Atlanta Hawks: On Magic Tricks and Josh’s Jumpers
Nice write-up by Ken S. today on the Hawks’ issues stopping Dwight Howard and the Magic. Also a compelling counterpoint at Hoopinion (thanks to commenter GMAN013 for pointing it out) stating that the Hawks’ problems against the Magic have “less to do with defensive game plans than Atlanta’s complete and utter inability to score against the Magic.”
Josh Smith shooting from where he's most effective. (Curtis Compton, ccompton@ajc.com)
But instead of adding my two cents to those takes, I’m going back to something I wrote about on Monday and have been trying to get my head around since. Why does Smoove continue to take jump shots when he’s only making them at a 37 percent clip at 28.3 effective field-goal percentage? Emailer Aaron, citing Hoopdata.com, broke it down even further: “Josh Smith is shooting 28.5% (28% after the Bucks game) on jumpshots in the 16-23 feet range. His career 3 pt% is 26.6%, meaning the decision to take long 2pt jumpshots over 3pt shots has cost the Hawks 21 points this season.”
Clearly Josh is just not good at shooting jumpers. Apparently everyone but Josh can see that he should stop taking them. How can he say he doesn’t notice when fans groan as soon as he catches the ball on the perimeter and looks at the basket. Heck, they dang near yell at him when he starts his windup. Why would he think “it will get better” when it’s not? How can he say he takes jumpers because they are available when the reason they are available is because opponents want him to shoot them? They get a double bonus because he’s very likely to miss and he’s nowhere near the rim for the rebound.
Then again, how can I be asking all these questions about a guy who’s been the most consistent Hawks performer all season? (Though I noticed Al lately has overtaken Josh to lead the Hawks in both on-court, off-court influence and adjusted plus-minus.) Honestly, I felt kind of jerky asking Josh why he takes jumpers. It felt like nitpicking at what might be the only consistent, glaring negative in his game this season. But because it’s so glaring and consistent I had to find out his thinking on the subject but instead of clearing things up it only confused me more.
Woody doesn’t really harp on the issue when I ask him about it. At first Smoove said Woody tells him to drive to the basket “all the time” but then added he doesn’t get on him too much “because he knows I play hard at both ends.” And I understand that but it’s got to be hard watching plays like that 20-footer he missed when the Hawks trailed San Antonio 101-97 the other night. Are decisions like that going to cost the Hawks in close playoff games?
I don’t understand why Josh keeps shooting jumpers but maybe it’s as simple as the more everyone thinks he can’t the more he thinks he can.
“I’m a confident player,” he said. “I believe in myself, not what somebody else believes in me.”
At this point, the Hawks might just need to hope Josh watches film again this summer and decides on his own he needs to quit taking those long jump shots.
– Ken S. has the game tonight.
MC
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559 comments Add your comment
Taylor
March 24th, 2010
8:03 pm
It makes me mad to think we got screwed out of getting Howard in the lottery
Big Ray
March 24th, 2010
8:03 pm
OH, and brining Bibby back into the game?
It’s because of the fact that he’s the guy who moves the ball and gets it to guys. Wait, he’s got zero assists.
Uh, it’s because he can shoot, and Teague can’t. Wait, he’s got 0 points on one shot attempt.
It’s his defensive swagger…..uh….never mind.
rms
March 24th, 2010
8:03 pm
Man, that REE ROE stuff is so lame and corny!!!
Hawk n the Ham
March 24th, 2010
8:04 pm
LOL – Radio just said Howards going to the foul line because Josh looked at him wrong.
VenomSpitter
March 24th, 2010
8:04 pm
And just as I say that Bibby hits a 3 lol
VenomSpitter
March 24th, 2010
8:04 pm
LMAO @ Bibby. Got DAMN
bigdave
March 24th, 2010
8:05 pm
lol… @the block of Bibby… he tried to destroy the ball…
Taylor
March 24th, 2010
8:05 pm
lol Smith just owned Howard
Sleepy
March 24th, 2010
8:05 pm
damn these dudes are scared of Howard .Cmon mix up how you play him . Sometimes you just raise your hands and let him shoot over you sometimes you challenge the shot sometimes you pull out the rug etc ….Its like they are in awe
o.O-Mac-Town -Macon, Georgia- Westsider-O.o
March 24th, 2010
8:05 pm
LMAO embarrassed
Sportscentered and Youtubed
Big Ray
March 24th, 2010
8:05 pm
Have to applaud Woody for playing Zaza at the 5, with Horford/Smith at the 4.
Spoke too soon, Bibby hits a shot.
Melvin
March 24th, 2010
8:05 pm
LMAO… Did Bibby forget the goal was 10ft tall…
BONE
March 24th, 2010
8:05 pm
bibby said suc his dicc
o.O-Mac-Town -Macon, Georgia- Westsider-O.o
March 24th, 2010
8:05 pm
lmao@Howard got sh!tted on then tried to get mad
BONE
March 24th, 2010
8:06 pm
loooooooooooool wow
Hawk n the Ham
March 24th, 2010
8:06 pm
Woody just tweeted – “How you like that Bibby 3 Big Ray??”
