Potential

[hammertime23]

What are your guys feelings on josh Smith's potential? He already has a slam dunk championship and is well known for his nasty dunks and blocks. In NBA live he develops very well. I think he will become a proficient scorer ad rebounder, He reminds me a lot of lebron james without the passing and jumpshot like a rookie lebron james. What do you think his potential is, and what other players do you think will have good potential in the league?

[Fenix]

Well, I was actually pleasantly surprised by his development at the end of the season. Not only that he's a good team defender (man defense needs a lot of work, though) with his shotblocking instincts and one of the best athletes in the League, he also showed flashes of a good basketball IQ and playmaking/distributing skills. He has a nice court vision and passing skills, nothing Lebron like, but this will really help him in the future. It also shows that he's willing to pass, which is the most important thing. He also showed range on his jumpshot. If he improves his midrange game and ballhandling, he could very well become a versatile superstar in Kirilenko mold (more range, better offense, smaller, more strength/athleticism). I always had a feeling that his work ethic/attitude is poor, but I hope he proves me wrong.

[Its_asdf]

I heard he isn't a very hard worker, but who knows.

He certainly has the physical tools to be a successful wing player in the league, he just needs to develop a perimeter game and try not to gamble defensively as often as he does.

I certainly hope that he can develop into something big, but something tells me that he'll just be a tease.

[Silas]

I think we should send him to Phoenix for a year to find out if he is good or not... lol

[hammertime23]

Haha I really liked the Kirlenko comparison that's a very real comparison.

[KIG1]

At the end of the year, he showed that he could hit the jumpshot.

All he needed was confidence to take the shot and finally uncoiled some threes.

[Andrew]

Potential is probably the most overrated attribute for a young basketball player these days. Having said that, Josh Smith showed promise with flashes of an expanded offensive repertoire and he's a fantastic athlete so if he continues to hone his skills and basketball IQ he could be a very good player. I'm not sold on him as being a franchise player just yet though.

[Buckley]

I dont think J-Smoove will develop into much of anything, but you never know. If he polishes his game a little bit with a better jump shot, he could be come a star. He has a lot of talent and should be able to stay in this league for a while, but needs to work hard to reach his full potential.

[hammertime23]

I could also see him ending up in Darius Miles' postion. A young player full of wasted talent, on a terrible team.

[Silas]

I think Josh Smith's attitude is probably 10 times better though.

[Nick]

Josh Smith's attitude isn't that great though. He's pretty selfish reportedly.

Anyway the last few months of 05/06 season Josh Smith was awesome. He had like 15 ppg, 8 rpg, 4 apg, and 3 bpg. He even actually started hitting some shots from downtown.

i think he should work towards developing post skills, he could be a great pf. He could be the league's next big combo forward.

[KDawg295]

i think that josh smith is overrated.
just bc he freakin won the dunk contest.
and woohoo he wore dominiques freakin jersey.
wow hes cool.
not really.
just bc u win a dunk contest doesnt mean u can be a superstar.
duhh.
but ill give him props still.
even tho hes stupid after the 2006 dunk contest.
wat idiot puts a tape on the three point line.
and makes everyone think hes jumpin from there.
he has hops and length.
he just doesnt have the competetiveness and heart.
so that makes him another name for the cat.

[ataman5]

his shots are terrible he needs to improve his post plays and must become a pf gotta gain weights then maybe he will be a superstar as a pf

[scrub]

But hes a SF. If he improves his perimeter defense and his offensive skills he could become a very effective player.

[hammertime23]

I think he should stay at the SF and if he works on not gambling as much he could be the "LeBron Stopper" similar to how Ruben Patterson is the "Kobe Stopper". Josh Smith is only 20 years old so he has a lot of time to develop. He was fourth in the NBA with block per game(2.6), and second with overall blocks(208). If he wants to put effort into the game instead of trying to be the next coming of Dominique Wilkins, he could be amazing.

[ataman5]

if he stays at SF spot he really needs to work on his shoots with a coach gotta find his way how to jump and where to release the ball with what angle with his athletcism he could be a great defender offcourse