Odds are Josh Smith loss more than just an opening-round playoff game Friday night, when his Atlanta Hawks’ season officially came to a close with their 81-73 Game 6 loss to Indiana.
His days of playing before all his hometown fans, starring just miles away from the concrete courts where he first learned the game, are probably also certainly over.
“As I walked off the court, everything just sort of hit me,” Smith, an unrestricted free-agent this summer, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Just the uncertainty of what the future holds. Just thinking about all of the relationships I’ve had and the people who’ve crossed my path since I’ve been here. I just… I just don’t know.
It’s what Smith didn’t say that spoke volumes. After nine seasons as a Hawk, even he didn’t sound like a man convinced the union should unquestionably continue.
“The only thing I know is I want to be able to experience free agency. I want to explore my options and see what’s out there. I don’t have any certain idea what’s going to happen.”
As been there way for much of his hometown career, fans collectively shouted Noooooo! each time Smith pulled up for one of his not-so-patented jumpers throughout much the night, a habit that seems to have worn thin with the 28-year-old star.
“My shot just wasn’t going,” Smith would say later. But at least one man seemed to appreciate everything else Smith brings to the table.
“Josh Smith, we need to remember, while a lot of people talk about his shot selection, he brings a lot of other things to the table. His effort against an All-Star, Paul George, was absolutely phenomenal. Josh is a versatile guy. He brings a lot.”
https://www.myajc.com/news/sports/this-isnt-the-way-josh-smith-wanted-to-go-out/nXgnH/
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