The Los Angeles Clippers are oozing with player talent headed into next season but everyone knows that in basketball, it all falls at the hands of the coach and his coaching genius.
A lot of teams have taken notice of the Golden State Warriors' success in winning the last National Basketball Association (NBA) title and the Clippers may just be doing the same.
One player that may have to adjust is Josh Smith.
Smith, who played last season with the Houston Rockets and took on a curious role of point guard, may have to accustom himself to possibly adjusting to another role for the Clippers this coming season. The new role, however, will not be about playmaking but doing a bit of center.
Smith in the middle does raise some questions seeing that he has been used to playing forward all his life. Then again, it could work, especially if Rivers turns to a smaller and faster lineup, in which Smith could fit in perfectly.
Of course, there will be things that come into mind. How will the defense hold up? Is Smith ready to run as often as he can to keep in step with a smaller lineup?
Apparently, these are just some of the things Rivers is trying to consider and Smith seems to be an integral part of it.
The ploy is, of course, to be applied on alternative or second units and would entirely depend on who the Clippers are playing. There will be matchup problems, and surely, Rivers has all of this in mind.
For Smith, the move should be something he has been used to already. Shifting from forward to guard seems to be harder compared to one moving from forward to the slot, although the concern on rebounding and defensive matchups could be one thing that Rivers will need to address.
Knowing Rivers, he has probably covered this, assuming that he is dead serious about adapting a familiar play from the Warriors that saw Draymond Green, a certified forward, playing center in the recently concluded NBA Finals.
