The Highlight Factory?
January 28, 2008
J-Smoov, Zaza, J-Chill & Marvin represent for “The Highlight Factory.”
Did you see that??? No, but I saw these wallpapers and couldn’t resist.
No more Pac-Man shorts, but I think these images show that the new school Hawks are still keepin it real.
J-Smoov can hammer it down like Dominique AND block 10 shots in a game, J-Chill is a throwback 6th man, Marvin has game (but how high can he rise?), and Zaza Pachulia doesn’t fuck around.
You’re not gonna read it anywhere else, but the real reason the Hawks traded for Mike Bibby is that Sheldon Williams and Lo-Wright refused to bang with Zaza anymore because they couldn’t handle his skills and stench. Al Horford doesn’t care because he just straight dominates Get Some Patchouli every day, but the other Hawks’ centers couldn’t hang.
Jon Concak vs. Zaza? Yeah, now THAT’S a battle!
Zaza the Greasy Gangsta
Download - 1024 x 768
You Know You Can’t Touch my Fro Bro
Download - 1024 x 768
J-Smoov Smashin It
Download - 1024 x 768
Josh Smith is the man - time to stock up on his memorabilia while I can still afford it.
Does anyone else think that he would look sick in a Bulls uniform next year? Come on Pax, do something!
What’s scary about J-Smoov is that he still has so much room for improvement. Anyone want to predict how good his career is going to be???
Marvin Williams sucks balls! They should get rid of that fool and start Childress.
Its scary b/c he dosen’t have a shot yet. Once he gets consistent on his shots he’s going to be a force. I can see him post quad double soon. Marvin Williams is coming around, but he is not no Chris Paul (passed over him in draft). They gave up on Shelden Williams already lol they could have had Brandon Roy (passed also)
Yeah, I doubt they’re gonna trade Marvin because that would basically mean Billy Knight is admitting that he’s a horrible GM. I can’t believe that guy still has a job!
What former nba players can we even compare Josh Smith too?
Here’s a great tool that I like to use to compare past seasons:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/fc/psl_finder.cgi
To look for similar “Josh Smith seasons,” let’s set the age from Any to 23, the Height from 6-7 to 6-11, and per game averages of: rebounds > 7.5, steals > 1, and blocks > 2.5.
Which players pop up?
Well, AK 47 for starters. I think Kirilenko is a fairly decent comparison. Both players can dominate the game on the defensive end. I think AK is more cerebral and a better team player, but J-Smoov is bigger, stronger, and much more athletic.
Another season that pops up is Larry Nance’s 2nd season in the league (’82-83). He was 23 at the time (J-Smoov is still 22 since he skipped college), but Nance was a high flyer and a top notch defender. He was named All-Defense 1st or 2nd team 3 times and he finished in the top 8 in blocks per game 8 different times. I think the Nance comparison is pretty solid, but Larry was much more efficient on the offensive end (54.6% FG and 58.6% TS% for his career). By comparison, Smith’s career marks are 43.9% FG and 50.5% TS%.
So the player whose stats most similarly resemble Josh Smith is a guy I don’t really remember: Terry Tyler!
Tyler was a 6-7, 215 pound forward (smaller than J-Smoov but the entire league was a lot smaller back then) who joined the NBA in ‘78-79 (at the age of 22) and played his first 7 seasons for Detroit.
His rookie year, he averaged: 31.2 mpg, 12.9 points, 7.9 boards, 1.3 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game on 48.2% FG and 65.8% FT.
His 2nd season, he averaged: 32.6 minutes, 12.3 points, 7.6 boards, 1.3 steals, and 2.7 blocks per game on 46.5% FG and 76.5% FT.
These stats are probably the closest match to what J-Smoov has been doing the past 3 seasons. But like I said, I don’t remember seeing the guy play, so I did a search and came across this page:
http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/thomas_v_tyler.html
“Terry Tyler epitomized the Piston’s credo “Goin’ to Work. Every Night.” During his seven years in Detroit, Tyler never missed a game, playing in 574 consecutive games in a Piston uniform, a record that still stands today. Utilizing his reported 45-inch vertical, Tyler is also the Piston’s career leader in blocked shots with 1,070 during his tenure in Detroit.”
45″ vertical and the Pistons career leader in blocked shots? Yeah, I’d say Terry Tyler is a pretty good comparison for J-Smoov. However, Tyler never emerged as an offensive weapon, so Smith is already a better offensive player.
The best comparison for Smith is probably a combination of those 3 players. While Kirilenko, Nance, and Thomas were all athletic players, J-Smoov is even MORE athletic with a higher upside.
