[draft] High-schooler Smith fits bill -- for now
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High-schooler Smith fits bill -- for now
Friday, June 25, 2004
John DeShazier
The Hornets wanted to get younger and more athletic.
J.R. Smith won't be 19 until Nov. 9, and has a 44-inch
vertical leap.
That qualifies.
Sure, the Hornets could have gone in another direction
with the 18th pick in Thursday's NBA draft. Maybe years
from now, the lament will be that they didn't select St.
Joseph's point guard Jameer Nelson, a four-year college
player, consensus All-American and National Player of the
Year, who was on the board. Or the wonder will be what
might have happened if they'd taken 21-year-old Sergey
Monya, a 6-foot-8 forward from Russia who is considered
by many NBA-ready.
But for what the Hornets wanted, 6-6 Smith is a pick that
fits.
A pick that's a little scary, sure, because you worry how
long it will take a high school player to make the adjustment
to NBA life off the court. After that, how long it will take
for him to be ready to actually make a consistent contribution
on the court?
"We were surrounded by high school players with our pick,"
General Manager Allan Bristow said. "You just have to do what
is right. And what's right was to draft J.R. Smith."
It is difficult for four-year college players to make a splash
and have staying power in the league. Increase that degree of
difficulty by five or 10 for a high-schooler who hasn't faced
the pressure of playing in the NCAA Tournament, and won't find
at a summer camp or all-star game a similar crop of players as
big, quick and strong as the ones he'll see in NBA arenas.
But, that said, there's a lot to like about Smith if his
scouting report -- great athlete, outstanding shooter, improving
ballhandler -- is true, and he's a quick study.
The Hornets need his type of skills, and they need him to be
effective now, not later.
"How fast he learns the game -- six months, one year, two years
-- I can't say," Bristow said. "I don't know that. The maturing
process is something you have no control over."
If the Hornets end up with an 18-year-old who's wise beyond his
years, it would be fair compensation in exchange for the agony
of watching coveted Kirk Snyder drift tantalizingly down the
draft board, until Utah snapped him up at No. 16, two selections
before the Hornets would've welcomed him into the fold.
"We were a little surprised that Snyder went that far," Bristow
said. "It was right there."
And then it wasn't, but Smith was. The kind of player whose skills
fit the need the Hornets have.
"I can shoot the ball well and use my athletic ability," Smith
said. "Plus, I'm very coachable. I feel comfortable in what I
can do. I can definitely contribute to the team right away. I
think I can definitely prove it on the court."
Nothing at all wrong with confidence, especially if it lessens
the growing pains.
"I think you certainly can't get everything in one selection or
one player," Bristow said. "(But) he's just been impressive every
time he has been on the floor. We think he's going to be a
tremendous asset to our current team, as well as our future. He's
going to be one of the outstanding off guards in this league for
a long, long time."
That remains to be seen.
All we know for now is that the Hornets got the kind of player
they wanted, hoping he can provide the team what it needs.
. . . . . . .
John DeShazier can be reached at jdeshazier@timespicayune.com or
(504) 826-3410.
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