Here's Marcus Smart's draft workout video

[Celtics4ever]

Dude, this ain't football.  The stronger guy can't just bowl over the weaker guy.  Faster guards will simply get in front of him and draw the offensive foul.  This happened to him at a very high rate in college.  Imagine how much more frequently it will happen at the pro level.

If you think basketball does not need strength you have another thing coming.   Well it is true that footwork and skill can help a skinny guy do well.   But the same is true of strength, it can help you in setting a harder pick or pushing for the ball or checking a guy with your chest.    Guys use their arms all the time to push off or bar the other guy from the ball.  One of the reasons LeBron kicks butt is he is very strong.  Few guys are as strong as him.   PP was strong as heck and used it.   

All things being equal in a player save strength I would want the stronger guy.

I am not saying it is all that matters, it certainly is not.   I went to college weighing 187 lbs and although I could jump out of the gym I got pushed around and brutalized.  I  volunteered for the Army during my generation's war (First Gulf War).   I ended up weighing 240 lbs and could still jump and move.   It made a huge difference and I played ball for an Army team.   It really helped in many ways and I could over power a lot of the guys rather than use guile.  Guys like Reggie Miller are not the norm.

[Mr October]

But if a guard cant shoot and isn't quick enough to penetrate, all that strength might not make up for it.

Strength will help no doubt, and he could post up small guards if he develops that part of his game. Smart has an uphill battle ahead of him as a scorer.

I do really like his intensity, passion, defense to go with that strength though. I think he will be a good player, i am just not convinced he will be a top 10 or even top 15 point guard.

Right now i lean towards Vonleh or Gordon at the #6 pick. I wont be upset with grabbing Smart however.

[chambers]

Who's bigger and quicker than Smart in the NBA at pg or SG?
He had a lane agility speed test that was faster than Westbrook and CP3. He also benched 185 pounds 19 times which was one of the highest guard scores ever and 3rd out of every player at the combine. He's a beast.

Ummm, lots of people.  Rondo is quicker at PG.  So is Westbrook, Curry, Rose, MCW, Kyrie, Wall, etc.  And lots of guys are bigger at SG as well.

I'm still not getting it with this guy.  So he benched pressed more times than other guards in the draft.  Ok.  How does that make him an elite basketball player?  He didn't shoot or score at an elite level.

People comparing his college stats to Westbrook are fooling themselves.  Westbrook was on a fantastic UCLA team where he had to share the ball with other good players.  So his 12ppg were hard to come by.  He wasn't even the starter on that team - Darren Collison was.  But Smart was his team's entire offense.  That being the case, he should have put up 25+ ppg like McDermott or Durant or other elite scorers.

Rondo is quicker? (Debatable) So Smart is stronger.
Marcus Smart posted an impressive lane agility time of 10.82 seconds, and according to ESPN Stats & Info, that time was better than the times John Wall, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul put up when they were at the combine.
-ESPN
He's too small or not as strong as others at SG but not quick enough at PG according to you? How convenient that the argument doesn't cross the other way?

The system he was in was detrimental to his scoring. Read the scouting reports. He took more 10-15 footers than he would in the NBA and wasn't able to attack the rim as much as he could have thus getting to the line. He does need to improve his shot but he was by no means the only offense on that team.
We have the 6th pick. There are going to be leaks in all their games.
Reasons to draft Smart...
Size
Speed
Athleticism
Killer instinct
Versatility
Work ethic
Potential
Much higher ball iq than westbrook too.

[BballTim]

Who's bigger and quicker than Smart in the NBA at pg or SG?
He had a lane agility speed test that was faster than Westbrook and CP3. He also benched 185 pounds 19 times which was one of the highest guard scores ever and 3rd out of every player at the combine. He's a beast.

Ummm, lots of people.  Rondo is quicker at PG.  So is Westbrook, Curry, Rose, MCW, Kyrie, Wall, etc.  And lots of guys are bigger at SG as well.

I'm still not getting it with this guy.  So he benched pressed more times than other guards in the draft.  Ok.  How does that make him an elite basketball player?  He didn't shoot or score at an elite level.

People comparing his college stats to Westbrook are fooling themselves.  Westbrook was on a fantastic UCLA team where he had to share the ball with other good players.  So his 12ppg were hard to come by.  He wasn't even the starter on that team - Darren Collison was.  But Smart was his team's entire offense.  That being the case, he should have put up 25+ ppg like McDermott or Durant or other elite scorers.

Rondo is quicker? (Debatable) So Smart is stronger.
Marcus Smart posted an impressive lane agility time of 10.82 seconds, and according to ESPN Stats & Info, that time was better than the times John Wall, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul put up when they were at the combine.
-ESPN

  I tried to find Rondo's numbers but he didn't go to the combine. For reference, though, Foye had a lane agility time of 10.53 and Rodney Carney was 10.57. Smart's not as close to those as he is to Reddick (10.93). So I'd guess plenty of players are quicker than him, including Rondo.

[D.o.s.]

So, basically, there's no evidence that he's faster than Smart.

Not that the combine's measure of 'lane agility' means a whole lot, in the grand scheme of things.

[BballTim]

So, basically, there's no evidence that he's faster than Smart.

