Josh Smith: Our Most Important Player?

Before the season there was lot of grumbling in Hawks camp that there was no way we would bring back coach Mike Woodson AND forward Josh Smith. They just butted heads too much. They would get in each other's way. It wouldn't be good for the team. But after resigning them both, the upstart Hawks found themselves as the last undefeated team standing in the Eastern Conference. And then Josh Smith got hurt.


We went 6-6 without Josh Smith- and have gone 6-2 with him. He only averages 13 points per game and 8 rebounds. So why the big impact? Why are we such a different team without him? He's not the point guard, or the center, or the go-to scorer.. but he's the all-around talent. Our best defensive player, he's a quick-footed forward who can block shots, shoot threes and drive head-first into the big men. Sure he's maddeningly frustrating to watch at times, pulling up when he should be posting up, shooting when he should be passing, but when you see a prolific scorer face down J-Smooth in the paint... tossing up a surefire basket only to watch it slapped away into the bleachers... its beautiful. You see it just then, how good this kid can be. He may not be our best player, our flashiest player, or our most likable player.. but he just might be our most important player. And I look forward to seeing Josh block shots and take excessive jumpers in a Hawks uniform for years to come.