Smith obviously needs some rest. DMo needed rest a couple of weeks ago and it getting it now so hopefully when he gets back, we can give Smith some rest before the playoffs. Hopefully we can enter the playoffs with our big men rotation relatively fresh with Jones and Howard missing games and coming back, DMo resting now and Smith resting a little in the future.
The difference is Smith cut down on his mid-range shots and replaced those with more shots at the 3 and shots in the paint. Just goes to show you that the mid-range is indeed one of the worst shots in b-ball and should be minimized as much as possible.
Smith just had a bad game tonight, it happens. He's been better than expected. That being said, assuming Jones is healthy, he will likely see more minutes than Smith.
Right on queue.... Smith was terrific tonight, especially in the 2nd half. Clutch shots, clutch defense, clutch rebounds.
Someone like Scola should shoot the 2 as long as he keeps a high percentage. Depending on the person who shoots it. I agree only that a lot of player should not take it.
i like the fire he brings to every game. He is an excellent shot blocker. He didnt look much tonight but he is +20, the highest in the team. His presence in the team is giving positive effect.
Mid-range is one of the worst shots in b-ball*. Can't forget the asterisk. *Unless you're an elite mid-range shooter, or you're wide open.
I think this is another morbid upside to some of our players getting injures. Jones/D-Mo injuries forced McHale to play Josh and Josh has shown he's still very, very much starter quality. I want to facepalm over Mchale on this again but whatever. If Smith keeps playing like this, I really would like to be able to keep him for next season.
Smith looked like beast mode yet again tonight, actually. His rim protection without our garbage FT-shooting bigs on the floor was enormously influential, especially that gruesome block+recovery (or was that 2 of them?) late in the 4th on Barea (Jefferson too?). Rebounds. Blocks. Steals. Hustle and aggression. Key ingredients in a championship mix that clearly favor Josh Smith over other PFs on this team. Yes, including DMo. Start Smith with Howard.
If that was a bad game, I hope he has nothing but bad games for all his remaining games as a Rocket. 15 points, 12 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals, and only 2 TO (TS% was 56% and harden shot 59% for comparison)
