What does is Josh Smith's Future?

[ATL DirtyBird]

I posted a topic on Al Horford earlier and got good responses and I was wondering what yall thought Josh Smith could become in this league? His potential is through the roof but idk. So let me know what yall think

[mattlanta]

According to you, I'm an "idiot". So, my idiot response to this topic is, you are right about Smith's potential. If he can work on his jump shot and play smarter basketball, he would easily become an all-star in this league. He has some things to work on. He's got to take more consistent/efficient jump shots. None that are random or outside his range (3 Pts). He's really got to stick to driving to the basket because that's what he's really good at on the offensive side of the ball. However, what I really like about Josh Smith is his willingness to prove people wrong. He gets a little too full of himself at times, but I kinda like that in someone who's got such a long career ahead of him and he's already become one of the youngest stars in the NBA. Something he's got that separates him from most of the players on our roster is his passion to win. He's got that fire in his heart, and you can see that he brings it on the court every single day.

Like I said, potentially, Josh Smith can become an all-star in this league, and he can certainly become an elite ball player. Hall of fame? Again, way too early. He doesn't have the leadership and tangibles that Horford has, but he's still one of the key building blocks of this roster.

[ATL DirtyBird]

HAHAH lidbid sorry bro ur not an idiot i was just frustrated but thanks for the response...really good...i think if he could control is drives more and not go so wildly to the basket and maybe get a 17 ft or longer jumpshot the skys the limit...cant wait to see the maturation of this kid...again sorry lidbid lets be friends lol

[mattlanta]

HAHAH lidbid sorry bro ur not an idiot i was just frustrated but thanks for the response...really good...i think if he could control is drives more and not go so wildly to the basket and maybe get a 17 ft or longer jumpshot the skys the limit...cant wait to see the maturation of this kid...again sorry lidbid lets be friends lol

I don't have any friends, so sure. 'Lidbid' is now your friend.

[Harry10]

Poor man's KG, rich man's Kirilenko.

right now Smoove is KMart in his prime (maybe even alittle better) and still has room to grow.

will Josh ever become another Amare..... well yeah! i mean 17/8 is not that far off from 20/10

will Josh ever get 26/9 like Amare (even though Amare had Nash at PG).... no, i don't think so, but you throw in Josh's blocks, steals, and assist, and the impact could be the same.

in the Celtics series we saw Josh put the ball on the floor and take it right at KG, he just needs more of that and get his FGs in the .500s

[conleyorbust]

The nice thing about Smith is that even if he stops growing as a player, he is already a real force.

As far as what he could become? Well it is certainly possible that he shows the ability to grab another rebound, or even two, every game. One of them will come as he starts to play closer to the hoop on offense. He could also develop a midrange J which could make him deadly in the halfcourt. Even if he doesn't develop that though, look at guys like Kemp and Amare. Great offensive players but not the kind you build an offense around, you fit them in. Josh is like those two but we don't have the right kind of offense. Amare had a HUGE jump in efficiency when Nash arrived and Kemp's efficiency on offense was tied with Payton's development, when he wasn't with GP any more, he wasn't special. Those guys were in PnR offenses or in offenses where they can get the ball in space, take one dribble, and then just go up. We've never run sets like that, hopefully we will with Bibby.

So yeah, I could see him becoming a 19ppg/9rpg/3bpg/2.5apg/1.5spg on 49% without adding anything to his game, just changing our offense a little.

If he adds some stuff on offense he could be a low 20s scorer but I'm not counting on him hitting that midrange consistently for a few years.

In terms of his mentality, Sekou said it best when he said that Smith was the heart of the team. The guys feed of his energy or get bogged down by his frustration. Whether we like it or not, he is a leader of the team just because he is so talented, liked by the fans, and extroverted with his passion.

[BMF Jet Jaguar]

idk about his offensive potential, but I think he could defiantly be the first person since Hakeem to average 2 blocks and 2 steals per game for a whole season

[td00]

Many are so concerned that Al is playing out of position, but truthfully, without Smoove in there, we lose a lot of defensive presence. He fills up a stat sheet, and he does deserve a contract comparable to many others. Would you rather have Kirilenko than Smoove? I wouldn't. Are we considered a small frontline with him at the 4?

Now, does he and Marvin make a good forward tandem? I am not sure about that. Marvin and Smoove have room for major improvement, but together they don't create mismatch issues for other teams. Marvin's game is pretty vanilla, and I guess we attack Smoove in the post.
I like that we have a forming frontline, but we still need more help. And I do think that Smoove can go to the 3 to make the frontline that much more threatening. Smoove has a lot of room for improvement on the offensive end, but he does bring the energy this team needs to compete. He is a big void in the lineup when he doesn't play well.

[Rod700]

Are we considered a small frontline with him at the 4?

Now, does he and Marvin make a good forward tandem? I am not sure about that. Marvin and Smoove have room for major improvement, but together they don't create mismatch issues for other teams. Marvin's game is pretty vanilla, and I guess we attack Smoove in the post.
I like that we have a forming frontline, but we still need more help. And I do think that Smoove can go to the 3 to make the frontline that much more threatening.

There are a couple of issues in here that I've been pondering for a while. I was thinking of starting a thread about it, but you brought them both out here: Can Smoove play SF? Are he and Marv a good combo? To the first question, I've been in the camp that emphatically views Smoove's success as being due to his move to PF. However, upon thinking about it from another angle, I realize that positions are really more of a reflection of offensive duties rather than defensive. A defensive stopper at SF will often guard the other teams best scorer if he is a SG, and that doesn't make the SF any less of a SF. My point here is that yes, Smoove needs to continue guarding PF's and hanging near the basket as opposed to guarding the perimeter or chasing shooters through screens, but on the OFFENSIVE end, I see his scoring threat as being mainly a slasher role as opposed to posting up and being a banger. Sure he can post up some, but lots of small forwards post up from time to time. Given Marv's new found bulk of 245 pounds, and his inabilty to slash, I want to see Marv in the post more. Maybe he can actually serve as our PF (keeping in mind that I'm using that as an offensive term). Of course you could make the arguement that, if he has developed that 3 he has been practicing in the off-season, he is more apt to continue being a SF, but I just see this as making him more versatile, and a better fit with Smoove, who would serve as the slasher, moving without the ball, perhaps catching passes from Marv who is in the post or at the 3 point line. I realize that those are some huge "if's", assuming Marv can develop a post up game and/or a 3 point shot he didn't have last year. If he does, then yes, he is a whole new player and he fits perfectly with Smoove. If he's the same old Marv, then he is not only not a great fit with the Smoove, but the team would need someone else on a somewhat small front line who can support Hortford and Smoove with more than average numbers and an offensive game limited to a mid-range jump shot.

[bruno sundov]

Did they sign this kid yet or what. I think he is nasty!!

[mattlanta]

Did they sign this kid yet or what. I think he is nasty!!

Yes, he's signed.