VenomSpitter
March 24th, 2010
8:06 pm
If that ball hadn’t been block it wouldn’t of even made it to the rim LMAO
bigdave
March 24th, 2010
8:06 pm
Hawk n Ham..
oh boy… Steve Holman will have you rolling… my fav was his call of D Wade and the Heat’s antics during last yrs playoffs…
BONE
March 24th, 2010
8:07 pm
i respect dwight cuz he from the city, but when smoove blocked it, i said “GET DAT SHYYYYYT OUTTA HERE 6ITCH AZZ NI66″ LOOOOOOOOOOL
bigdave
March 24th, 2010
8:07 pm
Bone..
wouldnt surprise me… he’s a slow shadow of himself but Bibby dont back down..
VenomSpitter
March 24th, 2010
8:08 pm
Bibby is getting his FROG ON
BONE
March 24th, 2010
8:08 pm
im too hype, we need this win , bibbyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, im @ the game postin on my phone, its live in here
Taylor
March 24th, 2010
8:08 pm
yesssssss
BONE
March 24th, 2010
8:09 pm
jjjj-joooooooooooooooooooe
Big Ray
March 24th, 2010
8:09 pm
I take back what I said about Bibby.
In other news….
Joe finally gets a foul call!!!!
Taylor
March 24th, 2010
8:09 pm
Lol Barnes keeping it classy, “that’s F;;;;; Bull;;;;
VenomSpitter
March 24th, 2010
8:09 pm
Uh oh with Marvin in the game with Bibby the Frog and Duck connection begins
o.O-Mac-Town -Macon, Georgia- Westsider-O.o
March 24th, 2010
8:10 pm
West is a bully lol
Big Ray
March 24th, 2010
8:10 pm
Hawk n the Ham ,
I like it just fine.
Sleepy
March 24th, 2010
8:11 pm
waste of substitution couldve just told Bibby to foul nelson
Big Ray
March 24th, 2010
8:11 pm
Okay, maybe we should let Jamal Crawford have those kinds of plays. Joe is just not getting a break here…
Sleepy
March 24th, 2010
8:11 pm
Joe = (shakes head)
bigdave
March 24th, 2010
8:11 pm
lack of respect.
Taylor
March 24th, 2010
8:11 pm
when will we learn with JJ taking the last shot…ugh
Melvin
March 24th, 2010
8:12 pm
30pts in the 2nd qtr… Nice..
o.O-Mac-Town -Macon, Georgia- Westsider-O.o
March 24th, 2010
8:12 pm
loved Mo’s comments
KevinA
March 24th, 2010
8:13 pm
Give the bench a kiss – they got us back in it. We are back to hawks ball. ZaZa, Teague and Mo a big push.
Taylor
March 24th, 2010
8:14 pm
We won a half, does that mean we get half a win
o.O-Mac-Town -Macon, Georgia- Westsider-O.o
March 24th, 2010
8:15 pm
with the way we’ve looked against the Magic in the past few games, it should lol@Taylor
KevinA
March 24th, 2010
8:15 pm
Big Ray
March 24th, 2010
8:11 pm
Okay, maybe we should let Jamal Crawford have those kinds of plays. Joe is just not getting a break here…
just for fun – run a play for a big with everybody crashing the boards
Ree Roe
March 24th, 2010
8:17 pm
The games not over, but I’m proud of the heart we showed to battle back & take the lead at half. I know few of us thought we’d even have a shot at the lead after we were down 15-2 late in the first. We gotta stay aggressive and attack them guys.
-pREEach it Roe!!!
O'Brien
March 24th, 2010
8:18 pm
Overall, I like how Woody substituted players in and out. Lets not give up a run in the third though
Big Ray
March 24th, 2010
8:19 pm
Okay, well we’ve had a lead over these guys before, so I’ll reserve my barely-contained excitement for the second half, where Orlando will no doubt try to come out and punch is dead in the mouth.
In the meantime, here’s the difference in the game for me:
1) Our bench has performed well. Those guys came in with major energy, played some defense, hit some shots. Mo Evans and Jamal Crawford combine for 17 points on 50% shooting from both the field and from 3 point range.
2) We didn’t let their bench torch us, like we’ve done in the past. Reddick, JWill, and Gortat? Non-factors.
3) They have the advantage on the boards, but we have half as many turnovers as they do.
4) Both teams are shooting low percentages. However, the second quarter did it for us. We held them to 20 points, while we scored 30.
Hawk n the Ham
March 24th, 2010
8:19 pm
Bibby 2/2 from behind the arc.
Big Ray
March 24th, 2010
8:20 pm
I think the question comes down to this: will we forget what was working in the first half?
If the Magic come back in the second half with a different approach, will we recognize it and adjust as well?
Hawk n the Ham
March 24th, 2010
8:20 pm
Just like the Spurs game Sunday, our bench jump started a run.
o.O-Mac-Town -Macon, Georgia- Westsider-O.o
March 24th, 2010
8:23 pm
lol@that Jazz/Raptors score in Toronto…….It’s as if nobody even wants the 8th spot in the East…TOR and CHI sure arent playing like it
VenomSpitter
March 24th, 2010
8:26 pm
Ok Hawks you won the first half now u gotta win the 2nd.
Taylor
March 24th, 2010
8:28 pm
I still think we are going to lose lol
Big Ray
March 24th, 2010
8:28 pm
Bulls have been playing without Rose for several games. Can’t blame them for struggling without their best player, and having traded John Salmons away….