<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>YouTube viewers with an eye for NBA highlights see Josh Smith as one of the league's best athletes and most spectacular dunkers. NBA people see the same thing - live. "He is what you see," a veteran NBA scout for a Western Conference team said about Smith. The scout requested that his name not be used because he is paid to give his opinions to those he works for. "He's lefthanded. He's an unbelievable athlete. He runs the floor, and he finishes." Smith is just 22 but already is a veteran of four NBA seasons. The 6-foot-9 forward for the Atlanta Hawks is a restricted free agent who met with the 76ers yesterday. Smith's youth, steady improvement during his career, and ability to run the floor make him an attractive player for many teams. But those attributes all would seem to fit perfectly with a young, athletic 76ers team. "If that's the style they are looking to play, he fits their style," the NBA scout said. "They're a team that can manufacture points off their defense and in the open floor. He would fit perfectly with that style." Smith has been known in basketball circles for his athleticism and ferocious dunks since high school. He cemented that reputation when he won the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk contest as a rookie in February 2005. Smith once told Sports Illustrated magazine that winning the dunking contest was a "curse" because critics carped that he was a one-dimensional player who relied on his athletic ability more than his basketball skills. "But it's also a blessing to be able to do it at a young age," Smith told SI in November 2007. "You can't always listen to what people say about you because you'll go nowhere doing that." Smith has improved his all-around game since the Hawks made him the No. 17 pick in the 2004 draft after his senior season at Oak Hill Academy, a prep school in Mouth of Wilson, Va., known for its national-caliber basketball program. Smith has improved his scoring average in each of his four NBA seasons, from 9.7 to 11.3 to 16.4 to 17.2. He also is a good enough passer to have twice registered 10 assists in an NBA game.</div> Philadelphia Inquirer
