NBA: 5 BIG3 players who deserve a roster spot next season

4. Josh Smith

So much is asked from the modern-day NBA big man. In a perfect world, they should be able to defend all five positions and protect the rim while also serving as a secondary ballhandler who can step out and knock down a 3-pointer.

What’s so crazy about this basketball revolution is Josh Smith was doing just about all of those things long before most teams sought it. Take his nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks as a perfect example.

The high-flyer averaged 15.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists along with 2.1 blocks and 1.3 steals a game. His 3-point shot at 28.3 percent wasn’t there, but it’s hard to argue he didn’t check all the other boxes.

Smith has been doing his best to make an NBA comeback, having last played on a non-guaranteed deal with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2017-18. During that time, he appeared in only three games for a total of 12 minutes.

His last meaningful basketball came in a 2014-15 playoff run with the Houston Rockets that had him average 13.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists in just 23.3 minutes per game.

The NBA hadn’t yet fully embraced the idea of small ball, but it was clear to see where Smith could find his niche in the coming years.

In round one, he put up 17.4 points along with 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists, carving up the Dallas Mavericks‘ defense in the same four-on-three situations that got Draymond Green rave reviews amidst his rise to prominence.

Only 33 years of age, J-Smoove’s otherworldly hops have passed him by which will no doubt hamper his effectiveness. Given the vast number of areas he contributed to over his NBA playing days, a grounded game won’t make or break his level of productivity.