How Josh Smith fits with Rockets

— -- With reports that Josh Smith has agreed to sign with the Houston Rockets upon clearing waivers, there have been questions as to whether he's the right fit for Houston's style of play. Smith has underwhelmed in a year-and-a-half in Detroit, and while he certainly isn't worth the approximately $36 million the Pistons will be stuck paying through 2020, he's still a serviceable NBA player who can help the Rockets. Here's a quick primer on where he is as a player:

Smith's offense

Smith's efficiency struggles have been well-documented, as he's posted one of the worst true shooting percentages in the league. As ESPN Insider Tom Haberstroh mentioned on the NBA Lockdown Podcast, Smith's athleticism has taken a drastic nosedive. He went from dunking 123 times two seasons ago to 10 this year. He's no longer the above-the-rim talent many remember from Atlanta. Instead, he relies on his length and footwork to finish over and around defenders. He's shooting 55.4 percent in the restricted area, down from almost 74 percent two seasons ago.

Without the lift to create space or explosion to get closer to the rim, Smith will often resort to tougher "touch" shots away from the rim, ones that he lacks the ability to finish. At the same time, his perimeter game is sorely lacking. He's struggled mightily from the perimeter, taking an inordinate amount of long two- and three-point shots that are not his strength. All this has conspired to make Smith a poor contributor in pick-and-roll from a finishing standpoint

Smith does bring one strong offensive trait to the table, however: passing. He's made himself a threat by creating off the dribble and making plays for others, either out of shallow pick-and-roll (particularly when the defense predictably sags off him) or off post-ups, where he can still overwhelm smaller defenders. He's not a quick playmaker -- the ball does stick in his hands -- but he more often than not will make the right play, provided he hasn't overextended himself into a tough situation. He also displays good awareness of where the double-team is coming from and makes the appropriate pass out.

Smith's defense

Despite his problems on the offensive end, Smith still is a more than adequate defender. He combines his length and decent lateral quickness with excellent anticipation and timing, and can guard a wide array of positions. He is excellent at disrupting in the passing lanes, and in pick-and-rolls has the mobility and feel to either hedge hard and recover or switch onto the ball handler. Indeed, in Atlanta, he played in a defensive scheme that featured a high number of switches, and he played it well.

As mentioned, he's not the leaper he used to be, but has managed to maintain an above average block percentage, acting as a de facto rim protector who can close ground fairly quickly and contest at the rim. He's a good defensive rebounder as a wing, but probably not good enough in that area as a big -- unless he plays alongside a dominant inside presence.

Fit with the Rockets 

The $2.1 million question is why Smith experienced the sort of plummet he did from 2012 to now. Is it a case of a player hitting the declining part of his career, or were there environmental causes for his descent? It's safe to say it was a little bit of both: He's no longer the athlete he was in Atlanta, but he was not put in a position to be successful in Detroit. Smith needs to be in a situation where the floor is spaced with shooters, with a strong team identity where he is not looked upon to lead.

In Houston, he fits a strong need on the defensive end, giving the Rockets another long defender who can guard on the interior and exterior, giving them a ton of versatility. His presence also allows James Harden's alleged defensive renaissance to either become a hard reality or dissipate over time. Either way, the Rockets won't need Harden to exert as much effort on the defensive end (although they would certainly welcome it).

The offensive end is where there are a ton of question marks. Like the Mavs with Rajon Rondo, the Rockets will have to make significant adjustments to their playbook and rotations to take full advantage of Smith's skill set. His lack of shooting makes it tough to leave him on the floor as a spacer alongside Dwight Howard, although Donatas Motiejunas has performed well as the opposite big and he's not a shooter either. Putting the ball in Smith's hands could yield some Blake Griffin- DeAndre Jordan type connections between Smith and Howard, but it also means the ball isn't in Harden's hands, and with the Rockets at 20-7, it's tough to argue against the results of Harden's primary role.

Head coach Kevin McHale will have his work cut out in trying to make this marriage work on the fly, without the team experiencing any slippage during the adjustment period, and without alienating his current players.