He's more effective with Lin, vs. Harden, who's less likely to dish on the drive. So they start Lin, take him out early, and put him back in as soon as Harden gets subbed. It's kind of an overlapping staggeredizationalism.
I'm digging his game a lot. I think he'd be great as a starting 4 ....once his mid range is proven. He makes his free throws so he might already have it! My other question mark is: is he fast enough to cover other 4s? Upside is huge!
I agree, our young guys haven't figured out how to be good rebounders yet. It's all about getting position when the ball is in the air, and for some reason they haven't figured that out yet. Smith's rebounding numbers aren't horrible, but he has the size and quickness to be a better rebounder and defender. With Smith it's important to remember that he's only 21 years old, and he is just now seeing his first meaningful minutes in the NBA. So I think Smith could take a big step forward in the next few years and become a good NBA Center/Power Forward.
Fantastic idea. Let's take out our guy who defends and rebounds and in his place, let's put another guy who can score a few more baskets. ... Because, you know, the biggest problem for Rockets was scoring so far...
Guys, Smith is a great young prospect with a lot of potential and upside, but Asik is one of the best big defenders in the league, and an elite rebounder. I think you play Smith depending upon the matchup. Last night, the opportunity was there to exploit Hawes, so it called for heavy minutes from a center who was more of a refined low post scorer. But most of the time, we'll need Asik to protect the paint and rebound more than we'll need a scoring presence. Keep in mind, we are actually one of the best offensive teams in the league. We are one of the highest scoring teams in the league. What we need is more dedication to defense. Sitting Asik on the bench is not a recipe for defensive prosperity. I still think Smith should get solid regular minutes, but saying that he should start or play more minutes than Asik, at this point, is pretty knee-jerk in my opinion.
I've compared him to Pekovic before, but think Smith is already the better finisher. That's just amazing. If he can develop some advanced post moves and start to iso weaker defenders he'll have very succesful career. I hope his help defense gets better, though. There's really no excuse for him be weak in that area. He's got quick feet, good hops, and is strong. At least draw some Chuckwagon/Jeffries type charges. C'mon now!
I would be in favor of him starting at the 4. Though him being the backup center would leave a hole in the rotation.
First off, no, he doesn't need to start over Asik. I get that his awkwardness on offense drives people crazy, but the guy is averaging a double double and brings an presence in the paint defensively that most teams don't have. Second, if you start them together, who is your back-up center? Cole Aldrich? Motiejunas? I'm all for Smith getting some more minutes, but I think he's best served as the back-up center right now. I think we can all agree that it's been a wonderful surprise to see how well Greg Smith has developed. And he's only 21 years old. That's scary. I just think he hasn't done enough to unseat Asik as the starter. It's a very good thing to be able to go to your bench and have a big as good as Smith.
why? for defense. the interior defense sucks. once the backcourt allow a man pass them, there is no help defense. i believe smith can be a presence here as he moves very well for a big. as others have pointed out, he needs to work on not fouling. also if he has a mid range game that we havent seen yet, he can still contribute in spacing the floor. because he moves so well he can get where he wants to be quickly and his giant hands will catch any ball within his grasp.
i wouldnt mind seeing the offensive scheme change if the backcourt is struggling. he just torched PHI down low when both harden/lin were sitting so if he can finish that efficiently, then why not have him be the focal point here and there? the OKC game showed just how one dimensional we are. more posting = more versatility.
At age 21, it's not uncommon to grow another inch or two!! I can actually happen. How sweet would that be? Hah.
http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/45864/nba-shootaround-kevin-durant-is-playing-at-my-house
I'm glad my prospect is doing well. Maybe I can start watching rox games since I abruptly stopped when Coach put Cole ahead Greg in minutes.
Thanks, it's very telling we gain offense when he's in and don't lose on defense + rebound better. Granted that it's against mainly 2nd units but still.
