Detroit Pistons: Could Josh Smith Finally Be Growing Up?

By Adam McGee | Oct 8, 2014

Apr 2, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Josh Smith (6) reacts during the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports /

Josh Smith is one of the greatest puzzles the NBA has to offer. There aren’t many players with such immense talent that have shown such an inability or unwillingness to develop. Throughout his career, Smith has frequently put up excellent stat-lines, more often than not helping his teams to wins. Yet in spite of that, Smith has always been seen as more hindrance than help by the casual NBA fan, and in many ways that places him in a pretty unique position.

Sure, Smith has fans, but his detractors appear to be vociferously louder. It’s become all too easy to shift blame on to Smith, and in some ways it’s almost the fashionable thing to do. Smith has had to learn to live with that though, and it’s left him with a significant chip on his shoulder. In his time in Atlanta, the 28-year-old never felt he got the recognition his play merited from within, or outside of, the organization.

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Then having left his hometown for a rich contract with the Detroit Pistons, many have pinned the blame at his feet for the mess he was a part of. Smith was undoubtedly culpable for his share, but far from the sole culprit of what was a disastrous season in the Motor City. With a new coach in charge, and even greater doubt over his abilities than ever before, this seems like the perfect opportunity for Smith to re-invent himself though.

I’m not going to lie, I feel like I’ve written this piece before, and yet Smith’s case is so fascinating that I can’t help but be lured in again.

According to Basketball Reference, for his career to date, Smith has accumulated more than 11,500 points, 5,900 rebounds, 2,400 assists and 1,500 blocks. Only two other active players have accomplished those same figures; Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.

In an all-time context only five other guys join that list. They are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Vlade Divac. In other words, he’s in good company. To have achieved such heights in only 753 games is no mean feat either.

This makes Smith seem like an ideal project for Stan Van Gundy, and judging by the coach’s recent comments, the Atlanta native has done nothing but bolster his stock by saying and doing all the right things in camp.

According to a recent Keith Langlois piece for Pistons.com, Van Gundy has been incredibly pleased by what Smith has been showing.

"He wants to be a leader, he wants to prove he can help lead a team to success."

Talent-wise there’s little question that he’s capable, but it all reverts back to discipline, and what sits between his ears. Smith has long had a chip on his shoulder, as the perpetual All-Star snub, but it’s arguable that his motivation now is greater than ever.

With it seeming like Van Gundy will choose one of Smith or Greg Monroe to partner Andre Drummond, for the first time in his career, Josh Smith’s starting place seems genuinely under threat. He’s responding to it in the right way, stating:

"I’m more so about winning than anything. I can only be the best player I can be under Stan Van Gundy’s system and that’s how I’m taking it. Whoever starts, it really doesn’t matter to me."

Although on the inside it’s possible that this couldn’t be further from the truth for Smith, his willingness to improve and fight for his spot is a big positive for his new coach. Although it could prove to have no significance long term, Van Gundy’s decision to start Smith in the team’s opening preseason game against the Chicago Bulls last night can only help also.

Van Gundy has indicated that Smith is wowing with his defensive effort and passing in practice, and that perhaps says more than anything Smith could verbalize. They are two aspects of the game which tend to showcase a player’s ability to be a selfless teammate, and it’s fair to say Smith may have lacked that in recent years.

Whether Van Gundy really can change Josh Smith remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, it’s going to be fun watching him try.

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