Lets NOT try to re-write history here. DJ couldn't shoot for crap for many years until late in his career he was good from the foul line. Period. So, yes, DJ did get better and he became more selective after being in the league for several years. And I'm sure we all recall Avery when for the his 1st 2 or 3 years he couldn't hit the side of a barn if he was standing 15 feet away. So, quit trying to write-off Smart.
It's been 3 years, and Smart hasn't really improved ...
You're seeing something different from me.
Could you explain what you mean?
I'll pick out a couple of things:
1) He's progressively become a more accomplished playmaker. This is reflected in his assist %; when Brad gave him more responsibility in year 3 he jumped from about 16% to 22%, a substantial increase. He's currently at 25.5% this year, though it's a small sample size.
2) He's scoring more at the line. Both his Free Throw rate and his Free Throw % went up from year one to year three. FTr from .216 to .314 to .334; .300 is a good benchmark for effectiveness in the NBA. Likewise, his FT shooting went from D-minus (.646) to B-plus (.777) to A (.812).
We could add more things. His team defense lagged his individual defense in his first year especially, but even in his second year he was helping one pass away and other no-no's. In his third season he was really clicking as a team defender.
Etc.
It's been 3 years, and Smart hasn't really improved ...
You're seeing something different from me.
That was my opinion too, but then I re-read and decided he was only talking about shooting improvement, which unfortunately hasn’t been there.
I'd agree with you, if we're only talking about FG shooting. As I pointed out above, his FT shooting progressed from marginal to excellent, while the number of trips to the line increased.
I don't want to minimize the importance of shooting (or maybe we should say, eFG%) - it's the most important skill that a basketball player can have. But this is basketball, not HORSE.