With summer league play over (job well done Shelden and Acie, nabbing All-RMR honors - and Al Horford might have if he hadn't hurt his ankle), and nothing else really going on until the start of training camp in October, I thought this would be a good time to take a look at the Hawks roster and check out everyone's status on the team. It should be a good way to kill some time over the next few weeks and help bridge the gap until the season starts!

Today I thought we'd begin the series with one of the Hawks' biggest stars, entering fourth-year forward Josh Smith. How do you think these players will do? Leave your answers in the comments!

Josh Smith

2007 Stats: 16.4 ppg (second on team), 8.6 rpg (led team), 2.9 bpg (2nd in NBA), 3.3 apg, 1.4 spg

2007 Highlights: Josh had several terrific games in 2006-07: 28 points and a career-high 18 rebounds in a late-season win over Milwaukee, a near triple-double (missing it by a single point, of all things) in a rout of Sacramento on Mar. 19, or a stat-stuffing 26 points, 17 boards, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 3 block night in a win over Philly on Mar. 13.

For my money though, Smoove's best game of the year came in a win over Minnesota on Mar. 10, when he torched the nets for a career-high 32 points on 12-15 shooting. Smith took over the game, stepping easily into the role of go-to guy in the absence of Joe Johnson.

What he needs to work on this summer: Josh still turns the ball over too much, and needs to work on picking and choosing his spots for his jumper. A 25% rate on 3-point attempts is not going to keep defenses from sagging off on him to guard against penetration. It also appears that his future is at the power forward position, so developing some more low-post moves is in his best interest as well. Fortunately, that's exactly what he is doing, as he is working on his offensive game in Houston this summer with Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Calvin Murphy.

Click here to see Josh's video highlights!

Outlook for 2007-08: Josh's numbers have improved across the board in each of his three seasons so far. So what Josh Smith will we see during the 2007-08 Hawks campaign? Will we see an emerging player that stepped his game up in the absence of Joe Johnson towards the end of last season? Will he continue to be an aggressive player that attacks the rim with no regard for his opponent on offense and protects the rim like the '85 Bears on defense?

The arrival of a physical low-post defender like Al Horford should lead to improved defensive play from Smith. Horford's presence on the post will allow Josh to better defend his man on the wing and help out inside like always. On offense, it will be interesting to see if the improvements Smoove is working on this summer (plus the confidence he gained while JJ was hurt) leads to him firmly establishing himself as an offensive threat that teams have to respect on each possession. With him and the arrival of sharpshooter Acie Law, perhaps the days of teams double- and triple-teaming Joe Johnson are over.