Pivot Points: Josh Smith’s Evolution

December 1st, 2009 by Hadarii Jones Leave a reply »
Atlanta Hawks forward, Josh Smith has always been good for a Sportscenter highlight or two, an impossible block, an athletic steal, or on one memorable occasion, a missed dunk.

This year though, Smith is entering new territory in his sixth year in the NBA, because for the first time Smith is actually learning the true concept of fundamental basketball.

Smith has gotten by so far in his career based on the fact that he is one of the only players that you could compare to LeBron James in terms of pure athleticism, but he was devoid of any of James' skill or instinct.

This year has seen a concerted effort from Smith to improve his game, and the results of his work are strewn all across the stat sheet.

His scoring average has remained about the same but he has raised his numbers in every other category including rebounds, steals, assists, and field goal percentage, on his way to becoming a complete player.

I have always been critical of Smith because of his unnatural athleticism, and his unwillingness to take advantage of his god-given gifts. I envisioned him as a decent player, content to be never more than an average t ...

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