Can Josh Smith Help His Team Anymore?

Remember The Good Times?

Judging by his game these days, the fact that J-Smoove has no All-Star or All-NBA selections makes sense. But Smith has had his fair share of All-Star-caliber seasons, like when he averaged 17.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.8 blocks and 1.5 steals per game in 2007-08, or when he put up 18.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.4 steals per game in 2011-12.

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But even in his final season in Atlanta, the opinion that he was overrated overshadowed what he brought to the table as an upcoming free agent. He was the youngest player in NBA history to record 1,000 blocks and he was efficient around the basket, sure, but had he fallen too deeply in love with perimeter jump shots?

Still, in his prime, Smith was an athletic freak capable of recording a chase-down block and following it up with a thunderous alley-oop on the other end. For seven straight seasons in Atlanta he recorded a Player Efficiency Rating of 17.2 or higher and he shot better than 45 percent from the field in seven of his nine seasons with the Hawks.

Was he an All-NBA kind of player? No. But he was an excellent defender, a fine athlete, a helpful rebounder and a driving force on a Hawks team that went to the playoffs for six straight seasons. Unfortunately, the lack of playoff success for Atlanta — never making it past the second round — may have been our first indicator of Smith’s declining value.

Next: Bad Josh Smith