Not that the combine's measure of 'lane agility' means a whole lot, in the grand scheme of things.

  I would say there's no real evidence either way until you seem them both playing at full speed. I'd say Rondo's clearly quicker than some of the players who were faster than Smart in the lane agility drill, although we don't have anything like a 40 yard dash time to confirm it.

[Fred Roberts]

Westbrook's pre-draft height / weight / wingspan line up more closely to Avery Bradley, actually, than Smart.

Smart's got 20lbs of muscle and a couple inches wingspan on Westbrook. I really don't want a guard at #6, but I'd be fired up if Danny's team of scouts believes he's our guy. This dude is hard nosed. you can't tell me strength doesn't matter in the NBA.

All we can talk about is how Kelly needs to work on his body and get chiseled. Smart is already a specimen and a 1/2. He's NBA ready day one and will make an immediate impact.

I like the thought of Vonleh or Gordon too. It's gonna be a really tough call.

[NorthernLightning]

New highlight video out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYkCdZOTggg

Where Does Marcus Smart Rank Among Point Guards?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx2urqbiYTM

[NorthernLightning]

Marcus Smart - NBA Draft 2014 Video Profile

18 minutes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1P-6DKCnFs

[86MaxwellSmart]

I do NOT want a Guard....NOOOOOO...we need Bigs.

Vonleh, Gordon, Randle....then Nurkic @ 17

or just LOVE.

[chambers]

Who's bigger and quicker than Smart in the NBA at pg or SG?
He had a lane agility speed test that was faster than Westbrook and CP3. He also benched 185 pounds 19 times which was one of the highest guard scores ever and 3rd out of every player at the combine. He's a beast.

Ummm, lots of people.  Rondo is quicker at PG.  So is Westbrook, Curry, Rose, MCW, Kyrie, Wall, etc.  And lots of guys are bigger at SG as well.

I'm still not getting it with this guy.  So he benched pressed more times than other guards in the draft.  Ok.  How does that make him an elite basketball player?  He didn't shoot or score at an elite level.

People comparing his college stats to Westbrook are fooling themselves.  Westbrook was on a fantastic UCLA team where he had to share the ball with other good players.  So his 12ppg were hard to come by.  He wasn't even the starter on that team - Darren Collison was.  But Smart was his team's entire offense.  That being the case, he should have put up 25+ ppg like McDermott or Durant or other elite scorers.

Rondo is quicker? (Debatable) So Smart is stronger.
Marcus Smart posted an impressive lane agility time of 10.82 seconds, and according to ESPN Stats & Info, that time was better than the times John Wall, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul put up when they were at the combine.
-ESPN

  I tried to find Rondo's numbers but he didn't go to the combine. For reference, though, Foye had a lane agility time of 10.53 and Rodney Carney was 10.57. Smart's not as close to those as he is to Reddick (10.93). So I'd guess plenty of players are quicker than him, including Rondo.

Of course there will be faster guys at the PG spot and SG spot ...my point is that Smart has speed and size and it's gonna be rare that anyone has both over Smart. He'll be able to back down any point guard in the NBA and hold his own defending the quickest guards in the league because he's very quick and has a 6'9" wingspan with elite fundamentals on D.

[CM0]

At 6'3"-6'4" on a 227 pound frame, Marcus Smart will be a constant mismatch for opposing guards. He's going to bully opposing PGs and speed past opposing SGs on the offensive end and still be able to guard either position at a high level on the defensive end. Also, his best attributes are among attributes the Celtics sorely need... the ability to draw contact and using that ability in conjunction with his playmaking ability to closeout games.

Smart is the pick at 6... only Saric should be considered aside from him at 6.

I completely agree with this. I'm don't understand the hesitation about Smart in this forum. If Ainge wants to draft the best player available, Smart will almost assuredly be that if Utah doesn't take him. It's funny too, because many claim that they want Danny to take best available but then worry about how Smart will fit with Rondo (which I'm not worried about at all). I'm much more worried about how Vonleh would fit with Sully and Olynyk (you can only develop so many young PFs at a given time).

I have Smart and Saric on a tier above Vonleh and Randle anyhow. In terms of fit, both Smart and Saric have a competitiveness and fire that the team could dearly use, both will be offensive mismatches, and both will allow Stevens to run a two-point offense.

[kozlodoev]

I completely agree with this. I'm don't understand the hesitation about Smart in this forum.

Contrary to popular opinion, quickness and shooting are more important for guards than the ability to "bully opposing PGs". Hence the hesitation about Smart.

[CM0]

I completely agree with this. I'm don't understand the hesitation about Smart in this forum.

Contrary to popular opinion, quickness and shooting are more important for guards than the ability to "bully opposing PGs". Hence the hesitation about Smart.

Right, but it's been established that he has good quickness (lane times posted by others) and his speed is not such a liability so as to overcome his size, length, and strength advantages. He wouldn't be available at #6 if he had elite straight-ahead speed to go along with other physical gifts. As is, those gifts will allow him to defend multiple positions, post up and finish easily against guards and draw tons of fouls. Add his extremely high BB IQ and competitiveness and you have a guy that wouldn't usually be available 6th overall.