I say use him for the mismatch during bench time in order to create havoc... not starter quality... yet
I agree. If they continue to use Greg Smith off the bench, they should probably give him time at the 4 as well as the 5. Rotate Pat or Morris at the 4 while Smith plays the 5. Then play him at the 4 some when asik get in.
The Greg Smith conundrum- What is it with fans & probably some guilty team officials having the thought process of assuming that players drafted in the lottery are players with higher upside that need to be playing over players who are seen as low-upside? I cant tell you how many times you see after games fans going crazy because Jones isn't playing, or D-Mo isn't playing. Last season it was Morris that had fans scratching their heads wondering why he wasn't playing. They are the shiny new toy under the tree thought process that has all the fans wanting to open it up over playing with the old wooden horse that has been in the family for generations. So, I say, what about Greg Smith? Nobody really considers this guy to be a high upside big man, and I really want to know why? -Age- Greg Smith is the third youngest player on this roster at only 21 behind Jones and Royce White. -Physical gifts- Greg Smith has the biggest hands in his draft class, and quite possibly the largest in the NBA now that Shaq is retired. Its a hard thing to measure since they only started measuring this a few years ago. Add to that not only are his hands huge, they are soft too. Great asset for a low post player who stands at 6'10", 250+ with a 7'3" wingspan. Physically, this guy has top 10 draft potential based on his body alone. -Coach-ability- This guy has improved possibly more than any other player on the Rockets roster since this Summer. He's been cited to have worked extremely hard since he has been with the Rockets organization. -Efficiency for a young player- Just go to Hoops data to see for yourself. Greg is one of the most efficient players in the league right now. For being a second year player that really should be considered a rookie, its amazing that this guy just does not take bad shots, or make plays that lead to turnovers. 80% from the free throw line??... thats pretty good for an apparent "unpolished" big man. Statistically, Greg Smith is making a case for an increased role & playing time. So Im not saying Smith should start, and play 40+ min a game or anything. He's still got a long ways to go before I would consider him to be a finished product. However, if you take away draft position, and look at the young bigs from an objective perspective, you might want to rethink your position on what this guy's ceiling might be in the NBA.
I wouldn't mind Smith taking some of Asik's minutes. It's clear that Asik is getting worn down by playing starters' minutes for the first time in his career. We had a thread earlier that showed precipitous drops in his TRB% in the second and fourth quarters, when he was tired from running up and down the floor. And his defense statistically suffers in those quarters as well, which is unfortunate because the fourth is when he's needed most. Give Greg 5 more of those minutes and some spot minutes at the 4 and I think, I hope, that creates a better Rockets basketball team. You give Asik an opportunity to condition himself into the role of a starter, instead of being a tryhard at the start of the season and wearing himself out again, and you give the power forward position some toughness it often lacks with Patterson.
He and asik will clog the paint on offense which is against our offensive Gameplan of spreading the floor
If he continues like this, improves on his defense and develops legitimate post moves he could be a starter at the 5. He's not a 4 though so no, he's fine off the bench. Not really impressed by Asik's defense so far this season.
Greg Smith needs to be under the basket. Moving Asik away from there, they can slack off him and deny Smith.
Greg Smith is better than Asik especially when we play the contending teams. Greg Smith is being disenfranchised by not starting on this current rockets team but since this is his first true year ill take him getting big minutes of the bench.
20 points off the bench ...this kid just finishes so well under the basket...he is like young chuck hayes...but able to contribute also on the offensive end...
Asik and Smith cannot play at the same time. Neither one of them can reliably hit a 10 foot open jumper. There is not enough room under the rim for both of them.
What in the world have you been watching? Asik has been the 7 foot Chuck Hayes everyone's been pining for.
Pattern is built like a sasquatch but melts under the basket like butter in a pan. His only redeeming quality is camping outside of the 3 point line.
Personally, I like it when coach spells Asik and then Asik comes back in with Smith staying in also. It's a different look. I want Smith to come off the bench for now. He and Delfino and Douglas are bringing a lot of energy, and that is really important as the season streches out.
Just keep him as the primary back up 5. He's been doing good in that role, why mess with that? Just let the guy continue to develop in his current spot. If we want to add more offense to the starting 4 spot, we have two talented young 4's in the D-League with great offensive potential.
