuck 3's he'll often take many dumb shots.

Denver really needs a new coach. (And no not Larry Brown if somehow anyone was thinking that)

I agree with you there, George Karl just annoys the poop out of me.

His talent is outweighed by his stupidity.

Just ask him - I'm pretty sure he'd tell you...........................and then some.

Ricky Davis type of player, i wouldn't want him on my team.

positivetension wrote:His talent is outweighed by his stupidity.

QFT

IF he can ever get his head straight and stop acting like a dipsh*t he can be a decent starter at worst.

Is it stupidity though? Or is it immaturity?(The guy came straight out of high school)

Walmart wrote:Is it stupidity though? Or is it immaturity?(The guy came straight out of high school)

i dont think immaturity matters that much on the basketball court.

so it's probably stupidity

i think he needs a hardnose coach that will just punish him for making stupid mistakes, and needs someone to mentor him and he will turn out alright.

hes got a ton of talent, but he just jacks up shots like theres no tommrow, he can take it to the rim at will , and he has the athletcism to be a great defender, tho he doesn't do that. dont kno, i think someone needs to get on him before hes the next ricky davis.

positivetension wrote:His talent is outweighed by his stupidity.

QFT also. Back when he was a rookie, some were high on him, but as his sophomore season went along, his work ethic was questioned and so was his attitude. Heck this guy was traded TWICE within the same offseason. Also, he decided to run a stop sign, which caused an accident and also the life of his friend. George Karl benched him for the playoffs like a year or two ago. In regards to his game, at the moment, it seems like whenever I watch him, all he can do is chuck up 3s and dunk. He makes some of the WORST decisions with the ball and from what I've seen, he has no midrange game.

I think he's an underrated player with a lot of potential. If Carmelo and AI weren't on the team, he would definitely average 20+ ppg.

as good as he wants to be.

george karl's been that hard nosed coach for him, and it seems to be paying off. karl doesn't play him if he doesn't work hard in practice, doesn't play defense or is too crazy with his shot selection. i think a lot of you guys are living in the past with your critiques of him.

denver's defense is better with him on the court than without. he's clearly become far more alert this season, his defensive energy is there consistently and he doesn't blow that many rotations.

offensive decision making has also improved tremendously. he's honestly the best passer out of the pick and roll on the nuggets. will still force shots and drives that aren't there from time to time, particularly after he makes a couple...but they also go in, and there's tons of talented players that do the same and are hailed for it.

has a very good stepback midrange jumpshot. i believe he's shooting nearly 50% from that 15-22 foot range this season. also have to consider that's not what he's out there for. karl has exactly 1 play for smith, used every other game...and it's for either a 3 or a alleyoop from iverson (depending on how the opposition plays the off-ball pick). they don't need him to be rip hamilton, they need him to spread the court and make the defense pay for doubling iverson/melo.

he shoots denver into far more games than he shoots them out of. denver's typically down by 8-10 points when jr enters near the end of the 1st quarter (thanks to anthony carter). a good portion of the time, he's the catalyst for why the team goes onto win games...and you rarely do you look back and say "well, if jr didn't go 3/15 and shoot us out of the game, we could have won"

for kicks...if you look at per48 scoring stats after the all-star break, he's 5th...behind kobe, bron, dirk & stoudemire. and overall on the season he's 7th. yea yea yea, its a per minute stat....but scoring 16 points in 22 minutes a night is no joke. kid can put the ball in the hole. he's had more 20+ scoring games for a player with 0 starts than anyone else in the league. he's more than a 6th man, and he should start for denver. its frustrating that karl has a love affair with an old player who spent last year in europe.

if he got 35 minutes a night for denver, he'd be a 20 point per game scorer with 4 boards and 3 assists on pretty darn good overall efficiency. if he got 35 minutes a night for most other teams (except sloan)...he'd probably score more (because melo/ai shoot more than any other combo in the league)

Corona summed it up nicely, I was one of JR's critics early this year on the nuggets board but the last 3 months he has played great. He is showing better decision making, if the 3 isn't there he'll take the ball to the hoop.

Of course he is a little over zealous with the 3 ball but most nights his 3's are what help us seal up victories, now if we could only get a coach that would play him more.....

He is better than most people want to give him credit for... He could have easily been out of the NBA(ala Gerald Green) but he has worked hard and* given the Nuggets some quality mins and outside shooting this year.

I think he needs to take some tips from DeShawn Stevenson. He can be that kind of player, AND more.

imho he's already better than stevenson.

people forget that when he was starting last year for denver they was still a good team. when iverson came he start chuckin up shots and took shots away from melo and smith. melo and smith had chemistry, something i dont believe melo and iverson have.

let me ask the board a question and i want the real answer.

if denver never got iverson, and jr was your starter would denver be a worse team, better, or the same?

i think the same or better.

Corona covered everything already about his game....but one thing that should be added is the fact that he is still just 22 years old. It feels like he has been in the league forever already, but really, he should have been a senior at North Carolina this year, helping to lead them to the National Title.

The kid still has loads of untapped potential, and he is already a pretty damned good player as it is. He is only going to get better and better.....and once Iverson leaves town in a few years, J.R. could be on his way to being Melo's next great sidekick for years to come.