By Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider)

Houston Rockets Staff Writer

Rockets fans’ all wondered whether the team would get the ‘Good’ Josh Smith or the ‘Bad’ Josh Smith. In Friday’s game vs. Memphis, we saw a little bit of both from him, but one thing’s for sure – his positive contributions propelled the Rockets to victory.

Josh Smith had 21 points(9/21 from the field, 3-3 from the free throw line), 8 rebounds (4 offensive), and 3 assists. He made some mistakes on the offensive end, but showed his versatility when taking advantage of mismatches. His former AAU teammate Dwight Howard struggled mightily due to Memphis’s interior defense; his post game was nonexistent and he couldn’t stop Gasol’s mid-range game. With Howard struggling, Smith’s ability to create using his ball-handling and passing skills earned him 32 minutes of playing time and reinforced the notion that he’s capable of being a secondary playmaker.

Observations on Josh Smith

Josh Smith is an excellent player on the break, and he showed it in transition vs Memphis. In Friday’s game, there were a few instances where he took advantage of the match-up and used his size/speed to finish.

In his first few minutes of action, Smith played alongside DMO at the 4 position. Defensively, Motiejunas matched up on Gasol and Smith matched up on Leuer. Gasol set up on the right elbow, Leuer drifted towards the left corner (6/21 from three on the season). Motiejunas played tight on Gasol, forcing Gasol to drive and create space. He chose to drive it to the rim, but Smith was right there to contest the shot and force a miss. Smith set up just outside the paint, allowing him to play Leuer and rotate over to help on Gasol.

Here are a few more examples of Smith playing the role of rim protector. As I mentioned in my previous post, he’s among the league leaders in blocks – averaging 1.8 per contest. He plays well coming from the weak side, a nice compliment to Dwight. The ability to alter shots is very important – bringing another added dimension to the league’s 2nd best defense.

Quickly into his debut, Smith was running pick and rolls with James Harden. Harden is such a smart player – he’s able to recognize the defense and quickly decide which option is best. In this play, Memphis honored Smith’s ability to shoot the mid-range and handle the ball. Gasol came out higher towards the three point line. Seeing the absence of rim protection and an open late to the basket, Harden goes full steam ahead and finishes.

In this play, the Grizzlies can’t hedge high on the pick and roll and double Harden. Smith’s man is forced to stay allowing Harden to use the screen, penetrate, and pass it off to Dorsey for the finish.

Smith did make some questionable decisions offensively, but he played smart overall. On this certain play, Harden set up on the low block. Smith’s man came to double from the three point line. Recognizing that, Smith cut through the lane, got the pass from Harden, finished plus the and-1.

Mike Prada tweeted that the Rockets ran some 4/5 pick and roll with Smith and Howard last night, similar to what Smith ran with Al Horford during his time in Atlanta. Here’s a compilation that Prada created, showing its many variations. Smith’s ability to act as the ball-handler in the pick and roll is unqiue for a power forward, allowing the offense to use him in situations with the 5 (Dwight Howard). Smith can handle the ball and drive and finish, or pass it to Dwight for an easy layup.dunk. I noticed two instances where Smith/Howard ran the 4/5 pick and roll. In this play, Vince Carter is defending Josh Smith. Dwight Howard sets the pick, switching Gasol onto Smith and Carter onto Howard. Smith drives and passes to Howard who is fouled by the smaller Carter, earning 2 free throws. In this play, Howard sets the screen for Smith. Smith drives but misses the runner over Gasol.



One game isn’t a large enough sample size to analyze the type of production we can expect from Josh Smith, but it does offer hope that he can be that third star, X-factor that this team needs to win an NBA championship.

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