The Los Angeles Clippers moved on from their offseason mistake of signing Josh Smith, and the power forward is reaping the benefits of his return to a familiar location.
According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Smith — who played his way out of Los Angeles’ rotation — already feels at home with the Rockets.
“I feel comfortable. It might have been a little different story if this were my first time here, but being able to get the opportunity to play for the same team, around the same group of guys is awesome.”
He continued, saying appreciation from fans and teammates has instilled confidence that “this is where I belong.”
Last season, Houston added Smith after the Detroit Pistons decided they’d had enough of the frontcourt logjam. Detroit released him to create more minutes for Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe, who has since moved on.
Smith appeared in 72 total games for the Rockets in 2014-15, averaging 12.3 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 43.8 percent overall and 34.4 from beyond the arc. Instead of returning to Houston, though, he elected to join the Clippers and their championship-caliber roster.
The 30-year-old opened the 2015-16 campaign as a regular piece off the bench, certainly in the smallest role of his career. Smith managed just 14.6 minutes per game, but he was consistently involved.
Now, that doesn’t mean Smith was good. He mustered 5.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest on a 39.5 percent shooting clip. Clippers coach Doc Rivers essentially admitted the mistake, and Smith logged just 50 minutes and 28 seconds of action over a 15-game stretch.
Since being traded to Houston, Smith has already notched a 16-point outing. At worst, the performance was an encouraging sign suggesting the veteran can regain his form as a valuable reserve on a roster that desperately needs it.