Smart is on track to becoming Gary Payton

[KG Living Legend]

 Payton was always a good player comparison to Smart. Plus size point guards, long wingspan's, not great shooters, Defensive Studs, Good Athletes.

 Payton didn't even hit .300% from three until he was 26 years old. That's when he hit his prime, And his prime lasted till 34 years old!

 So I figured I'd check Paytons early Numbers
 
 Age 22,  27 mins 7pts 6 asst 3 boards
 Age 23   31 mins 9.4pts 6.2asst 3.6 boards

 Smart Age 21   27 mins 10 ppg 3asst 4.2 boards

 Payton obviously twice as many assists, but Marcus doesn't even play point that much and he's only 21.

 Not saying Smart is going to be GP but it is interesting their similarities.

 GP peaked out at 24 ppg 9 apg at age 31! Playing 42 minutes per game!!! Wow!

[chambers]

my favorite 'best case scanrio' comparison for Smart is Chauncey Billups.
Came in as a solid defender, capable guard.
Honed his shooting, honed his dribbling ability and learnt how to run a team.

Became an All Star and crucial piece of Detroit's most recent two championships.

[csfansince60s]

Gary Payton was one of the most durable players in NBA history.

He missed a grand total of 2,that's 2 games in his first 8 seasons in the NBA.

Smart's game is so predicated on bullying physicality, that I have great concerns about his longevity in the NBA.

[KG Living Legend]

 No man Smart's gonna be fine long term. He will miss some games in a year but he's gonna make a lotta money like Glove.

[walker834]

I think the game is different now where teams are just much more cautious with injuries too.  Players used to be tough guys and played through injury.  Pierce was the same thing.  Payton was a physical player.  So was Pierce.  I think Smart is a good comparison in that regard.  I more see him as his own player though and he has a lot of aspects to his game.  He's a basketball player right now who can play multiple positions but should continue to get better at the pg spot. That's even debateable right now though.  Great defense and anticipation.  Just a smart player and physical. I see comparisons to payton, dennis johnson, tyreke evans and a lot of guys. I don't think he is as explosive as some of those guys.  Even Doc Rivers is a decent comparison for him. He may end up as a two guard for all we know right now. I still see him as the pg of the future though even over a guy like Isaiah.  IT may be moved ultimately because of Smart.  Ainge could even trade him for all we know. But Smart is one guy I really hope is that anchor at the pg spot for us for a long time. He can really play multiple spots though.

IT and Smart can really play together. I think Ainge likes the idea of having interchangeable guards.  He and Dennis Johnson did it and I think Ainge's vision is probably something along those lines.

We have Rozier who is the same thing.  Turner is best when he runs the point imo. But can do things down on the box with the pg passing him the ball.     Bradley is mainly just a two guard.  Ainge likes having interchangeable guards who do different things though. 

[walker834]

I see what you are saying though. Smart has that Gary Payton something else on defense.  He is all world defense. Payton was probably the best defensive pg ever.  Smart has that extra something. Long muscular tree trunks for arms and great anticipation. payton was the glove.  Smart is like a more muscular version of that.

He stays in front of offensive players and has a wide body and really anticipates and can swallow them up. He also does an amazing job of baiting and getting in the passing lanes with his long arms.

Solid athleticism.

[kozlodoev]

Gary Payton is a 47% career shooter. That is all.

[walker834]

At least marcus is over 40 percent the last couple weeks and over 45 percent the last week.  He needs  more consistency and experience running the team before we trade off Isaiah and make him our pg. Ainge dumped Telfair  and let Rondo run the team his second year though.  Isaiah is slightly better than Telfair.  Just a bit.

It will definately be interesting what ainge does here. We may just keep them all and be a pg oriented team this time.

Ainge says he would trade anyone but I really think he would be making a mistake if he trades Smart.

[KG Living Legend]

 Good post Walker TP...

[KG Living Legend]

Gary Payton is a 47% career shooter. That is all.

 True. But coach has him jacking three's for his long term development. If Payton were shooting 4 3 point attempts per game, his FG% would have really suffered

[Greyman]

I believe Smart has gone a long way recently to answering doubts about his potential. He has also probably made himself secure in terms of being off the table as a trade piece. If he maintains consistency/improves on the offense then he is part of the grand plan to win a championship.

I am constantly reassessing the whole Bradley/Smart/Thomas (and Turner?) approach. Now I am a fan of how it is working for the team but I still have doubts. Happy to be proved wrong.

[guava_wrench]

At least marcus is over 40 percent the last couple weeks and over 45 percent the last week.  He needs  more consistency and experience running the team before we trade off Isaiah and make him our pg. Ainge dumped Telfair  and let Rondo run the team his second year though.  Isaiah is slightly better than Telfair.  Just a bit.

It will definately be interesting what ainge does here. We may just keep them all and be a pg oriented team this time.

Ainge says he would trade anyone but I really think he would be making a mistake if he trades Smart.

Percentages over a couple of weeks are meaningless. Guys who average 45% have weeks where they average 60%. Doesn't matter. If you look at small sample sizes like that, you will end up cherry picking whatever data supports the conclusion you want to accept.

[guava_wrench]

I believe Smart has gone a long way recently to answering doubts about his potential. He has also probably made himself secure in terms of being off the table as a trade piece. If he maintains consistency/improves on the offense then he is part of the grand plan to win a championship.

I am constantly reassessing the whole Bradley/Smart/Thomas (and Turner?) approach. Now I am a fan of how it is working for the team but I still have doubts. Happy to be proved wrong.

"Maintaining consistency" isn't really a thing. Is Curry inconsistent because he only scores 40 or 50 every now and then? The problem with Smart can be seen in his shooting percentages. They are horrible. All players have outlier games, but with guys who aren't there yet, we want to imagine that the good game represents their future.

The problem isn't fluctuation, because all players have fluctuation in stats game to game. It's just that very good players have better numbers across the board, in good and bad games.

The average temperature in Boston is colder than the average temperature in Miami. In every month of the year, the temperature in Boston is colder than the temperature in Miami. If during a heat wave, there is a day when it is warmer in Boston than in Miami, are we going to talk about Boston's inability to be consistently warmer?

I like Smart and I hope he develops into a better offensive player, but he has a way to go.

[clover]

Smartacus isn't The Glove. Nothing velvety about him at all.

Smartacus is "The Gauntlet".

[KG Living Legend]

 Ok how about Bernie Madoff for a nickname, because he'll Rob you blind.