Houston Rockets: Absorbing The Blow Of Josh Smith’s Departure
Why The Loss Of J-Smoove Hurts
Over the course of a mere 55 games, Josh Smith went from being perceived as walking joke and analytical nightmare to being seen as a useful veteran who could help a contender in a playoff series.
Don’t forget, it was his 29 fourth quarter points (combined with Corey Brewer) that helped the Rockets come back from a 19-point deficit and stave off elimination on the road against the Clippers.
When head coach Kevin McHale inserted Smoove into the starting lineup in Game 5, the Rockets won three straight games to close out the series. He also averaged 13.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game for the postseason while shooting 38 percent from three-point range. That’s right, the same Josh Smith who was constantly berated for chucking up ill-advised threes made 38 percent of his 4.2 long range attempts per game.
This is what Josh Smith did for the Rockets in the final 3 games of his new team's (http://t.co/pkklcUpA5j) season pic.twitter.com/DZmED1wxM9
— Adi Joseph (@AdiJoseph) July 16, 2015
But he was just as useful during the regular season as well, scoring in double digits in 35 of the 48 games where he came off the bench. After Josh Smith joined the Rockets, they posted a 36-19 record and secured the No. 2 seed in the loaded Western Conference.
It was mostly James Harden‘s show, but Smoove’s resurgent postseason made him a suddenly desirable free agency target and elevated the Rockets into the true contender category..
In case you watched the entire 2015 NBA Playoffs on mute and didn’t hear the commentators say it 42,000 times, Smith’s connection with his former AAU teammate and friend Dwight Howard made them a dynamic combo. Houston’s system encouraged Smoove to shoot those threes, but his ability to operate from the elbows, suck the defense in and find D-12 for an easy alley-oop frequently decimated the interior defense of the Dallas Mavericks and Clippers.
Make no mistake. Smith going to the Clips hurts the Rockets big time.
— Brian Geltzeiler (@BGeltzNBA) July 16, 2015
The overwhelming evidence suggests that Smith won’t consistently shoot at such an effective clip from downtown, no matter how good a fit he was with Houston’s offensive system or will be in Lob City. At age 29, he’s not a long-term answer at power forward either.
But the Rocket’s youth movement at the power forward position might need to be accelerated a bit given the loss of Smoove’s shooting confidence, defensive versatility and undeniable chemistry with Howard.
Next: Short-Term Outlook