Smart finally healing from ankle injury

[colincb]

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2015/07/07/smart-finally-healing-from-ankle-injury/

If true, good news for his prospects

Smart finally healing from ankle injury
July 7, 2015  ·  10:28PM

SALT LAKE CITY — The official word is that Marcus Smart missed 10 Celtics games last season with a sprained left ankle, from Nov. 8 through Dec. 2, and two more with a strained Achilles’ tendon in the same leg in what was probably a related injury.

Lies, all lies.

The truth as Smart sees it, the truth as he looks back in reflection, is that the ankle injury cost him essentially his 2014-15, even as he made 67 appearances in the regular season and four more in the first-round sweep at the hands of the Cavaliers, even as he played well enough to make second-team All-Rookie.

The injury was that bad, Smart says as his second season officially begins with the Celtics at the Utah Jazz Summer League. It was worse than he let on at the time.

“It was,” Smart said Tuesday night after resting as Boston lost to the 76ers 76-62 at EnergySolutions Arena. “I had times when I would wake up in the morning and could barely walk out of bed. I would get to the gym three or four hours before practice or before a game just to get it warmed up and make it bearable for me to actually get out there and run up and down on it. If you watch carefully you can kind of see it. I still played with a little limp. I just tried not to show it.

“I couldn’t really drive the ball. Everybody wondered why I wasn’t driving the ball, why I was taking so many (outside) shots. I couldn’t really explode and get where I wanted to go. Being a right-handed player, you jump off your left foot. Not being able to do that, it kind of stopped me from being able to do the things that I like to do. On the defensive end it slowed me down a little bit. My physicality made up for it, though.”

Smart estimated he played months at about 60 percent strength in the leg and was never better than the 75 percent late in the season and into the playoffs. The ankle injury in the fifth game of the season led to a three-week layoff, then to problems with the Achilles’ tendon, then to adversity until the very end.

“The whole season,” he said. “It bothered me the whole season while I was playing.”

It hurt for a month after the season ended. The lower left leg is feeling better now, he reports, with plans to continue to play in the summer league after logging 30 minutes in the opener Monday against the Jazz, and bigger plans for fall: reminding the Celtics why they used the No. 6 pick to get him and the rest of the league how good he can be as an athletic, physical point guard at 6-4 and 220 pounds.

“Just go out there and show I can get to the rim, I can get where I want to go when I’m healthy,” Smart said. “I could be a special player in this league, especially if I’m healthy and I keep working.”

[tarheelsxxiii]

Wonderful news, if true. Putting all my eggs into the Smart basket.

[ahonui06]

I expect improvement from Smart in his sophomore season.

[LarBrd33]

I hope it's true.  The kid is a badass.  The lack of penetration was concerning.   Hopefully he shows some explosiveness and develops a better shot.

[tarheelsxxiii]

I hope it's true.  The kid is a badass.  The lack of penetration was concerning.   Hopefully he shows some explosiveness and develops a better shot.

I wouldn't even care if he never exceeds 35% from 3. As you suggested, I'd love to see him develop a post game a la Payton.

[LarBrd33]

I hope it's true.  The kid is a badass.  The lack of penetration was concerning.   Hopefully he shows some explosiveness and develops a better shot.

I wouldn't even care if he never exceeds 35% from 3. As you suggested, I'd love to see him develop a post game a la Payton.

He's got the body size for it if his future is PG. 

[tarheelsxxiii]

I hope it's true.  The kid is a badass.  The lack of penetration was concerning.   Hopefully he shows some explosiveness and develops a better shot.

I wouldn't even care if he never exceeds 35% from 3. As you suggested, I'd love to see him develop a post game a la Payton.

He's got the body size for it if his future is PG.

Definitely. And I think his natural position is PG. SG doesn't make much sense for him given his natural abilities, so that's what I'm hoping for.

[Future Celtics Owner]

I hope it's true.  The kid is a badass.  The lack of penetration was concerning.   Hopefully he shows some explosiveness and develops a better shot.

I wouldn't even care if he never exceeds 35% from 3. As you suggested, I'd love to see him develop a post game a la Payton.

He's got the body size for it if his future is PG.

Definitely. And I think his natural position is PG. SG doesn't make much sense for him given his natural abilities, so that's what I'm hoping for.

PG for sure is the best outcome I'm hoping for. I think he does very well this season. He has 4 months to work on things from summer league and HIS BALL HANDLING IMPROVED!

