Forgive me if someone has already pointed this out.
This thread is about expectations. So looking back at Smart's draft profile, strengths/weaknesses, of your favorite draft site you will find your answer. Coming out of college Smart was labeled a poor shooter but good finisher around the rim that got to the free throw line a lot. An average playmaker with relatively low bball iq, that didn't have as much pick and roll experience as one would like but good at posting up and did so at a rate higher than most small forwards. Defensively he had good anticipation skills for streals and blocks and his strength allowed him to guard multiple positions. His intangibles rated highly, i.e. hustle and timely plays though tends to flop and get over emotional with opposing players.
This sounds like almost the same player he is today. Shooting still bad, finishing at rim and free throw attempts worse as he isn't able to bully his way to the rim like he did in college. I'd argue his playmaking skills, passing and ball handling have improved to the point where he is servicable running the point on pick and roll and getting the ball to others in scoring position. His defense and intangibles are probably better than advertised. He makes some ridiculus steals and hustle plays. He still flops but seems to be starting to get the benefit of the doubt from the refs. Still is overly emotional and has a tendency to get in bouts of machismo with opposing players, but not usually to the detriment of the team. Actually, this might bring more fire to the team.
So has he met expectations?
I'd say mostly. His strengths are greater than advertised (defense,intangibles)his weakness are a mixed bag. Scoring is still bad, probably worse, but his passing is better and his flops and outburst are positives not negatives. People probably want to see more growth from a high lottery pick but sometimes you get exactly what you bought. And if you highly value offense, like the OP, well... then you're probably disappointed but given his skill set coming out of college, shouldn't have had high expectations to begin with.
You are right ,and I think Smart haters also understand this.
At this moment Smart is fine, he is playing 30 minutes on a good team
But I think what Smart pessimists are trying to convey is that he cannot be a starter .......he is not that type of player
Of course we all love high octane energy guys who do the dirty work.
We all know he can do that, but at his current style , no way he is a starter where as guys like Randle, Gordon, Payton, even though they might to be as important as Smart is to a contender , they can eventually be no doubt starters because they can score or they can be efficient offensive players.
No doubt Smart is a fantastic player to have on the team.....but at this moment that is what he is,
If he starts, the team you have will most likely suffer or is suffering to the point where he needs to be a starter.
On the flip side, I think he can start on this Celtics team as well along side IT. Although if a better one dimensional shooter comes along, he can easily be thrown back to the bench.
Its all on Smart to improve his shooting and become better at driving to the rim.
He doesnt do both well at all right now.