Ht/Wt: 6-9 / 280 lbs
Position: C
Team: UCLA
Class: Junior

2013 Draft Profile - Josh Smith

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2012 Draft Profile - Josh Smith

At 300+lbs he comes with great hands and feet and a nice touch. When he gets position down low he is virtually impossible to defend. He demands double teams and is adept to finding open teammates. Offensively he is similar to how Greg Oden was in college in that he has overpowering size with a great feel for the game. Smith is a guy that you can run your offense through. Opposing teams must account for his ability to be dominant, however like Oden, because of his strength and the college rules Smith is vulnerable at getting into foul trouble. In college, teams know this and try to take advantage since UCLA isn’t as dangerous with him on the bench. Smith also shows a good feel for help defense in the paint, and has good timing for rebounding and shot blocking. A true back to the basket player, he converts down low with great efficiency, and may be able to develop a mid range jumper, but may not need one. Despite below average FT shooting his freshman year, he has decent form and good touch, and should improve this area which would be important since this is one of the only ways to stop him in half court.

The obvious question will be his weight. Smith shows good agility and athleticism confined to small areas, but will struggle changing ends at a NBA pace. Smith has had to work hard to get where he is physically, if he were to struggle maintaining his current weight he may not get much of a chance. In today’s NBA, not all teams use true back to the basket bigs, rather players that make hustle plays on loose balls and that run the floor, and stretch defenses with outside shooting. This is a guy whose stock could sky rocket if he comes back at least another year. His stats were good considering only 21 min per/gm, and when he gets better at avoiding foul trouble the stats will show his dominance. This is a guy down the road that can be a franchise center, a washout, or in between.
Player profile submitted by: Tom Patterson

Josh Smith Videos

Joshua Smith Dunk/Scoring Highlights


Josh Smith Interview & Practice Highlights - 2010 McDonald's All American Game





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