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An Appreciation Of Josh Childress
Posted by: Micah Hart on February 6, 2008 at 10:55AM EST

The first thing a lot of people think of when they talk about Josh Childress (besides the 'fro) is the fact that the Hawks passed up Luol Deng and Andre Iguodala to draft him 6th overall in the 2004 NBA Draft.

I understand this thinking. Both Deng and Iguodala have blossomed into terrific NBA players, and while neither of their teams are doing much damage this season, they are both in line for big paydays over the summer.

Still, when people mention those two, it is always said as a way to disparage Childress and the Hawks' decision to draft him.

The problem with that argument is that while people are salivating over Deng and Iguodala, they are ignoring the fact that Childress has become a very talented NBA player in his own right, and one who is nearly as important to his team (if not equally so). Don't believe me? Take a look at John Hollinger's Player Efficiency Ratings, where you'll see Childress (18.10 PER) is ahead of Deng (17.63) and just behind Iguodala (18.70).

I bring this up today because given his performance of late, Chills is long overdue the props he deserves. Just look at his last two games (both Hawks victories): an absurd 19-22 from the field, putting up 23 and 21 points in the process.

Chills is the kind of player every team needs to be successful, because he does all of the little things that help them win. He hits free throws (a career-best 83.5% this season),  rebounds on both ends (something many thought would be an issue for him given his slight stature), and he can play (and defend) multiple positions, including the point.

But the thing I like the most about Chills' game is his understanding of his strengths and weaknesses, and his ability to stick to the things that work and away from ones that don't.

How is that put into practice? I'm glad you asked.

Take a look at this:

This is a chart of all of Childress's shots in the 2007-08 season so far. The results are pretty mind-boggling, if you ask me. Chills has taken 312 shots this year, and of those, 80% have come from the area right around the basket. This is a good thing, since he is shooting 66% (164-249) from there. His shooting percentages from outside that area don't look that great at first glance (he is 17-63 for 27%), but it's such a small sample size it's hard to draw any real conclusions.

I tend to believe Josh is better than a 27% shooter from midrange to the perimeter, but that's besides the point. Chills knows the best way for him to score is to get to the rack, and therefore he devotes almost all his effort on the offensive end towards that purpose - getting out in transition, making cuts, and crashing the offensive glass. As a result, he is a lay-up machine (with a penchant for highlight-reel dunks as well), and he is able to average double-figures in points (12.2 so far this season) without the Hawks ever running a play for him.

Childress may not be an All-Star, but he is definitely capable of taking home some hardware someday. He is the perfect 6th man for the Hawks, and as the team continues to mature and succeed, I don't doubt you'll start to see his name mentioned as a candidate in that category.

Would Deng or Iguodala look good in a Hawks uniform? Sure. But Josh Childress looks just fine, and the Hawks are lucky to have him.

(14) Comments
Posted by: melman on February 6, 2008 1:39PM EST
i love my boy j chill! he goes out and compete every night. u got to love it about him because he nows his role and he do the lil things that most people wouldn't do. he doesn't care about numbers or glory he just wants to play hard and win!! now that is the type of player i would have on my team anytime. sign j chills and the rest of the starters to long term deals because this is our futrue!! BEAT LA!!! GO HAWKS!!!

Posted by: DC on February 6, 2008 3:11PM EST
I'd still take Chill over Deng and AI...he understands the game so well and actually makes his team better instead of simply playing for his own glory.

Tonight is big. We say that all the time, but seriously, with Pau having a HUGE first game with LA, we need to make some noise by shutting both him and Kobe down. Sounds hard, but Kobe isn't 100% (pinky), and we match up well against Pau. If we take this game, it says a lot about our ability to rebound from long poor stretches of basketball in order to string some wins together. GO HAWKS!

Posted by: JJ on February 6, 2008 6:25PM EST
j chill is as valuable as anyone on the hawks and if we can keep the same starting five for the long term, he'll be a multiple winner of the sixth man of the yaer award.

