The recently released Sports Illustrated Top 100 Players left Brandon Jennings on the outside looking in, but former Piston Josh Smith barely made the cut at number 96.
If it were up to Pistons fans, Smith would have been nowhere near the top 100, and before joining Houston late last season Smith likely would have been left off this list entirely. His play once he arrived in Houston, despite a somewhat rocky start, was certainly an improvement over his time in Detroit, and the people at Sports Illustrated gave him credit for the turnaround.
Even though Smith cracked the top 100, he still dropped significantly from his number 53 ranking before last season. This should come as no surprise, as his statistics during his 105 games in Detroit were some of the worst of his career, especially on the offensive end.
In the 2013-2014 season, Smith shot a career low 41.9 percent from the field. He also attempted a career high 3.4 three-pointers per game while converting only 26.4 percent.
It got worse for Smith in the 2014-2015 season, where he was on his way to a new career low in field goal percentage at 39.1 percent through 28 games. He only attempted 1.3 three-pointers per game for Detroit last season, but the decrease did not help as he only made 24.3 percent.
After being signed by Houston, Smith slid back into his natural position at power forward and came off the bench for 48 out of 55 regular season games. The reduced role seemed to benefit Smith as it helped him to raise his field goal percentage to 43.8 percent during the regular season. I’m sure Houston fans grew tired of his affinity for the jump shot, as he again attempted a career high 3.5 three-pointers per game while making only 33 percent during the regular season.
Smith really turned it around during the playoffs for Houston, which in my opinion is the main reason he got the top 100 nod. In 17 playoff games (including eight starts) Smith shot 43.8 percent from the field and an impressive 38 percent from three on 4.2 attempts per game. This improvement in shooting coupled with his defensive ability helped Houston make a run to the Western Conference Finals and clearly stuck in the minds of the S.I. writers.
It will be interesting to see the kind of role Smith has this coming season with the Los Angeles Clippers, but it seems likely that he will be a role player off the bench. As long as he sticks to power forward, he should be a productive player for the Clippers, but I doubt he will do enough offensively to keep his spot in next year’s top 100.
Next: Detroit Pistons Brandon Jennings left off SI's Top 100 List