Smart: Make or Break Season?

[Csfan1984]

He got paid and he will be a starter this year be it PG or SG.

As for if he is a life time Celtic, doubt it. I suppose if a deal for a star requires Smart he gets dealt.

[Ed Monix]

Watching Smart this off-season, I can’t see him as a starting point guard for a contending team, especially how the Celtics are currently constructed.

Although Udoka comes from the Pop ideology of sharing the ball, the Spurs had Parker and Ginobili for creativity, along with role players like Boris Diaw who could also manufacture opportunities on offence.

[Csfan1984]

Watching Smart this off-season, I can’t see him as a starting point guard for a contending team, especially how the Celtics are currently constructed.

Although Udoka comes from the Pop ideology of sharing the ball, the Spurs had Parker and Ginobili for creativity, along with role players like Boris Diaw who could also manufacture opportunities on offence.

We should probably have a thread on the bolded statement. I for one want a Bulls/Warriors hybrid sytem. Puts Smart at SG and Pritchard at PG. With the Jays being main engage/ initiate point of attack. With two dynamic wings makes sense to use them. Also explains the attempt of seeing Juancho as a starter. In a Wing driven offense the PF or double guards need to be able to cut and shoot threes, with the Center being a reliable18' and out shooter to space things for the wings.

How do you see the offense and defense make up?

[Vermont Green]

I don't get why Smart would have anything to prove.  He is a solid NBA player on a nice new contract.  Just keep doing what you are doing.  Now if he is able to improve, even a little, great.

Last season, Smart took about 20 3PA per week and made about 6.6 3PM (33%).  If Smart can make one more 3PT shot per week, his percentage goes to 37.5%.  Then suddenly not only is he a top defensive player but also a very solid shot maker.  Of course he could go the other way and start to make one less per week.  Point is he is fine and if he improves even a little, he is great.

The only other area he could improve upon is durability, but I am not sure that is going to happen.  But Smart has nothing to prove otherwise, that is why he already got the contract.  He already proved what he needed to prove.

[Hoopvortex]

I don't get why Smart would have anything to prove.  He is a solid NBA player on a nice new contract.  Just keep doing what you are doing.  Now if he is able to improve, even a little, great.

He’s what every team needs, a winner every second of the game. Sacrifices his body to get the ball or keep the ball.

Last season, Smart took about 20 3PA per week and made about 6.6 3PM (33%).  If Smart can make one more 3PT shot per week, his percentage goes to 37.5%.  Then suddenly not only is he a top defensive player but also a very solid shot maker.  Of course he could go the other way and start to make one less per week.  Point is he is fine and if he improves even a little, he is great.

.333 is eFG% of .500 - that’s a point per possession, which is basically “holding serve”.  .400 is the gold standard, but it is not bad that he’s shooting threes. By the way, his shooting in the last four seconds of the shot clock is eFG% .531.

He’s a really low-usage player for a ballhandler - 18.4%. He’s such a plus on offense without having to take a lot of shots.

He’s a grade-A ft shooter, and his ft rate was .318 last year - the gold standard is .300 - I think it’s obvious that fans aren’t seeing the bigger picture in general with him.

Marcus Smart made it a long time ago. NO, this is NOT a “make or break season” for him.

[Moranis]

I don't get why Smart would have anything to prove.  He is a solid NBA player on a nice new contract.  Just keep doing what you are doing.  Now if he is able to improve, even a little, great.

Last season, Smart took about 20 3PA per week and made about 6.6 3PM (33%).  If Smart can make one more 3PT shot per week, his percentage goes to 37.5%.  Then suddenly not only is he a top defensive player but also a very solid shot maker.  Of course he could go the other way and start to make one less per week.  Point is he is fine and if he improves even a little, he is great.

The only other area he could improve upon is durability, but I am not sure that is going to happen.  But Smart has nothing to prove otherwise, that is why he already got the contract.  He already proved what he needed to prove.

even at 37.5% it is a bad shot because it still means the better 3 point shooters aren't taking them. 

