Detroit Pistons’ Josh Smith not angry about lack of minutes

Detroit Pistons’ forward Josh Smith played just 19 minutes in a 113-95 loss to the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night. In the game, he struggled, scoring two points on one-of-six shooting.

In fact, since Smith signed a $54 million deal with the Pistons in the offseason, he has played poorly.

In seven games, Smith is averaging just 15.3 points per game on 41.6% shooting from the floor, 27.5% shooting from beyond the arc and 60.0% from the free throw line.

The shooting issues are likely the reason Pistons’ head coach Maurice Cheeks limited Smith’s time Tuesday.

Despite the apparent benching, Smith said he wasn’t angry and would never be a selfish player.

“I just got to cheer my teammates on,” Smith told reporters, according to the Detroit Free Press. “You can’t really focus on the decisions that people make higher than you. You just have to be able to adjust around it.

“As long as I’ve been in this league, that’s what I’ve been willing to do,” Smith added.

The 2-5 Pistons will be back in action when they travel to Sacramento to take on the 1-5 Kings Friday at 10:30 pm EST.