Pistons' Josh Smith bulks up to play in paint

Detroit Pistons forward Josh Smith has taken a lot of flak for his tendency to play on the perimeter despite a troubling shooting touch from outside. If Smith's offseason regimen is to be believed, it appears he's approaching the upcoming season with a newfound desire to get inside. 

Smith expects to spend a majority of his time playing power forward this season, and told NBA.com that he has bulked up to get ready for the role. 

"I’m going to play a lot of (power forward) and that was my main focus on being able to get more in the weight room and put some more muscle on my body to be able to withstand that physicality in the paint. I played that position so much, so long in the league that I know how big you have to be in order to be able, night in and night out, to withstand that impact and that physical nature inside the paint.”

New Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy reportedly approached Smith about focusing on team culture and leadership for the new season, and Smith is talking like a man that has accepted the role with vigor. 

"He knows how focused I am as a player in order to become the leader that he wants me to be," said Smith. "I’m just trying to come in and set the example early and show everybody we have to put in work to get productive outcomes for a good season. We just want our main focus and concern to gel early because there are some new faces on the team now and we want to create that camaraderie early on.”