Josh Smith says he'll leave 3-point line for post
Stan Van Gundy, whose offenses often feature a potent long-range game, put a premium on shooting in his first offseason running the Pistons, adding the likes of Jodie Meeks, Caron Butler, D.J. Augustin and Cartier Martin.
With the benefit of some competent shooters now in the mix, Van Gundy and the Pistons certainly don't need non-shooters chucking away from long range.
On that note, the new coach and team President should be happy to hear Josh Smith's new year resolution.
Josh Smith says he will be a post player this year, not a 3-point shooter.
— Dave Hogg (@Stareagle) September 29, 2014
Smith is a career 27.9-percent 3-point shooter who shot 26.4 percent from behind the arc last season, yet he attempted a career-high 3.4 three-pointers per game.
Smith and Corey Brewer are the only two players to attempt more than 400 threes while shooting worse than 30 percent from deep over the last two seasons. Nearly a fifth of Smith's field-goal attempts have come from long range during that time.
Smith's irresponsible chucking and $13.5-million salary have become easy targets for critics, but the 28-year-old big man remains an outstanding defensive talent who can score inside.
If Smith, under Van Gundy, can get back to playing the kind of game he's best suited for, the Pistons could have one of the Eastern Conference's best combinations of bigs, with Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe also in the mix.