From what little I've seen of the games this season, I think he is being brought along at the right pace. He has been given a taste of meaningful playing time and it appears to have made him very hungry. If that hunger translates into continuance of the hard work he has displayed recently, he could easily become a 20+ mpg player next season. The sky is the limit after that if he develops a true face up game. I do think he could be a top 10-12 NBA starting PF in two years with no major flaws in his game.
Hakeem played inside, Sampson played outside for the Rockets in the 80s. When the Spurs drafted Duncan, he played inside while Robinson played outside. With Memphis, Randolph and Gasol both have a little range in their game. On the flip side, Pau Gasol has become much worse ever since Bynum last year and Howard this year take position inside. And he was forced to become a perimeter player rather than a post-up player. And Gasol has a better offensive game than Asik or Smith could ever dream of having. Even then it was difficult for him to play outside.
Excellent point. This is true. As great as he is, Smith does pull a lot of fouls and sometimes at very inopportune times that kill momentum and some of our own plays. His off the ball fouls are a concern.
He has hit this in a game earlier for the Rockets this year, can't remember the opponent. Looked real smooth. I have been saying start him at the 4 since the preseason.
Give him more time, and then look at these stats. They'll probably get diluted. He'll eventually earn more PT, hopefully, b/c Asik seems rather overutilized when he's gaspin for air and looks spent early in 4th sometimes.
again he moves very well for a big. if the defense leaves him all alone, he can cut, and he finishes very well. also i believe he has a decent mid court that we havent seen as well. again, its not as if people respect 2pat's 3 anyways...
Not that I'm hating on Greg Smith, but he is 1 dimensional player right now on offense. They can slack off of Greg as he doesn't have a mid range jumper. The reason he has a high %, is he slides in when his defender is off of him and goes for the dunk. In reality, any athletic PF/C would work in the system as lin and harden puts a lot of pressure on the defense when they drive. His role is fine backing up Asik. We need Morris and Ppat as our 4th to stretch out the court. That's our game right now, which is why PPat started to shoot 3's, to keep his defender honest.
I think Smith should get more time at the 4 as well as backing up Asik. He clearly has ability to finish, prob better than anyone on the team if he is under basket. Great hands, good defender and a hustle type player who is never afraid in a matchup. I really like smith and although he isn't a 3 pt shooter he is a inside presence on offense who moves very well to the basket. Smith is a beast and it's time we unleashed him
When you are a back up center you are supposed to protect the paint. Fouls are freely given since you know you are only going to play limited minutes anyways. So I'm not worried about his fouling.
The Minnesota announcers compared Greg Smith to Otis Thorpe, who back in the early 90s was probably as prototypical a PF as they come. But the game has changed, and Smith doesn't seem to have the same ability to put the ball on the floor or hit that little 10-footer that OT had. Still, its an interesting comparison, and maybe in spurts Smith can be used as a PF against big lineups.
I remember smith put up a 10 foot hook shot in OKC game, but it went in and out unfortunately (bounced about three to four times inside the rim).
He has the potential but right now he draws fouls quite a bit. Can't play major minutes if you foul often. Asik was like that in his rookie year but he's since gotten it under control.
He is also usually matched up against reserves. He should still probably get 3 or 4 more of Asik's mins. Worried about Asik's high usage.
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