Is Josh Smith the top player from his draft?

[Dukegotgame]

I really think he is. To me, the only other player that even has an agruement is Dwight Howard. Josh just does so much more than Dwight IMO. If Josh continues to develop at this pace, I really think he can become the best player ever to wear a Hawk's Jersey. He has the makeup of a dominant two way player.

[vdunkndunk]

If I had to choose I'd still take Dwight, but man...Josh Smith is really looking good. Rebounds, blocks, steals, assists...and now he's scoring well and even has some pretty nice post moves going on. Amazing. I don't even crnge when he leads the break anymore...I've never seen a player improve his ball handling so much in one season in my entire life. Seriously amazing. If he was in college right now he would absolutely dominate.

[exodus]

Tonight was the best i have ever seen Josh look in the post on offense. Last night was the best I have ever seen him look with his outside shot. His improvement is starting to get scary.

Tonights line 26 pts, 17 rebounds, 5 assits, 4 steals and 3 blocks. W T F

[DJlaysitup]

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...Seriously amazing. If he was in college right now he would absolutely dominate.

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Yeah v...depending on the situation of course..but on any decent team he would be a dominator - he would fill up the ESPN college highlights nightly.

[KB21]

It's tough to compare the two, but I think it is pretty clear that Dwight and Josh are the two best players from that draft after the fact. The Josh and Dwight comparison could very well be similar to the Kevin Durant and Greg Oden comparison. Dwight Howard gets the nod because he is a center at this point, and centers in basketball are like quarterbacks in football. The good ones are worth their weight in gold.

[DJlaysitup]

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...Tonights line 26 pts, 17 rebounds, 5 assits, 4 steals and 3 blocks. W T F

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LOL - amazing. I remember when any time he took off with a rebound down court I watched extra closely (expecting a train wreck)...and remeber the shots that missed not only iron but the backboard box too?

He couldn't make a layup to save his life.

What a transformation.

[jerrywest]

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If he was in college right now he would absolutely dominate.

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Are you kidding me. He is dominating NBA teams. Forget about college.

I am still pissed at BK for not picking him as our 6th pick.

[jerrywest]

He was working extra hard on rebounding today. You could see it in his eyes.

[KB21]

An absolute monster of a game by Josh Smith. The scary thing is that he is becoming a presence on both ends of the floor. The fact that he is showing that he can get it done on both ends gives him a value above some of the other names out there. I said it before the trade deadline when everyone was wanting Pau Gasol. I'll take Josh Smith over Pau Gasol because Josh can do it on both ends of the floor.

The people that have been saying that Josh is another AK47 better raise that bar a little. Right now, I'm not sure there is a player that we can compare Josh to. Someone mentioned Larry Nance, and Larry might just be the guy that is the best comparison considering his size, body type, and overall skill level. I'm not sure Larry was the shooter that Josh is quickly becoming.

[pimp]

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Tonight was the best i have ever seen Josh look in the post on offense. Last night was the best I have ever seen him look with his outside shot. His improvement is starting to get scary.

Tonights line 26 pts, 17 rebounds, 5 assits, 4 steals and 3 blocks. W T F

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Josh had to have scored about 14 of his 26 in the post.

We have too get him the ball down there more often.

[smithrules]

He is like no other right now as far as the skillset he brings into the PF position or SF whichever he plays. He isn't MJ but remember when MJ revolutionized the 2 gaurd position well smith is doing that to the forward position. Hes AK47 on steriods, HGH and Caffiene!

[SmooveTheFuture]

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He is like no other right now as far as the skillset he brings into the PF position or SF whichever he plays. He isn't MJ but remember when MJ revolutionized the 2 gaurd position well smith is doing that to the forward position. Hes AK47 on steriods, HGH and Caffiene!

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I dont think AK47 ever shot as good as Smith has recently. Josh Smith right now is way better then AK47. Im hoping he can become a mix of Chris Bosh, Shawn Marion, Jermaine Oneal and Amare Stoudamire. If this happens he will be an allstar. I really think he is just as good if not better then Josh Howard and he was an allstar in the west. Being 5 or 6 olders then Smith.

[Guest Walter]

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Tonights line 26 pts, 17 rebounds, 5 assits, 4 steals and 3 blocks. W T F

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As much as I'm hyped about JS, I'm dissappointed in MW. He should be doing more with this opportunity IMO. Same with SW but frankly he's a lost role-player cause.

W

[ersimo2889]

And he's finally getting better at interviews! He used to be god-awful.

[vdunkndunk]

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The people that have been saying that Josh is another AK47 better raise that bar a little.

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Seriously...AK47 is now a poor man's Josh Smith.

[pathway23]

I'm not disappointed in Marvin, he has been more consistent lately, giving us double digit scoring, and solid defense. I am disappointed in only one aspect of Marvin's game right now - his rebounding. I think Marvin could come back with a little more attitude and a little more strength next year and make strides as Smoove has. For such a young player, giving solid consistent contributions is most definitely impressive to me. This coming from a person who doesn't view Marvin as the 2nd pick in a draft with coveted players we didn't select, but as a person viewing Marvin as a basketball player on the team this person is a fan of. Which makes quite a difference. I pull for Marvin because he is on our team. I don't pull against him because he wasn't the right pick.

[exodus]

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Tonights line 26 pts, 17 rebounds, 5 assits, 4 steals and 3 blocks. W T F

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As much as I'm hyped about JS, I'm dissappointed in MW. He should be doing more with this opportunity IMO. Same with SW but frankly he's a lost role-player cause.

W

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Marvin had a quiet game and looks lost frequently but he did score 14 on 5-9 shooting. Hard to say he had a bad game.

We have been spoiled by Smith's meteoric rise and maybe expecting Marvin to improve at the same rate. I can't see that happening although he has been showing improvement. He is shooting 50% for the month and 86% from the line.

[pathway23]

It wouldn't be fair to any young player in the league exodus, to compare their progress to that of Smoove. I'm just glad we got him.

I just wonder though ex, if someone like Bilas had criticized Marvin on draft night in front of the whole basketball world, as Smoove was, would Marvin have extra motivation and just tear it up as well?

Hmm.

[DJlaysitup]

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I'm not disappointed in Marvin, he has been more consistent lately, giving us double digit scoring, and solid defense. I am disappointed in only one aspect of Marvin's game right now - his rebounding....

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Hard to be real dissappointed in Marvin tonight. He made a couple bad plays but he also hit shots early (3-4 with a three) when we were building the lead. He gets some rebounds - just not when JS is in there going after the same one much. JS's timing and leaping ability gets him rebounds over everybody else...their team and ours.

In truth, there have been a lot of good SFs in this league who were primarily jump shooters and occasionally drove to the hoop. I've got no problem with that as long as Marvin is a tough defender and can run when the opportunity presnts itself (the thing I most worry about). JC is obviously better in that regard now - not close.

But Marvin is money from the line when he gets there - that's a big plus...and he does have a true jump shot - doesn't require as much space to get his shot off.

Since I don't do "dream potential" and am not emotionally invested in either player - I would say it would be a tough call if you could only keep one - Marvin or Chillz. We should at least have another year or so for any decision like that though...unless we want to make a big move for next year (which I doubt thanks to the ownership situation).

[ATLJA316]

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And he's finally getting better at interviews! He used to be god-awful.

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HAHA, I've noticed that too. Glad to see he at least TRIES to speak in interviews now.