No. He's clearly less of an overall contributor than Asik. We just have another two-headed monster. It's really a problem when the back-ups play only one position. You want guys who can slip to several positions for back-ups.
No. Greg Smith is not under utilized. The Rockets offensive system breaks down if both Asik and Smith are on the floor at the same time. Drives to the basket by Harden and Lin break down when there are two big defenders in the paint.
I think he is being used just right. He's a good defender and finisher around the rim. Maybe he develops a decent mid-range or 3pt shot. I think Patterson, Morris and one of the rookies are likely to be trade bait and if so we will see plenty of Greg Smith if a trade does go down. I wonder if we keep winning if Morey will be more likely to keep the team intact for a playoff run or. I'm starting to think that will be the case.
He looks to be a terrific finisher. I think they'll utilize him more on the pick and roll. From his pre-draft workout video in another thread, it looked like he had a decent jump shot. His free throw percentage is respectable too (about 75%), so that gives me hope he'll be able to add a consistent jumper to his repertoire.
from the Chronicle .. Asik, Smith play as tandem The Rockets went with a lineup they rarely use, even with injured forward Patrick Patterson out, by playing centers Omer Asik and Greg Smith together for more than seven minutes in the third quarter when they made their comeback. ... “We put Greg in there with O just to try to get some size,” McHale said. “We had to trade some stuff up. And both of those guys are pretty diligent about staying wide and getting movement.” link i think Smith's play has the attention of the coaching staff. where, how & whose minutes he'll get is a WIP.
Can he? I feel like he's pretty much a paint guy: dunks and layups, occasional baby hook. Never seen him hit outside 5 feet, not saying he doesn't have a mid-range shot but I don't think one can claim that he makes much use of it at this point. Would be great if he did then playing him and Asik together could work better.
Right now, Greg's Smith biggest problem is fouls. He can't help getting them. Do you know Greg Smith averages 6 fouls per 36 mins? That's basically fouling out before the game is over each and every game. Last year, he averaged 9 PFs per36. So yea, he just can't stay on the court. It's not that the coaches aren't giving him playing time, it's that he's not giving himself playing time. I think he's great when he's in it. I especially love that he's a 75% FT shooter which is great for a big guy. Though he was only 59% in college. To me, the coaches seem to be using him just right. When he shows that he can control his foul issues, he'll continually get more time. I agree with some here that I rather see him as a 4, but unfortunately that means Cole is the backup 5.
smith hit a nice jumper in the SAS game. shot clock running down... desperation pass to him along the baseline... he shoots... nuttin but net. just cause you havent seen him shoot doesnt mean he doesnt have it in him. and why is everybody dismissing the fact that the comeback occurred when both Asik and GSm were on the floor together? the added defense/size already makes up for whatever deficiency you think he can be on offense. and also if you play off him and give him space, he moves very well. he will posterize the crap outta you like he almost did to rubio before nearly killing himself. remember, 85%.... i say keep him as the main back up 5, but add in some time where he can play 4. both for defense AND a new/different look on offense mainly more deep posting while still having effective high picks with asik.
that's coachable. his size and athleticism isnt. that's god given. and yes the biggest problem is cole as the 3rd 5. this is where morey needs to work before the trade deadline. a serviceable 3rd 5 allows smith to play more minutes.
History of basketball has not shown an offense that excelled with two big clogging the middle. Whether for post play or dribble penetration. This has been demonstrated for as long as I've watched basketball. Never in my life have I seen a top-level offense feature two players who can't shoot. JHo had zero jumpshot by the time he was a Rocket, and was left alone all day everyday while teams doubled Yao. Hayes and Cato both clogged the paint so much defenders could shade towards Yao so easily to pick his pocket. The Rockets best offensive year with Yao? The year when Scola became the PF.
I don't think he's under-utilised at the moment, he's still developing. We need a stretch 4, I haven't seen Smith's jumpshot enough to make a full judgement, but, seeing his style of play, I don't think he'd be a good fit yet. He's playing great as a back-up for Asik and gives O a much needed rest. I think they should just keep playing Smith 20 mins a game, maybe test him out at PF when the team's chemistry is really solid, but keep him at C for the time being. Having O and Smith on the court at the same time will clog the lane too much, probably.
Maybe he is a little bit but you know who is really underutilized? Omer Asik. That dude has a post game. He needs somebody to trust him and call that play for him. That shake move he did on Boozer was effortless. Im calling it first. Nah **** that, I called it a while back.
Chuck Hayes was a living, breathing foul machine when he first started but he learned by his errors and good coaching .
