Josh Smith tried to slip through a Philips Arena side door on his way to the offseason, only to be intercepted by waiting reporters.
After jokingly expressing dismay that his escape plan had been foiled, Smith stopped to answer questions. Chief among them were queries about what the future holds for Smith.
“All I know is I have one more year on my contract, so I will definitely be here,” Smith said. “I just have to go into the offseason to better myself and do whatever I have to do to help this ballclub.”
But nothing is certain about Smith’s future, in large part because he has told the Hawks he wants to be traded. Smith’s desire for a new team didn’t prevent him from having a superlative season, but after the NBA finals end, the Hawks are sure to get inquiries from teams interested in acquiring Smith.
Smith, an Atlanta native, hasn’t always felt appreciated by the Hawks and would like a fresh start with an organization he believes is more committed to winning a championship. Smith’s list of grievances also includes the way his contract situation played out in 2008, when he was a restricted free agent.
Smith turned down a contract offer from the Hawks before signing an offer sheet with the Grizzlies, which the Hawks quickly matched. Smith alluded to that episode when asked if he would be willing to sign a contract extension before his deal expires after next season.
“They didn’t give me the money; I had to go get it,” Smith said.
Smith still hasn’t publicly addressed the reports of his trade request, noting that he could be fined by the NBA for talking about it. Instead, Smith said he’s focused on improving his game.
“I was an Atlanta Hawk after the trade deadline and I’m one now, so I have to look at some of the things I can do to help my basketball team win ballgames, especially in the postseason,” Smith said.
In many ways, Smith had a career year for the Hawks this season.
Smith showed up for training camp some 25 pounds lighter to regain some explosiveness. He played in all 66 games in spite of the patellar tendinitis that flared up in his left knee at times. Smith elevated his play when Al Horford suffered an injury early in the season.
Smith’s production this season was extraordinary: For each 36 minutes Smith played, roughly equal to a typical starters’ minutes, he averaged 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, four assists, 1.8 blocked shots and 1.4 steals.
No player in the league matched those numbers across the board. Smith said he plans to be better next season.
“I’ve got to look at some film, see where I was positive in some areas and some areas where I could have been better,” Smith said. “It takes time to be able to reflect and to let things marinate and see what corrections I need to make.”
The blot on Smith’s season was his poor offensive efficiency. He was a bigger part of Atlanta’s offense than he had been in his career and had his least efficient scoring season as his game continued to migrate to the perimeter.
According to hoopdata.com, Smith attempted 401 field goals from between 16 and 23 feet, which is the least efficient shot distance in basketball. Only Lakers star Kobe Bryant attempted more shots from that distance.
Smith’s jump shot has improved: He made 37 percent of his long 2-point shots, which isn’t far off the league average of 38.1 percent. But he took those shots at the expense of attempts at the basket, where his 68.1 percent shooting ranked sixth among power forwards with at least 200 shots.
As a result, Smith posted a career-low true shooting percentage of 49.9 percent. The metric accounts for 3-point field goals and free throws.
Hawks coach Larry Drew said he thinks Smith played closer to the basket early in the season before shifting more outside. He said Smith’s sore knee contributed to that development.
“As the season wore on, particularly when he started experiencing some injury, I thought he moved out on the floor a little bit with not taking as much of a banging,” Drew said. “When you’ve got a bad knee and you are banging down there, every jolt you get, you feel it. But I still think he really improved in that area of mixing his game up”
The inefficient scoring and turnovers are the major knocks on Smith’s game, but he offers so many positive contributions in other areas that many teams would like to have him. Smith’s expiring contract after next season only adds to his trade value.
Smith’s future is part of the bigger picture for the Hawks. They won’t have much flexibility to sign free agents for more than the NBA minimum salary, so trades are the most likely way to make major changes to the roster.
The Hawks lost to Boston in the first round of the playoffs after advancing to the second round in the previous three seasons. Smith said he’s not certain this group has reached its ceiling.
“Not necessarily,” Smith said. “The pieces that we have right now, we’ve got to see how we can generate more productivity and the [new] guys that come in next year, how beneficial they can be for us.”
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