Help me get excited about Marcus Smart

[beklog]

Alright, I'll get on board with Maaahcus Smaht.  I actually just realized part of my hesitance is probably a deep-seeded subconscious thing related to Marcus Banks... another undersized pit bull who couldn't shoot named Marcus that Ainge drafted in the lotto.  I should get over that.

When's summer league start?

Saturday, July 5: Boston vs. OKC, 11 a.m.
Monday, July 7: Boston vs. Indiana, 3 p.m.
Wednesday, July 9: Boston vs. Detroit, 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 10: Boston vs. Orlando, 5 p.m.
Friday, July 11: Championship Day, TBD

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2014/05/boston_celtics_2014_summer_lea.html

[LilRip]

He has westbrook's pitbull attitude as well. Im not in love with the pick (though I thought it was a terrific choice at 6) but I am digging Smart's intensity. I hope we're not yet done making moves in the offseason though.

[beklog]

He has westbrook's pitbull attitude as well. Im not in love with the pick (though I thought it was a terrific choice at 6) but I am digging Smart's intensity. I hope we're not yet done making moves in the offseason though.

The trade season is not over yet. I always said fireworks were a possibility. It takes two to tango around here . . . We like to be aggressive about rebuilding this team. We like to try to become contenders as quickly as possible.

- Wyc

[LarBrd33]

I just listened to the podcast from earlier this week between Bill Simmons and Jalen Rose.  Seems they had Smart pegged as somewhere between Tony Allen and poor man's Eric Bledsoe.

[Celtics PRIDE Never Die]

I don't follow college ball.  Why should I be happy about this pick?  He's a 6'3 shooting guard who shot 42%/29%/72% on the college level.

One thing about Smart is his efficiency can be a little misleading in the way Sullinger's was last year, but even more so due to the volume of 3's he took.  He took a ton of them despite being very poor at them because he knows that's best for his development even if not neccessarily his current stats.  He shot 51.4% from the field from 2, so if he decides he'll never be able to develop a 3 point shot, it'll help his efficiency significantly.  Or if he develops the 3, even better.  Wade basically never tried to develop a 3 point shot, which is where his efficiency edge over Smart comes in.

Even with the 42% from field, Smart still had a .552 TS% as well due to his elite FT drawing ability.

[chambers]

I wanted this guy or Vonleh and I've been watching the top 20 for a loooonnnnng time.

His NBA comparison is Dywane Wade, with a slightly better handle and more potential on his jumpshot. Watch his mechanics, pretty sexy and should be able to get his FG% up with a bit of work.
His numbers struggled (to me), because of the system he was in at OKS, and he was forced to take too many jumpshots and threes, rather than getting to the line like he will in the NBA.
His coach was an advocate of getting the ball to Nash and their other wing in his second year. A good game where he starts going to the hole a bit is against Purdue, he even has the Wade Euro step down pat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teP-OjiMP3w

 Defensively he's the only guy in the U/19 world championships who shut down Dante Exum, when Exum burned everyone else.
See video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TncQcm7gmxk

KG living legend pointed out his agility testing, in which he beat westbrook, CP3 etc, you'll notice how good he is at staying in front of Exum.
To me, he's the kind of guy you want defending elite point guards and shooting guards because of this (and his wingspan).

In one of those videos (the pre draft 'SLAM' video) you'll notice Danny Ainge and Austin in the bottom left corner watching him.

Best bench press for a guard in the draft, enormous wing span like Wade, slightly shorter but slightly higher vertical with nice hang time to maneuver around the basket in traffic while in air.

This guys best asset is his FIRE. This is the kind of mean muggin SOB that you want going against the NBA's best. Not afraid of anyone, willing to challenge anyone on both ends.

I'd say he's arguably a better ball handler and shooter than Wade was coming out of college.

Put this guy in the draft last year and he probably goes number 1 or 2.

Very excited about him.
Would have loved to have lost those two extra games to Miami to be able to trade down for him though.

[BigAlTheFuture]

Might be a bit long, but worth the read.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/big12/2013/01/22/mens-college-basketball-oklahoma-state-marcus-smart-profile/1850729/

[Greenpoison]

Smart reminds me so much of Twill. Similar build and game.

Young has me excited though. Great offensive player it seems.

[Mazingerz]

Smart reminds me so much of Twill. Similar build and game.

Young has me excited though. Great offensive player it seems.

In related news, Twill sucked while playing here in the Philippines as an Import.

[j804]

I wanted this guy or Vonleh and I've been watching the top 20 for a loooonnnnng time.

His NBA comparison is Dywane Wade, with a slightly better handle and more potential on his jumpshot. Watch his mechanics, pretty sexy and should be able to get his FG% up with a bit of work.
His numbers struggled (to me), because of the system he was in at OKS, and he was forced to take too many jumpshots and threes, rather than getting to the line like he will in the NBA.
His coach was an advocate of getting the ball to Nash and their other wing in his second year. A good game where he starts going to the hole a bit is against Purdue, he even has the Wade Euro step down pat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teP-OjiMP3w

 Defensively he's the only guy in the U/19 world championships who shut down Dante Exum, when Exum burned everyone else.
See video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TncQcm7gmxk

KG living legend pointed out his agility testing, in which he beat westbrook, CP3 etc, you'll notice how good he is at staying in front of Exum.
To me, he's the kind of guy you want defending elite point guards and shooting guards because of this (and his wingspan).

