When Josh Smith was waived by the Detroit Pistons earlier this season, the Houston Rockets were eager to pick up who they thought would be a key piece in helping them make a run in this year’s playoffs.
Of course, there were also plenty of doubts, given Smith’s overall ineffectiveness with the Pistons, how much better they became without him and how quickly he was relegated to the bench with the Rockets despite reports claiming he was only going to join the team if he had a role in the starting lineup.
Smith might not be good enough to be one of the main guys on a strong playoff team, but playing sixth man off the bench? There is plenty of great value there, and the forward was particularly impressive on Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2, scoring 15 points to go with eight rebounds and a game-high nine assists.
His former teammate Brandon Jennings noticed Smith’s impressive performance in the playoffs and had this to say:
Josh Smith hoopin’ happy for him!!!
— BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) April 22, 2015
Jim Park is a blogger and editor of Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on twitter @SheridanBlog.