Who should Josh Smith pattern his game after to maximize his potential?
I’m still not sure….
I’d say these youngsters deserve another bump to the top, eh? I don’t think Horford had a cool wallpaper when I originally searched, but I’m sure he does now!
My second favorite team/NBA2k8 team of choice!!!! ZAZA!!!!
Whats up E?
For the record, Marvin doesn’t suck, but he is definitely not the all-around player Childress is.
Hey Max. How is 2K8? Last one I played was 2K5. On that one I enjoyed being the Clippers and posting up with Elton Brand hah. I guess the better question is, what % of the time do you play as Josh Smith???
That guy is really impressing with how he’s stepped up to the challenge this series. I liked hearing Dominique Wilkins’ thoughts on J-Smoov, saying that when he polishes his game he’s going to be unstoppable.
What’s crazy is that J-Smoov is still only 22. Nique was still in college at that age!
As a 23 year old rookie, Wilkins averaged a solid but raw:
17.5 points, 5.8 boards, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals, .8 blocks, and 2.2 turnovers on 49.3% FG, 68.2% FT, and 18.2% 3P (2-11).
Just like Nique, Smith was a poor 3-point shooter as a rookie (4-23). He’s still just a 25% shooter from the outside, but when he shoots it with confidence his form and arc looks good. Wilkins didn’t become a decent 3P shooter until he ruptured is achilles tendon during his 10th year in the league. The year after the injury, he shot 38% from outside while making 1.7 per game. Obviously, he had to adapt. He struggled the next year, but he shot 38.8% from outside on 1.5 per game after that as a 35 year old for Boston.
I think J-Smoov can improve to a 35% 3-point shooter sooner rather than later. Of course, we all hope that Smith doesn’t fall in love with the trifecta, but if he can make better than 1 in 3, he’ll keep defenses honest. This will allow his game to expand further.
Check out Nique’s awful 68.2% shooting from the line compared to Smith’s 68.8% as a rookie. Wilkins got to the line 4.1 time per game as a rookie, but that number was up to 9.0 attempts per game by his 4th year. J-Smoov’s improvement hasn’t been quite as impressive (3.2 up to 5.8 this season, also his 4th year), but as long as that number keeps going up, it’s a good thing. Smoov still hasn’t shot 72% from the line tho. Nique improved to an 80% FT shooter by his 3rd year in the league. In fact, he shot over 80% every year for 10 straight seasons!
So Smith’s FT shooting is a little behind, but he does a better job of getting his teammates involved on offense and is a bigger defensive presence.
But remember, Smoov is still just 22!
I really hope the Human Hilight Film stays close to this kid and helps him improve. Considering their obvious similarities, I’m sure Nique could impart a lot of wisdom to him. How unstoppable can J-Smoov become?
I’m also curious to hear where you guys think Nique and Smoov rank as far as Most Athletic in NBA history. Top 20? Top 10? Top 5?
Obviously, it’s tough to judge players you’ve never seen play, but considering that both are/were Top 3 athletes for their respective eras, I think you have to say that both are Top 10 in NBA history when it comes to pure athletic ability.
What do y’all think? (Especially want to hear from elders on this one!)
2k8 is great, always has been my favorite game since the original 2k8 for dreamcast. I would compare it to live but I haven’t played that piece of crap in years. And trust me, I use Josh Smith as much as possible. It’s not unusual for him to drop 25/12 with 4 or 5 blocks in 5 minute quarters.
I know I haven’t been around long enough to remember someone like Nique’, but I couldn’t believe their has ever been a quicker leaper than Josh Smith. It’s not just the number of blocks he gets, but the way he gets his blocks thats incredible, and yea, obviously having impeccable timing helps.
I’ve been following Josh’s career since he was at Oakhill Academy and I remember scouting reports at that time heralding his jumper, along with his amazing athleticism, but the fact of the matter was he came into the league with essentially no jumper. It has always been visually appealing, but just hasn’t dropped consistently. That being said, the improvement from his rookie year to now, especially in his ball handling and jump shot has been very encouraging, so in terms of projecting his future I think by the time he is 24 he will be a superstar (and not just in the realm of fantasy basketball).
A key factor in J-Smoov’s development is going to be the PG play of Acie Law. I haven’t seen enough of Law to make any conclusions.
Anyone have thoughts on Law? His highest ass/to ratio in college was 1.92 to 1, which isn’t that impressive. Dominique is the man who made me love this game, so I hope you watch as many of his clips as possible!