What Josh Smith Brings To The Los Angeles Clippers

If you can’t beat them, sign them.

That’s the motto for how Doc Rivers handles business regarding acquiring players. It’s certainly true for the addition of forward Josh Smith. Clippers fans probably remember Smith from the Western Conference Semi-Finals for his role assault on the Clippers during Game 6. Smith’s box score numbers of 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists don’t do justice for Smith’s impact on the game in which the Rockets avoided losing the series by coming back from a 19-point deficit to win by 13.

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Smith scored 14 of his 19 points in the pivotal fourth quarter while putting his entire skill set on display. Smith was handling the ball and running the offense, hitting three’s, defending the Clippers duo of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. It makes sense that the Clippers would be the team to sign Smith in free agency given his performance in that game.

Smith’s performance in that quarter sums up why he’s been one of the most frustrating players in the NBA since being drafted back in 2004 out of Oak Hill Academy. Smith shows flashes of stardom, but those flashes are often just flashes that don’t last too long. Those flashes also lead to Smith thinking he’s capable of that all the time, which he’s proven he cannot. His fascination with jacking up three pointers so frequently despite being a career 28.1% shooter from deep. Any time Smith makes a three, you can count on him to miss his next three attempts. His three point shooting is a representation of why he’s such an enigma around the league. Smith can be great one game, and then terrible for the next five. You might get Good Josh Smith every once in a while, but you’ll get Bad Josh Smith more often than not.

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That type of inconsistent player who occasionally flashes brilliance can be devastating for a franchise, just ask the Detroit Pistons. As a star player getting paid to be a star, Smith’s game opens itself to much criticism as people tend to focus on the negatives of players who are getting paid a lot of money. When that same player is capable of inconsistent brilliance is getting the minimum salary and coming off the bench, it can be appreciated much more. That’s precisely the case with Smith at this point in his career.

Smith was loathed so much in his days with the Detroit Pistons that he was released in less than a season and a half after signing a four-year contract worth $54 million, money the Pistons still have to pay him even though he’s no longer with the team. The frontcourt of Smith, Greg Monroe, and Andre Drummond proved to be a nightmare as their lack of shooting ability clogged the paint and allowed the defense to defend the paint without much regard for shooters.

In his 55 games with the Houston Rockets after his release, Smith benefited from a smaller role and showed that he’s much more valuable as a role player. Without Smith, the Rockets very likely wouldn’t have made it to the Western Conference Finals.

The Clippers are hoping that Smith can give them the same boost that he gave the Rockets last season. Smith will almost certainly be coming off the bench for the Clippers serving mainly as a backup to Blake Griffin. At power forward, Smith is a major upgrade over last year’s backup Glen Davis. In addition to his time spent at power forward, Smith is capable of playing small forward against benches or when paired with a big man who can stretch the floor. Expect Josh Smith to play center at times as well, as he did 12% of his time in Houston according to Basketball-Reference.com

Smith’s versatility is his greatest skill. He’s capable of defending either forward spot and can hold his own against smaller centers due to his athleticism and rim protection skills. If you need a bit of evidence, take a look at this play during last year’s playoff series.

Even though Dwight Howard is in the game, notice how he is defending Blake Griffin as opposed to DeAndre Jordan. The Rockets trusted Smith to defend Jordan despite the size advantage that Jordan has. When Blake Griffin gets a half-step on Howard, Smith has to make a decision that most defenders have nightmares about.

Option 1: Step up on Blake Griffin, leaving DeAndre Jordan open for a lob. The high post to low post alley-oop combination of Blake Griffin to DeAndre Jordan is a nightly play between the two and also one that Smith mastered with Houston throwing them up to Dwight Howard.

Option 2: Sag low between Griffin and Jordan, risking being Blake Griffin’s next victim for a massive dunk.

Smith chose the second option and not only survived without being dunked on but instead stepped up just in time to block Griffin. If Smith waits any longer to step up, Griffin dunks on him. If he waits too late, the Staples Center is going nuts because of a monster alley-oop to Jordan. Smith made the perfect defensive play and showcased excellent rim protection skills.

Josh Smith’s versatility is something that the Clippers needed desperately last season and will cherish this season. If anyone in the frontcourt gets injured, Smith can play a major role in filling in for that player while he’s gone. Smith is capable backing up the small forward, power forward, and center positions and would is a better backup than last season’s options at each position.

Smith’s presence will make things easier for his surrounding cast as well. The biggest beneficiary of Smith will likely be Paul Pierce. Pierce still holds his own at times, but he may be better off defending power forwards at this point in his career. Smith can defend wings and allow Pierce to defend big men without creating a mismatch. On the other side of the ball, Pierce can play small forward and let Smith play power forward and avoid spacing issues. These two players complement each other very well and create opportunities for each other to showcase their strengths and alleviate their weaknesses.

Although he has a reputation for being a bit of a ballhog, Smith is actually one of the better passing big men in the league. His performance in Game 2 of the first round was an excellent example of Smith’s ball skills.

Smith finished that game with nine assists, six of which came via alley-oops to Dwight Howard. Remember that video above of Smith defending the paint against Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan? Smith wreaked havoc by consistently beating Dirk Nowitzki and making Tyson Chandler choose between Smith and Howard. The Smith-to-Howard alley-oop is proof that alley-oops can be a great way of fundamentally creating offense and not just a flashy play for SportsCenter’s Top Ten.

Smith loved throwing those lobs to Dwight Howard and will have multiple options to throw those to in Lob City while playing alongside Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan. Any time Smith gets in a two-on-one situation in the paint, highlight reel dunks will occur.

Perhaps where Smith will be most valued is on the defensive end, where he can defend three to four positions because of his combination of size and athleticism. We already went over his rim protection skills, but he’s also a positive defender on the wings. Matt Barnes held his own and constantly did his best to get inside of his opponent’s head, but the Clippers lacked a lockdown defensive player on the wings. JJ Redick and Jamal Crawford are both average or worse defenders and a bit undersized when it comes to defending bigger wings. Nearly every elite wing player upped their scoring average when faced up against the Clippers. DeAndre Jordan was excellent in making up for the lack of a defensive presence among the team’s wing players, but a rim protector can only do so much.

Enter Josh Smith.

That video highlights only his time in Atlanta, but at age 29 and without a major injury, we have no reason to think his athleticism won’t still be there next season. Smith will be the Clippers answer whenever they play against a LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, or Carmelo Anthony. With the Clippers talent around Smith, Rivers might be wise to tell Smith in certain situations, “Josh, go make life hell for *insert star wing player here*. Deny him the ball and make him work hard for his shot and we’ll take care of the rest.” Smith isn’t an elite defender on the level of a Kawhi Leonard or Tony Allen, but he’s capable of lockdown defense for stints at a time.

He’s not as good as prime Shawn Marion, but a prime Shawn Marion should be the blueprint for how Smith should play. He can defend inside and out and use his athleticism to be a mismatch on the offensive end. Smith’s combination of size, athleticism, and ball skills make him a swiss army knife of a player. He can be a matchup nightmare who can help win a game in a different area depending on what is needed from him.

Signing Josh Smith for the veteran’s minimum has to be towards the top of the best moves Doc Rivers has made as a member of the front office. It’s rare that a player of his caliber is available at such a discount. The Clippers roster should allow for Josh Smith to finally find the perfect spot for his unique set of skills to be conducive to a helping a contending team fight for a championship.

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