After 2 years of having a fairly limited bench the new Clipper bench is started to round out and look much deeper than in years past. After adding essential and important pieces in Wesley Johnson, Lance Stephenson and Paul Pierce the Smith addition is latest addition in the series of free agent triumphs.
Clips snagged a one time borderline all star for the vet minimum. A bargain price. Smith was reportedly persuaded to join the Clips since his role there was perfectly carved out for him. Be the primary back-up for Blake Griffin. If Smith stayed with Houston he would have likely ended up as their third string PF.
Smith spent the first nine seasons of his NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks, where he was often overlooked for All-Star consideration despite posting solid statistics across the board. He signed a four-year, $54-million contract with the Pistons in 2013 to help form a massive front line alongside Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond, but the experiment was a bust Smith thrived coming off the bench in Houston and was a big part of the Rockets' comeback from a 3-1 deficit against the Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter of Game 6 — nearly matching the Clippers' 15 points in the quarter —as the Rockets rallied from a 19-point deficit to tie the series.Smith then collected 15 points in Game 7, helping Houston become just the ninth team in NBA history to win a series after trailing three games to one. This is a great pickup of for a rejuvenated Clipper bench.
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