NBA Comparison: DeVon Harden

Strengths: Greg Smith is one of the more physically gifted big man prospects in the 2011 draft class…Definitely looks the part of an NBA frontcourt guy, at 6’10 250 and a 7’3 wingspan….Pretty good athleticism on top of his size, and is pretty agile and mobile … His hands are VERY big and soft, and in combination with his girth and length, it allows Smith to have a wide radius on post entry passes … Has soft touch around the rim and a developing post game…Shows excellent fluidity with his back to the basket, and is generally decisive in and out of his moves…Effective jump hook and spin move down low…Capable of finishing through contact…Not a bad rebounder…Sets solid screens in the pick and roll game and a will finish around the rim with a head start…Pretty charismatic personality, and appears to be likeable and coachable…

Weaknesses: Although he’s got talent down low, he lacks polish right now…Has obvious raw tools, but he’s a bit unpolished all-around as a player…Intensity and motor wavers a bet on both ends, and leads to him not always being as productive as he should be…Sometimes struggles more than a guy his size should finishing through contact…Not the most devoted defensive player, and he allows too many easy shots and deep position to inferior talents and physical presences…There are concerns about his lackluster production playing on a bad team in a weak conference…Fresno State lost a lottery pick and another key contributor, and instead of increasing in production and role, Smith largely regressed or didn’t improve production at all…Prone to disappearing from games…For a team with Fresno State’s lack of talent, 11 ppg from Smith is a huge disappointment…Doesn’t play very tough at times…Could be categorized as the type that “looks like Tarzan and plays like Jane” at times…Struggles from the free throw line, which is never a good thing for a back to basket player like him…Ironically, struggles making mid-range jump shots and isn’t a pick-and-pop threat…Isn’t great running the floor, being pigeon-toed and knock-kneed…

Overall: Smith’s body is great and on physical and athletic ability, he’s a sure-fire 1st rounder….Still, his skill set is developing but still fairly raw, he doesn’t play much defense, his intensity is up and down, and he didn’t produce at a very high level for a guy with his talent should on a bad team in a mediocre conference…He has a legit chance to be a 2nd round pick, but he doesn’t come without concerns..

Jorrye Nixon 6/20/11

Strengths: Has a tremendous package of size and strength for an 18 year old freshman (born January 1991) … Has the body and willingness to play physically inside the paint … Has a huge frame with wide shoulders and thick legs making it difficult to move him around in the post. It’s scary to think how strong he will be in a few years … Unlike many players with his dimensions, Smith has nice agility and athleticism … Also shows excellent quickness on post moves … Has excellent hands to corral rebounds and post passes … Already showing signs of a developing post game, which should continue to expand as he becomes more the focal point of the offense … Very strong attacking the rim converting on a lot of And-1s … Strength allows him to convert well after contact … Gets a lot of ally oop and put back dunks … A coachable kid with a strong work ethic … Shows an excellent attitude and eagerness to improve … Hustles for rebounds and appears to play with a high motor at all times … Shows nice touch on his shot with the ability to convert on baby hooks … Shows good use of both hands in the post …

Weaknesses: While he appears to be an excellent post prospect, his post game remains very raw. Post moves need refinement. He should develop some drop step moves and work with coaches on developing a few go to moves … Needs to improve from the free throw line (shooting around 50% from the FT line 9 games info his freshman season). This becomes particularly important considering his bruising style of game and amount of trips to the line he figures to get in the future … Needs to improve on his shooting range … Better conditioning will help his transition game. Right now much more effective in the half court … He’s a little pigeon toed, and isn’t great at running the floor but should be able to improve that with effort put into conditioning … Defensively he gives good effort but is not a force as a shot blocker. Could develop these skills in the future but appears to be more explosive on the offensive end of the floor …

Notes: Nickname is "Juju". Originally committed to Arizona but de-committed with uncertainty about coaching situation and committed to hometown Fresno State.

Aran Smith 12/16/09