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Los Angeles Clippers: An Early Look At The New Additions

By Cameron Stewart

Jul 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers players pose with jerseys at press conference at Staples Center. From left: Branden Dawson (22), DeAndre Jordan (6), Austin Rivers (25), coach Doc Rivers and Josh Smith (5), Cole Aldrich (45), Paul Pierce (34) and Wesley Johnson (33). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers players pose with jerseys at press conference at Staples Center. From left: Branden Dawson (22), DeAndre Jordan (6), Austin Rivers (25), coach Doc Rivers and Josh Smith (5), Cole Aldrich (45), Paul Pierce (34) and Wesley Johnson (33). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 29, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) greets Los Angeles Clippers forward Josh Smith (5) during a time out in the second half of the game against the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center. Clippers won 104-88. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) greets Los Angeles Clippers forward Josh Smith (5) during a time out in the second half of the game against the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center. Clippers won 104-88. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Josh Smith

Prior to signing with the Clippers, Smith was last remembered for playing a pivotal role in saving the Houston Rockets’ season in a huge Game 6 comeback win against the Clippers. In that game, Smith turned into a mix of LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird.

He was blocking shots, knocking down three pointers, running the floor, and running the offense from the forward position and turned a double-digit fourth quarter deficit into a 119-107 Rockets victory. Smith showed his massive potential as an elite role player who can shift the balance of a series with a monster game.

So far, Smith has been a little disappointing in his short stint with the Clippers and looking more like the guy who was paid $13.5 million by the Detroit Pistons to play somewhere else than the guy who helped end the Clippers’ season last year.

Smith has been playing a role that he filled for a short while in Houston as a small-ball center. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Smith has played 71 percent of this season’s minutes at the center position. The results have been less than what Doc Rivers has hoped for.

Smith’s offensive rating of 74 is putrid and has a defensive rating of 97. This means that per 100 possessions, the Clippers are being outscored by 23 points when Smith is on the floor. Those numbers aren’t good or acceptable. Smith’s shooting 30 percent despite a very good 37.5 shooting percentage on three-point attempts, which have been his weakness over the span of his career. He’s shooting only 25 percent on two-point shots, which is almost unthinkable given that he’s a career 48.1 percent shooter on two pointers in his career.

Chalk this one up to small sample sizes. Smith’s field goal percentage will likely go way up over the season while his three-point percentage will almost definitely regress a bit.

Smith is not a typical player and has a unique skill set for someone with his size. He may take a while to get used to playing in a new system and also for Doc Rivers to find a way to make full use of his gifts. Personally, I’d like to see him play with DeAndre Jordan a little more as a Blake Griffin replacement.

Smith is obviously not as good as Griffin and shouldn’t poach many of Griffin’s minutes, but Smith is a great passer for his position and can run the floor like a lesser version of Griffin. Switching Griffin and Smith could see an increase in Smith’s production while also helping the bench by running the offense through Griffin.

Smith is certainly a player to watch as the season progresses as he could be the key in the Clippers making a run in the playoffs.

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