In one of those videos (the pre draft 'SLAM' video) you'll notice Danny Ainge and Austin in the bottom left corner watching him.

Best bench press for a guard in the draft, enormous wing span like Wade, slightly shorter but slightly higher vertical with nice hang time to maneuver around the basket in traffic while in air.

This guys best asset is his FIRE. This is the kind of mean muggin SOB that you want going against the NBA's best. Not afraid of anyone, willing to challenge anyone on both ends.

I'd say he's arguably a better ball handler and shooter than Wade was coming out of college.

Put this guy in the draft last year and he probably goes number 1 or 2.

Very excited about him.
Would have loved to have lost those two extra games to Miami to be able to trade down for him though.

Ok now you're getting me excited, let's see how he looks against NBA competition but in videos he does look Wade-ish

[MARrshh]

Even In One-And-Done Era, Certain Players Find Solace Staying In School

http://www2.thepostgame.com/blog/men-action/201406/nba-draft-2014-adreian-payne-doug-mcdermott-gary-harris-marcus-smart-dario?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-sb-bb%7Cdl46%7Csec1_lnk1%26pLid%3D493870



Some thoughtful analysis of Marcus Smart (among others).

[celticsfan8591]

Smart is one of the few guys in the draft that is wired like Jordan, Kobe, Wade, KG, etc.  Just a ferocious will to win.  Those kinds of guys are always ones you want to bet on.  And it's not like he's an energy guy either; he has a lot of talent.  He's not in the Rose/Westbrook/Wall class athletically, but he's above average.  He also might be one of the strongest guards in NBA history.   He's 20 pounds heavier than Baron Davis and Deron Williams at the same height, and he's absolutely ripped.  He's a good ballhandler and passer, and while he's not a good shooter, he's not a lost cause like Rondo.  He makes free throws and open jumpers, he just needs to work on his shooting off the dribble and shot selection.  There's definitely the potential for him to become a credible threat from outside.  And he's a great defender with 6'9" wingspan.  So in summary he has all the tools you would want except world class athleticism and a good jumper (though the jumper could be fixed), and exactly the type of attitude you want in a star player.

[jay]

I posted this the other day.  At the very least, he has the measurables to be a physical force at SG.




Russell Westbrook 6-2.25 w/o shoes.  6-3.5 with shoes. 6-7.75 wingspan.  36.5 vertical.


John Wall 6-2.75 w/o shoes.  6-4 with shoes.  6-9.25 wingspan.  39" vertical.


Derrick Rose  6-1.5 w/o shoes  6-2.5 with shoes. 6-8 wingspan.  40" vertical.


Marcus Smart  6-2 w/o shoes.  6-3.25 with shoes.  6-9.25 wingspan.  36" vertical. 



Smart weighs 226 pounds.  Rose weighed 197 at the combine.  Westbrook 192.  Wall 196. 

Smart avgd 18 pts and 4.5 assists his sophomore year.  Wall 16.6 pts, 6.5 assists.  Rose 14.9 and 4.7.  Westbrook was 12.7 and 4.3.  Wall and Rose only played one year, while im using Smart and Westbrooks sophomore stats.

Wade was 6-3.75 w/o shoes.  6-4.75 in shoes.  212 pounds.  So a little taller, but closer in weight.  35" vertical.   6-10.75 wingspan so he has the longest arms of the group. 

[staticcc]

One criticism of him was his incessant flopping. He's OUR flopper now.

[saltlover]

Follow this link for a side-by-side comparison of Smart and Wade sophomore year:

http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/compare?add=dwyane-wade&i=1&p1=marcus-smart

Wade scored more, but took a higher percentage of his team's shots, so it's mostly explained by that.  His FG% was higher, but Smart took 4 times more threes.  There could be some shot selection issues with Smart, but it was also the offensive system he was playing in.  They made approximately the same percentage (a mediocre, near 30 percent).  Their 2-point percentage (not shown on the link, so I calculated it myself) was 51.4% vs. 51.2%, in favor of Smart.

Their rebounding percentage was very similar, as was their assist percentage (although oddly  Smart ranked a lot more highly nationally despite having a lower rating than Wade, implying that assists have dropped in college basketball over the last decade).  Smart was elite at getting steals, whereas Wade was pedestrian.  Wade was the better shot-blocker.  Smart was just okay for a guard.  Smart turned the ball over less.

So their stats are pretty comparable, and I think their style of play, as a strong 2-guard who's more comfortable driving to the rim or posting up than taking 3's, is comparable as well.

Finally, here is a quote from Ainge about Smart at the draft combine:

I want passion," said Ainge, who then quipped, "I got myself in trouble a few times on the court. I don?t worry too much. I?d much rather try to calm a player down than try to light a fire under somebody. I?m a big fan of passionate players.