Smith's scoring

[exodus]

Over the last 10 games Smith is averaging 18 ppg shooting 48.5%. Over the last 5 he is averaging 20 shooting 53%.

in recent games i have noticed that he is being much more patient with his drives. He doesn't force a drive when the lane is crowded as he was doing so frequently earlier in the year.

When he does drive and gets cut off he doesn't throw up a quick, off balance shot. He is stopping, keeping his pivot foot and then going up strong towards the rim. it is very hard for the defender to challenge his shot because of his athleticism.

Looking at his hotzones

http://www.nba.com/hotspots/

over the last 10 games Smith has made 53 baskets in the area under the basket, shooting 66%. For comparison purposes Boozer has scored 43 shooting 54%, Amare 69 shooting 68%.

Of course when you look at his other zones it is still pretty ugly. But IF Smith could just become a slightly below average midrange shooter (instead of a horrible one) he could actually become a pretty efficient scorer.

[Dexmethylphenidate]

Kudos to him but he shouldn't be taking fade away jumpers in crunch time.

[AHF]

Quote:

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Kudos to him but he shouldn't be taking fade away jumpers in crunch time.

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Clearly, but this is real progress in his shot selection which is producing tangible results for his game. His progress is good news, without a doubt. Still more room for improvement, too!

[exodus]

It seems like sometimes people here take Smith for granted a bit, like they are more focused on what he can't do than what he can do.

He basically punk'd NJ.

[hussamga]

His game is looking really good right now inside..it seems hes making an effort to lay it up and avoid charges as much as possible; not looking to posterize the defender all the time, shows maturity.

[DrReality]

Gotta think that what he worked on over the summer with Olijawon has had an impact. Those things that he learns don't come naturally without practice and it looks like he can do them unconsciously more. Good maturity to his game.

[TroyMcClure]

It's clear that he's working on his game, sometimes to the detriment of the team, though. Like lately he's added the drop step on the right block. He had been throwing up that weak hook every time, the drop step is a nice improvement. Sometimes though, it seems like he's so concentrated on his own "move" that he can't see the rest of the floor. All in all, Smoove has impressed me. He plays with a passion no other Hawks player does.

[DJ_Money]

As I've said, the most impressive thing about Josh this year is his ability to finish at the rim without a dunk.