[td450]

The thing that is "make or break" is whether he establishes that he can be the team's starting point guard for the next few years, or if he will remain a valuable rotation utility guard as he has been in the past.

A lot of people look at this and say that they really appreciate what Smart brings, and find this question hard to understand. But the team needs to improve to win a title.

Smart cannot depend on staying the starting point guard if he doesn't improve his late game judgement, and if he doesn't facilitate an improvement in the team's playing style, and provide more pace and movement. Having two guys like Tatum and Brown and running a plodding, grind it out half court game isn't getting us there.

He can't just be what he has been before, unless he wants to remain a second tier swiss army knife utility guard. That's a perfectly good role, but he obviously thinks he can be cornerstone player for a championship team. For that he needs to improve some.

[Vermont Green]

I don't get why Smart would have anything to prove.  He is a solid NBA player on a nice new contract.  Just keep doing what you are doing.  Now if he is able to improve, even a little, great.

Last season, Smart took about 20 3PA per week and made about 6.6 3PM (33%).  If Smart can make one more 3PT shot per week, his percentage goes to 37.5%.  Then suddenly not only is he a top defensive player but also a very solid shot maker.  Of course he could go the other way and start to make one less per week.  Point is he is fine and if he improves even a little, he is great.

The only other area he could improve upon is durability, but I am not sure that is going to happen.  But Smart has nothing to prove otherwise, that is why he already got the contract.  He already proved what he needed to prove.

even at 37.5% it is a bad shot because it still means the better 3 point shooters aren't taking them.

I don't agree with this.  What you are saying is that if anyone other than the best shooter on the team takes a 3-pt shot, that it is a bad shot.  That just isn't true.  If you can make 37.5% of your 3-pt shots, and you have a reasonably good look, it is a good shot and I am sure any coach would want the player to take that shot.  Now if you are off balance or someone is in your face, it could be a bad shot, no matter what your percentage is.  But in basketball, you look for the best shot you can find in the 18 seconds or so that end up with.  Quite often, that is going to mean someone other than the best shooter.  You take a shot because that is the best shot you are going to get for that possession.  Sometimes that is going to be Smart taking a 3.

[Moranis]

I don't get why Smart would have anything to prove.  He is a solid NBA player on a nice new contract.  Just keep doing what you are doing.  Now if he is able to improve, even a little, great.

Last season, Smart took about 20 3PA per week and made about 6.6 3PM (33%).  If Smart can make one more 3PT shot per week, his percentage goes to 37.5%.  Then suddenly not only is he a top defensive player but also a very solid shot maker.  Of course he could go the other way and start to make one less per week.  Point is he is fine and if he improves even a little, he is great.

The only other area he could improve upon is durability, but I am not sure that is going to happen.  But Smart has nothing to prove otherwise, that is why he already got the contract.  He already proved what he needed to prove.

even at 37.5% it is a bad shot because it still means the better 3 point shooters aren't taking them.

I don't agree with this.  What you are saying is that if anyone other than the best shooter on the team takes a 3-pt shot, that it is a bad shot.  That just isn't true.  If you can make 37.5% of your 3-pt shots, and you have a reasonably good look, it is a good shot and I am sure any coach would want the player to take that shot.  Now if you are off balance or someone is in your face, it could be a bad shot, no matter what your percentage is.  But in basketball, you look for the best shot you can find in the 18 seconds or so that end up with.  Quite often, that is going to mean someone other than the best shooter.  You take a shot because that is the best shot you are going to get for that possession.  Sometimes that is going to be Smart taking a 3.

As a team last year, Boston shot 37.4%, but that includes Smart's 33% on nearly 6 attempts a game, last second heaves, etc.  Unless Smart starts hitting shots in the 39% range, he quite simply shouldn't be shooting them.  Sure a couple a game is fine and keeps teams honest, but he shouldn't be shooting 6 a game when there are much better shooters on the team, even if he ups his percentage to the team average, that still holds ture.  The vast majority of 3 pointers Smart takes are quite simply objectively bad shots. 

[Big333223]

I'm not taking anything away from 2 preseason games, I know that.