Bad Josh: (starter) record 1-3, shooting 9/31 (29%), 5ppg, 4.5 reb, 1.5 assists, 23.5 mpg
Good Josh: (6th man) record 2-0, shooting 15/30 (50%), 16.5 ppg, 7 reb, 2.5 assists, 30 mpg.
Those numbers clearly reflect Smith is much better coming off the bench and only having to share the court with Dwight Howard or James Harden, not both. Smith often times looked lost as a starter playing with Harden and Howard as the 3rd or 4th option. And even though 4 games as a starter is a small sample size, the combination didn't fit. Give credit to Kevin McHale for not continuing to force it. He put Smith back in the 6th man role against the Miami Heat on Saturday night, and the result was a resounding 115-79 blowout of the Heat. Of course this isn't Lebron's Heat, and past results don't indicate future success. However, the Rockets offense against Miami looked very good, similiar to how it did against the Memphis Grizzlies in Smith's debut.
In the last outing the Rockets also implemented a 3-man rotation among the big men of Howard, Smith and Donatas Motiejunas. The other big, Joey Dorsey only saw mop up duty in the 4th quarter. If the Rockets continue this trend it should be more than enough minutes for Smith, as each of the three primary big men could average 30-32 minutes per game.
The Rockets should still keep the option open of moving Smith back into the starting lineup at some point later in the season, as they will need him in playoffs against the likes of Tim Duncan, LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin. But for the time being, coming off the bench maybe the best option for all involved.
twitter: @kmooresports
website: www.fanhoops.net
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