[h1]Nuggets guard Smith displaying signs of progress[/h1]
Vows to improve and, yes, defend
By Chris Dempsey
The Denver Post
Posted: 10/10/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT
J.R. Smith's focus and determination to improve his game have impressed coach George Karl. (Karl Gehring, The Denver Post )
If you think you've heard this story before, you probably have. It's the story of Nuggets guard J.R. Smith. A new-and-improved J.R. — a J.R. Smith who is running and jumping and shooting at a level that has his team salivating and fans clamoring to see exactly how good he can become.
Heard all of this before? Not quite. This time around there's more.
There is a buzz in the Nuggets' camp surrounding Smith's play this preseason that had never existed. An explosive, erratic, emotional player in past years, Smith is having the best training camp of his career. And there are indications that this new, refocused Smith plans to stay that way throughout the regular season.
"This year is the most I've ever been focused in camp," Smith said.
That mind-set was helped in part by an unexpected source, Louisville coach Rick Pitino, whom Smith originally committed to play for way back in his sophomore year of high school. He later backed out and committed to North Carolina but ended up skipping college altogether when it became apparent he would be a first-round NBA draft pick. New Orleans selected Smith No. 18 overall in the 2004 draft.
Years later another Smith, J.R.'s younger brother Chris, will suit up for Pitino. J.R.'s brother is a junior college transfer walk-on at Louisville this season. Chris Smith's presence on the team led J.R. to Kentucky for a month during the summer, and it was then that he and Pitino reconnected. The two played golf. They talked about Chris. They talked about basketball. They talked about life.
Pitino also put Smith through a series of grueling workouts, in group and one-on- one settings.
"He really surprised me. He actually shocked me with how hard he worked," Pitino said. "Normally the pro guys, they work hard but they go about it at their pace and not at my pace. The workout is very, very difficult. It's about 45 minutes long. And he worked as hard as any of my guys, and probably harder. It was very refreshing to see how much he got after it."
Smith worked on an array of moves — pull-up jumpers off the dribble, shooting off screens, ball handling, catch-and-shoot. And, yes, defense.
"He's such a big defensive guy, and he believes in guys being in tiptop shape," Smith said of Pitino. "So that definitely helped me. He definitely helped elevate my game."
Smith, 25, is perhaps the most tantalizing player on the Nuggets' roster. When he's going well, he's got the look of a keeper, a 6-foot-6 scoring machine from the wing with unlimited range and the ability to be a defensive pest. But poor decisions at times on the court, as well as off the court, have him entering the season without a guarantee
[h1]
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of a contract beyond this year. If he doesn't sign an extension by Oct. 31, he'll be a free agent at season's end. His name has popped up in trade rumors since midsummer.
Smith said he's paid little attention to those rumors. Pitino added that Smith told him he definitely wants to stay in Denver. Pitino believes Smith has all-star potential.
"I tell you, just in an offensive workout, I haven't worked out too many guys better than him," Pitino said. "Obviously, I had Paul (Pierce) with the Celtics. (Smith) makes shots that other people can't make. With the shot clock winding down, being off-balance, he's a great shot-maker. But he also obviously has great size. I think he's an all-star caliber basketball player. That's his next step, to consistently be an all-star, because he definitely is an all-star talent."
Smith is looking to regain the form that nearly earned him the NBA's sixth man of the year award in the 2008-09 season. That season he averaged 15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game and finished second to Dallas guard Jason Terry.
And while last season his statistics were nearly identical (15.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.4 apg) to the previous season, his shooting percentages took a hit. Smith went from making 44.6 percent of his shots, including 39.7 from 3-point range in 2008-09, to 41.4 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from 3-point range a season ago.
The way he's started camp, however, has most everyone in the organization ready to see just how good he can become. "He seems like he's gotten more focused, more command of what I want," coach George Karl said three days into camp.
Teammates rave about Smith's progress.
"He's letting the game come to him," point guard Ty Lawson said. "Instead of bringing the ball up, he's getting on the wing and it's hard to guard him. He can shoot the ball, jab and do everything else. He's a complete player. When he gets the ball in his comfort zone, instead of already having his dribble down, he's catching it and he can do whatever he wants."
Smith is taking a diplomatic approach toward his play so far. Yes, he's encouraged by what he's been able to do offensively, but he's more concerned with . . . defense.
"I've taken the approach to where it's not so much about offense, it's about us getting better as a whole," Smith said. "And for us to get better as a whole, I have to get better at defense."
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or [email protected]
contract year ftw