Why not? Getting someone better for the team, would be the short answer. I don’t think we can though.
***Official 2019-2020 Transfer Thread***
- Thread starter ruflosn
- Start date
In my opinion he'll be one of the best available between now and whenever the season starts.
Would you take Abdel Nader on next Seasons team? This dude is a mirror image basketball wise to Nader.
I wouldn’t be too concerned with his 3pt shooting. He only averaged about one 3pt shot per game. That’s not his game. Dude is a classic power forward who can’t be pushed around. He is a two-year starter at Indiana who averaged over 30 minutes a game. Smith would be a huge get for ISU. From what I hear, they will be in the mix.
If JC-L is an inside the park home run, Smith would be an out of the park walk off home run for Prohm and the staff. Take the rest of the summer off gentlemen!
Sounds like a good get, but nothing like Nader as described above his, "mirror image basketball wise".
Along the style line, I think you can buy the Nader lens as a slasher 3/4 kind of run and gun forward. Not as much of a half court low post presence, but gets up and down the floor, catch lobs or scores on cuts.
I find it interesting a lot of Indiana fans seem to think losing him is addition by subtraction.
Indiana basketball fans are clueless morons, they are the basketball equivalent of husker football fans
Ouch!
In their defense, they were critical even before he transferred:
Smith has more offensive detriments than just his shooting. He just takes up space on offense in the halfcourt. His lack of ball-handling skills makes him reliant on others creating opportunities for him, but Smith makes no effort to move without the ball. We have seen some instances of him deciding to take the ball to the rim with authority and using that massive vertical jump to leap over everybody and throw down a dunk. Why that doesn’t happen more is a mystery to me.
Defensively, Smith is an animal…when he chooses to be. However, he often drifts or seems to not put as much effort in on that end as he maybe should, especially considering he is basically dead weight on offense in the half-court.
I count IU as my second favorite team and follow them very closely. Losing Smith will hurt defensively, but he was a bit of an offensive liability (as someone stated above). Plus, Indiana is pretty loaded at the 3-4 spots, so may fans are seemingly not too bothered by the transfer. I would certainly take him in an ISU uniform next year for his defensive skills alone.
Edit: I would have loved for him to stay at IU as he could be pretty dynamic at times. I think he would be very good at ISU and hope Prohm can get him to consider it!
Edit: I would have loved for him to stay at IU as he could be pretty dynamic at times. I think he would be very good at ISU and hope Prohm can get him to consider it!
What are your thoughts on how his defense would translate here? Do you see him carrying that pride in defense over to a more offensively minded program? Is it something he’s a leader in and would help the young guys? We haven’t had too many Ejim type leaders that would get on guys for missing assignments. Well besides Jacobson yelling at Wigginton on TV in 2019.
We could start 4 wings plus Bolton. Okay, probably not, but playing fasted paced, transition ball again would be fun. Easier to be a pg when you don’t face a set defense!
Seems like an off the bench guy. That or plugging up lanes making Bolton’s life harder.
Or who knows, maybe Prohm can unlock some ability and he’s suddenly good on offense.
Or who knows, maybe Prohm can unlock some ability and he’s suddenly good on offense.
He plays out on the wing a lot just does not shoot many 3s. Also has anyone heard a time to expect a decision for JCL?
