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Forum nameOkay Sports Archives
Topic subjectDiet Coke JR Smith.
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=21&topic_id=110553&mesg_id=110817
110817, Diet Coke JR Smith.
Posted by Frank Longo, Wed Jun-20-18 11:25 AM
It's easy to see where his upside resides, mostly just because he may have a Dennis Smith type vibe where he never got back to full speed/health/comfort last season. He's still a strong athlete and jumper with great positional size and strength. He showed flashes of being brilliant. Scores in a bunch of ways, and he's got a nice stroke from outside...

... but I question a lot. I question the consistency of effort. I question the decision making. I question the basketball IQ. He's got the tools to be great on both ends, but he doesn't really use them. Not impressive handler, not impressive defender, not a good rebounder despite his size and athleticism.

You're basically drafting him and playing him for those nights where he gets hot and can't miss. But he'll cost you in other ways on other nights unless his decision-making, defense, and/or handle improve. Too tempting a prospect to let go lower than, say, 20... but if you think he's a lotto guy, I assume you're assuming that he had Dennis Smith Syndrome and he did what he did last year as a mere shell of what he could be.