Posted by: Shirley Peterson on February 6, 2008 9:17PM EST
I think chill is having a wonderful season so far. I watched him play @ Stanford and enjoy watching him play now. He could start on any team. I hope we keep him for a long time!~!!!!!

Posted by: 65FAST on February 6, 2008 11:06PM EST
THESE COMMENTS ARE RIGHT ON AND THE HAWKS WOULD MAKE A BIG MISTAKE NOT DOING WHAT IT TAKES TO KEEP CHILL WITH THIS FRANCHISE.

Posted by: 65FAST on February 7, 2008 12:12AM EST
ONE MORE COMMENT THAT BELONGS HERE. GETTING AWAY FROM COACHING AND ORGANIZATION CRITICISM. THE HAWKS HAVE DONE A GOOD JOB OF SELECTING A TALENTED GROUP OF YOUNG MEN OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS THAT ARE NOT AN EMBARRASSMENT ON OR OFF THE COURT TO THEIR REAL FANS AND COMMUNITY. CHILL IS A PRIME EXAMPLE AS WELL AS OUR OTHER YOUNG STARS. I APPLAUD THIS ORGANIZATION AND ITS COACHES FOR THIS. IT WILL MAKE IT EVEN SWEETER AS OUR PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS WIN MORE ON THE COURT AND ARE GOOD EXAMPLES OFF THE COURT TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF HAWKS FANS.

Posted by: I'm From Kazakhstan, I Worship the Hawk on February 7, 2008 12:34AM EST
Bravo, Micah. I was among the critics when BK drafted Chill and I'm happy to have been proven wrong. He's easily one of the smartest players I've ever seen - never takes a bad shot, never commits dumb fouls or silly turnovers, and gets more hustle rebounds than anyone in basketball. Plus he's an amazing finisher near the basket.

Deng and Iguodala are special talents but Chill has a higher hoops IQ than those two combined. Good teams need players like him.

Posted by: Yul Reyna, the killer fox on February 7, 2008 2:08PM EST
Dude. so right. J chills the man
nobody in his class can touch him.too smart. not so so. go fro

Posted by: Shantell R. on February 7, 2008 8:42PM EST
I totally agree with this blog!!!! Thanx for giving him the credit he so rightfully deserves!!!!

Posted by: Dr. MaryB on February 7, 2008 10:08PM EST
J-ChILL and TIGER have something in common: a Hi-Q! 99% of-the-game is played between the ears.
"Got Ears?" ;o O.K. so I am a comedian too! But, Josh is priceless, this guy is super-glue for the Hawks! without his play they lose, even as GREAT as Joe is! "JOE" has the attitude of "JOB" his strength is keeping his mouth shut and his emotions on anesthesia! I am a long time reader and a first time blogger "anywhere" I LOVE BILLY KNIGHT and I LOVE COACH WOODY can you shallow-haters CHIL_LAX! and let the ugly--ducklings......become a HAWK? other teams really do fear us. And like a 2-Live Stew's caller .....I'm Gone! drmaryb

Posted by: Dr. MaryB on February 7, 2008 10:14PM EST
OH YEAH! and they both attended STANFORD.

Posted by: Nicole Powell on February 8, 2008 8:09PM EST
I'm an old friend of Josh's from Stanford and let me tell you , a lot can change in a few years. Even though he was good back then he is amazing now.But he'll still never be better than me!

Posted by: Ron Wright on February 11, 2008 12:16AM EST
Man, I saw the Hawks play the Rockets Saturday 2-9-08. J Chills is truley the man the Hawks need on the floor. His all around game and defensive abilities are what the Hawks need every night on the court.

J Chills, dude thanks for the Great Game!!

Posted by: KPLuv on May 6, 2008 8:38PM EST
Well we all agree he's great on the court - but Nicole, what's he like off it? Sorry to be so shallow, but he's cute, too! It's like, damn, this guy can't be for real. SO my question is....what's he really like? And is he married? ;-)

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