He's sort of why I'd like a malik monk type of heat check guy. Lakers have 3 elite playmakers but none of them are quick shifty players - when smith Jr has it going it's like floodgates open in terms of the offense. Maybe if Gabe is hurt longer, they can see if Smith Jr can get regular minutes in the rotation - any guy who isn't afraid to take open shots is critical for the offense.
Nick IS the young Schroeder with better long range shooting. Terrific scoring instincts, great fundamentals, good wingspan, just like Dennis's. Just needs to get a bit stronger and you have a good 1-2 punch with him and Smart. He needs to play!
funny thing about schroder is that he's never graded out very well defensively. he got the rep because...long arms, i guess? but his very best defensive seasons were the one with us and the one after (well, his age 22 season was a bit stronger, i guess). none of these years reached true positive on the metrics i trust most, though. i think with him, the ability to contain the dribble was offset by kinda low iq and waxing and waning off ball effort. this is a long way of saying i'm not sure smith is that far off from being schroder defensively. in a very limited sample this year he grades out better than almost any schroder season. i don't trust that sample size (his first two years were pretty disastrous defensively), but i don't think he's unplayable on defense. having gabe and reaves out was the only way he was going to see the floor, which is another question for jj to answer. anyway, LT was saying we can use him instead of ellis, but i think he's more like monk at 1/10th the cost.
Yes, that’s a solid analysis, but I’m hoping his speed and length can translate into more than just being serviceable on defense. One of our ongoing issues is the constant search for instant fixes instead of investing time in developing the young talent already on the roster. Too often, those players leave and end up thriving elsewhere, which is always a bit frustrating to watch. I am absolutely convinced that guys like Nick and LaRavia have a place on this Laker team.
I was listening to JJ, and he mentioned that what stood out most to him was Nick’s defensive performance. He feels that’s the pathway for earning consistent minutes. JJ also noted that the roster has a lot of guys who can each do one thing well, but what really adds value is finding players who can impact the game on both ends. In Nick’s case, his ability to contribute defensively and offensively is what could separate him and keep him on the floor.
he's made strides on both ends, imo. i was not at all high on him at draft time, and he was pretty bad in charlotte. he looks like a different player to me here. that's the thing with these really young draftees--so much development in front of them. i do recall that supposedly our scouts liked smith in the draft, though.
I think Dennis was really effective in very particular matchups, but yeah I don't think he was generally a great defender. He guarded Curry well because he's one of the few guys with the quickness and stamina to chase him around a million screens. He's pretty good against the finesse or quickness-oriented guards. But after that Warriors series he struggled a lot with Murray because Murray was just too strong for him. He could knock Dennis off him and rise up for a midrange jumper basically any time he wanted. But this is the Smith thread, and yeah let's keep playing him. One thing you know you're going to get from guys like Smith, who didn't pan out in his first destination and are frankly just trying to stay in the league, is effort every night.
Nick Smith should get all of Gabe's minutes at this point. We need to utilize him and Thiero as well. I think Gabe, Kleber and Knecht will probably be gone at the deadline. Or at least should be. If Rob can somehow turn that trio (or two of them) into a 3 and D wing with or without the addition of a draft pick we would be pretty set. JJ needs to get off the 9 man rotation idea. It's a bad one. Use the roster.
Rough night. If he isn't hitting his shots, it will probably be a rough night for him most likely. I'd rather keep developing him, though. We have some games we should win this month and since Gabe is out, this is trial by fire. Develop him.
He's only good if he's hot. Problem unlike the microwave doesn't turn on very often. Just not enough of an athlete and too small too impact the game much unless again he's on a rolll.witn the jumper
^True, but he's already proven more valuable than Dalton for example. This is a guy who should probably be our 11th or 12th guy, but he can play situationally and come in and give you an offensive spark & be cheap enough to sign to a longer-term deal and possibly be a thrown in for a trade down the road, IMO.
