He's got the tools to be an all NBA defensive candidate.
His upper body strength over other point guards and shooting guards and his lateral quickness really make it hard for defenders to get past him. He always seems to be able to get his body in front of his man. Haven't seen it yet against NBA players every night though.
Smart excites me because he's already got an incredible ability to get to the basket/free throw line. That's something you can't teach in basketball. I also think he's already a more complete player that TA and Bradley because he's got the fundamentals locked in- he just needs to get those natural fundamentals on an NBA level.
He works his ass off too which gives hope to a higher chance of success at the NBA level.
For me there are three things which I think Smart needs to 'perfect'. He's already got a good grasp on these things but if he is to become a 'franchise' kinda guard like Steph Curry, Rondo, Wade, Rose, Harden etc. then he's got to work on these three things the most.:
1) his jumpshot. If he can fix his shot to the point where he's shooting 35%+ from three point land and 85% from the line then he's going to be very difficult for opposing guards to contain.
His form is quite nice already so there shouldn't be too much work to do.
Guys like TA and Rondo just had such ugly form and never changed it, so it was always going to be difficult for them to become great shooters. Smart's form is lightyears ahead of those guys.
He shot 30% from three in his second year of college and attempted over 5 per game, so he's not afraid to shoot it.
2) finishing under contact at NBA level around the rim.
He's very good at taking a hit and maintaining his body control and position to get off a good shot. In the NBA though, defenders are better and defenders are stronger. In the cases where he doesn't get a foul called, we need him to be able to convert all those bump and twist moves into 2 point baskets like a Wade or Monta Ellis. His 2 point FG% in college was 50% and he attempted 8.5 free throws a game which is excellent. He basically attacks the basket very hard and then converted on 72% of free throws. Get them number up over 85% or even 90% and he'll be very hard to stop. Even Wade aren't elite shooters but they're in the hall of fame for guards who finish well under contact and convert at the line.
3) playing off the ball as a combo guard.
Had to control the PG spot without enough off ball play for me at OK State. Would love to see him cutting and coming off screens. It will give him a chance to improve his jumpshot and court awareness trying to avoid screens and bumps whilst always knowing where the ball and his defender are, and I'd say we'll see him play quite a bit like this when Bradley is off the court.
If everything goes right and he can somehow become a 40% three point shooter, shoot 50% from the field and 90% from the free throw line, we are looking at a top 10 NBA player.
Long way to go though. Makes you confident seeing his work ethic that he's going to give it everything he's got.
Topic: Mannix: Marcus Smart called the “next great perimeter defender" (Read 25165 times)