With all eyes focused on South Beach and the Miami Heat, don’t lose sight of the Atlanta Hawks. Yes, the East is stacked with new faces, like Amar’e Stoudemire (Knicks), Carlos Boozer (Bulls) and rookie sensation John Wall (Wizards). But Atlanta is also worthy of your attention—especially because of power forward Josh Smith.
Last season, the high-rising Smith became the youngest player (at 24 years old) to block 1,000 shots, while helping his team into the second round of the playoffs. Although the Magic swept the Hawks 4-0 in that series, look for Smith and veteran teammates Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby to bounce back this season and compete for the title.
STACK kicked it with Smith at the adidas NBA Revolution 30 event in NYC (check out our highlight video). Also, watch the following clip (above) for Smith’s comments on what keeps him motivated, his love of the game and the importance of academics.