Just watched Warriors vs Cavaliers game, the presence of Draymond Green is so huge. I do think he is more or less important as Stephen Curry in Warriors' offense / defense system. And we can see in Spurs, Boris Diaw is the lubricant or even the 2nd engine in Spurs' offense system. Draymond Green: 6' 7", 230 lbs Boris Diaw: 6' 8", 250 lbs Do Rockets have someone like Draymond Green / Boris Diaw? Yes we do. 6' 9", 225 lbs, a man who can pass like Boris Diaw, defense like Draymond Green, dunk like Lebron James. Josh Smith. And no one can deny that Josh Smith is definitely more talented than Green and Diaw. So, after mimicking D-Mo, I think Josh should turn to study Draymond Green / Boris Diaw's game. If he does that, Rockets will be a real monster. Mchale, please guide Josh!
We don't want Josh shooting 3's. He needs to play like 2010 Josh Smith. Run the offense as a secondary playmaker from the elbows. Hit guys for corner 3's and Dwight for easy buckets.
i'll get two of the obligatory replies out of the way 1 - you registered in 2010 and your first post is about a declining, chucking josh smith? 2 - the role of josh smith is to lay bricks if things work out for this team, he can be a super 6th man and compete with dmo for the starting pf. he's criminally underrated for his whole career. the pistons were stupid to sign him to that big contract and not turn monroe into a 20-25mpg big off the bench.
First things first. Josh doesn't have the same passing skill of Diaw. Diaw makes safe passes. He has touch. He anticipates his teammates' movements. Josh on the other hand goes for the home run pass too much--and in the process creates a lot of turnovers. A hockey assist is as good as an assist if the offense scores. The MPH on his passes are sometimes too high. Sometimes he misses the shooting pocket of his teammates on 3s. On offense, priority #1 is to not throw the ball away. #2 is shoot the shots you're good at. It's that simple for Josh. I don't mind his shooting 3s as long as he's working on it in the lab and it's ready for prime time. Dennis Rodman is a hall of famer. His teams won championships. Having at least 1 out of your 5 players on the court focus on dirty work is key. True basketball fans appreciate this. Hopefully watching more film will help Josh & the Rockets figure things out on offense. I am pointing out the solution isn't always putting the ball in a player's hands to play make. Sometimes it is doing less. Just be a ball mover. No look passes. Fake passes. Make the defense react. That is where he can flex his vision--not off the dribble. I can tell he's working on it, so hopefully things keep improving as the season goes along.
The absolute last thing Josh needs to do is pattern himself after guys who stretch the floor. And FWIW, I'd take Draymond over Josh 10x out of 10. I can't say who is more naturally talented, but I can certainly say who harnesses his talent in the most efficient/effective way, and it's not remotely close.
Quote Having at least 1 out of your 5 players on the court focus on dirty work is key. True basketball fans appreciate this. Unquote I utterly agree with you.
You just compared diaw which is a great dribbler to Josh? That's like telling Dwight to shoot like Steve Nash
He will be fine as a Rocket. What he needs to understand is that he is not the first and second option anymore. His passing is what really intrigues me. If he can play with a more stratigical approach he, Dwight and DMO will make the scariest front court trio in the NBA. I don't know if Tinman has the old videos of Hakeem and Thorpe in the 94 finals where the two played pick and rolls and off each other so both could remain fresh for game 7 and that is exactly what our big guys need to do. What Josh Smith brings to this team is exactly what I hoped we could have acquired during the offseason. As amazing as DMO's progression has been, he is still inexperienced and Josh plays a more physical game and has the mental and physical capabilites to go up against the likes of LMA in portland, beat up on Durant, and shove Duncan here and there. The system this team runs and players we have are perfect for Josh and vice versa. Another thing that is overlooked is his passing. If people watch closely, the man is a great passer for a big which is great for guys like beverly and Ariza that are very much 3 and D players. It isn't just about kicking the ball and pray that your team mates hit the three but kicking it out to them at their spots at just the right time. It also helps to have someone else who can properly get Dwight and James the ball. The team now just needs to build chemistry and with that everyone will get to know each others spots and timing.
He needs to do exactly what Jones was doing last year while playing the same great D that he has played his entire career. There is nothing Jones was doing last year that Smith can't. They have the same standing reach, and same explosiveness. They have equal handles and are both unreliable shooters that opponent don't respect. Jones is a little better finisher and Smith is a better passer. Jones had all year starting from camp to learn his place in the offense along H&H, Smith has had 9 games. I am still very confident that given time he will become a better passing version of Jones. Defensively he has been great his entire career, even this season in Detroit. There is no reason whatsoever to think he won't be great here too once he gets comfortable with our defensive schemes.
Diaw started his NBA career playing PG, he has that kind of court vision. Since, he has become a frontcourt player because he has post skills but mainly because he's fat and slow. So, really, they're nothing alike.
