Let's talk about Josh Smith's shot selection. Actually, let's not talk too much about it -- we're probably on the same page already. Smith should play near the basket and take fewer jump shots because he's amazing at the first thing and not the second thing. Shoutout to Kirk Goldsberry of Grantland.
So, uh, let's talk about Stan Van Gundy. The Detroit Pistons president and head coach wants Smith to -- and this will blow your mind -- play near the basket and take fewer jump shots. And he says that Smith now understands where his strengths are, via the Detroit Free Press' Perry A. Farrell:
"I think Josh has a very good understanding of the shots he needs to shoot that are not only best for him, but best for our team,'' Van Gundy said. "He's one of the elite guys in the league around the basket. Last year, stuff inside, right at the rim, in two straight years, he has been 71% and 77%. There's very few guys at that level. So he needs to get more of those. He knows that. He also understands he really doesn't need to shoot threes for this team.
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"He knew right away that he's really good around the basket, and the numbers would say he's elite there. I gave him one, and I honestly believe this: He's got everything he needs to be an all-defensive type guy. With that being said, he takes too many possessions off. We watched clips from the first two games. Like I said, he's not a guy who has a problem dealing with reality. You show him eight or nine clips of him jogging back defensively.
"What I understand and he understands (is) that's habit that has been built over time. It's not going to change tomorrow. I have to stay on him, and he understands I have to stay on him.''
So, Van Gundy apparently asked Smith where he was great, where he was more effective than almost anyone at his position, and Smith answered correctly. This sounds awesome. Van Gundy has also said that a frontcourt of Smith, Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond -- the triumvirate that started last season -- will not be a primary lineup. Also awesome. There is a mountain of evidence that suggests playing Smith at small forward is a terrible idea. We've also seen him look like an All-Star when playing power forward.
Smith's a divisive player because his talent is so obvious. He can be a defensive force, but he doesn't always do it. He can be a great playmaker offensively, but he sometimes drifts on the outside. There's reason to be optimistic that Van Gundy will get the most out of him, and everything we've heard so far has been encouraging. Still, we've yet to see how Smith will respond to this type of coaching. We don't know how long it will take the Pistons to jell or who is going to be in the starting lineup. The only thing that's clear is that, if Detroit wants to take a big step forward, an efficient version of Smith would go a long way.
Last year, by the way, Smith shot a career-high 265 3-pointers, or 3.4 per game. He made 26.4 percent of them.