[tarheelsxxiii]

I hope it's true.  The kid is a badass.  The lack of penetration was concerning.   Hopefully he shows some explosiveness and develops a better shot.

I wouldn't even care if he never exceeds 35% from 3. As you suggested, I'd love to see him develop a post game a la Payton.

He's got the body size for it if his future is PG.

Definitely. And I think his natural position is PG. SG doesn't make much sense for him given his natural abilities, so that's what I'm hoping for.

PG for sure is the best outcome I'm hoping for. I think he does very well this season. He has 4 months to work on things from summer league and HIS BALL HANDLING IMPROVED!

May never become a Smoodiay, but I'll be happy if he becomes the best Smart that he can be. 

[LGC88]

He already said that 2 months ago during an interview.
He just shut up and play through pain hoping it will go away, but it never did.
It affected his progression in the offense event, but almost nobody gave him credit and instead many fans throw him under the bus or undervalue him immediately.
It's already stupid enough to evaluate a rookie after 1 season.
And I won't talk about judging our new 4 rookies after 2 summer league games.
Are there so many disguised Lakers fans here that have nothing to do but trolling, or is it that almost half of Celtics' fans are just all drama queens?
Pathetic, honestly.

[LarBrd33]

He already said that 2 months ago during an interview.
He just shut up and play through pain hoping it will go away, but it never did.
It affected his progression in the offense event, but almost nobody gave him credit and instead many fans throw him under the bus or undervalue him immediately.
It's already stupid enough to evaluate a rookie after 1 season.
And I won't talk about judging our new 4 rookies after 2 summer league games.
Are there so many disguised Lakers fans here that have nothing to do but trolling, or is it that almost half of Celtics' fans are just all drama queens?
Pathetic, honestly.

I like him as a prospect and see him as easily the most valuable trade chip on Boston. I was leading the tank movement that year... It would be really weird for me to spend months begging for a top 8 pick only to dump on the prize once we got it.   I felt his rookie season was a disappointment, though. He looked like a defensive role player and his stats were on a par with Iman shumpert. I expected him to be more of an offensive weapon like tyreke Evans.  Here's hoping his struggles were ankle related, but I'm still skeptical. 

I'm open to moving smart if it gets us a star or better prospect... But it's not like I want us to give him away.

[YoungOne87]

I somewhere read that chauncey billups could be a good comparison.
And I think that could be a fitting one.

[LGC88]

He already said that 2 months ago during an interview.
He just shut up and play through pain hoping it will go away, but it never did.
It affected his progression in the offense event, but almost nobody gave him credit and instead many fans throw him under the bus or undervalue him immediately.
It's already stupid enough to evaluate a rookie after 1 season.
And I won't talk about judging our new 4 rookies after 2 summer league games.
Are there so many disguised Lakers fans here that have nothing to do but trolling, or is it that almost half of Celtics' fans are just all drama queens?
Pathetic, honestly.

I like him as a prospect and see him as easily the most valuable trade chip on Boston. I was leading the tank movement that year... It would be really weird for me to spend months begging for a top 8 pick only to dump on the prize once we got it.   I felt his rookie season was a disappointment, though. He looked like a defensive role player and his stats were on a par with Iman shumpert. I expected him to be more of an offensive weapon like tyreke Evans.  Here's hoping his struggles were ankle related, but I'm still skeptical. 

I'm open to moving smart if it gets us a star or better prospect... But it's not like I want us to give him away.

On offense, he doesn't have much speed or athleticism. He's more a guy who use his body to get in the position to draw fouls or make easy layup. Not beautiful but it's efficient. He greatly improves his 3pts shot throughout the season and it's not silly to think he will continue to improve it.
Add that to his great defense, and you have a very good chance this guy will turn to an all-star someday.
Unless he's the necessary piece to get a franchise player like Cousins or Durant I don't see why we should part with him. After all he might be our franchise player in the future, who knows.

[manl_lui]

“Just go out there and show I can get to the rim, I can get where I want to go when I’m healthy,” Smart said. “I could be a special player in this league, especially if I’m healthy and I keep working.”

really love that confidence. Definitely showed it in the summer league, but it's only summer league. I wish to see more of that in the regular season.

[CelticsJG]

I hope it's true.  The kid is a badass.  The lack of penetration was concerning.   Hopefully he shows some explosiveness and develops a better shot.

I wouldn't even care if he never exceeds 35% from 3. As you suggested, I'd love to see him develop a post game a la Payton.

I been lobbying for Smart to get in the post. He is to big to driving and his ballhandling is scusting. All he needs to do is take it old school and post up.