Mannix: Marcus Smart called the “next great perimeter defender"

[D.o.s.]

Probably the same number of NBA players that know when and where to modify things that convey absolutes.

His jump shot could certainly be more perfect, though.
 

[Tr1boy]

How good can Marcus Smart be if he never becomes as good of a shooter as Rondo is now?

Smart is already a better shooter at the same age.  Smart already has more range than Rondo.

Rondo has become an ok open jump shooter.  He still can't dribble, stop and shoot though.

Smart can do this as he showed us at SL.  He is very good at it actually

in my books already a better overall jump shooter.

Smart is already a better shooter than Rondo and a much better free throw shooter as well.  So the C's will have a PG, that isn't afraid to go to the line in the 4th quarter....

Smart will never be the play maker Rondo is but Smart will be a better defender, shooter, scorer and leader than him IMO....

There is no dispute about the shooting part.    I also agree smart has the tools to be a better defender (just as quick hands and exceptional anticipation ability) and leader.  Rondo at one pt was a very good scorer and blasted by guys for layups.  Smart just has more ways he can score

Rondo still holds key advs that he has won a ring and ability to take it into another gear in the playoffs.

Still if a good offer for Rondo came today, i wouldn't hesitate to trade him

[Tr1boy]

Smart came to the comebine at about 10 per fat. Still fit and has an exceptional motor . I didn't see him be gassed once at the SL. That one play - missed layup and rushing back to steal the ball (opposing coach going crazy, clapping hands), then rushing back the other way for the bounce pass was incredible

I wonder if Smart can get down to 7 or 6 percent fat, he can become a little more explosive , just giving him that edge for him to do what he wants on the court

[lon3lytoaster]

Still quite a few people misinformed on Smart.. What if he never becomes a better shooter than Rondo is now? Really? First, rondo is really solid from mid range, but Smart is already leaps and bounds above Rajon as a "pure" shooter. It's not even close. Yes he's streaky and yes he forces sometimes but he's a good shooter and I'd put money on that.

There's still some salt, I think about not getting Parker or Embiid but seriously - Smart was a great pick at 6 and players like him with his personality and skills and leadership don't come along every day.

[Beat LA]

How good can Marcus Smart be if he never becomes as good of a shooter as Rondo is now?

Smart is already a better shooter at the same age.  Smart already has more range than Rondo.

Rondo has become an ok open jump shooter.  He still can't dribble, stop and shoot though.

Smart can do this as he showed us at SL.  He is very good at it actually

in my books already a better overall jump shooter.

Smart is already a better shooter than Rondo and a much better free throw shooter as well.  So the C's will have a PG, that isn't afraid to go to the line in the 4th quarter....

Smart will never be the play maker Rondo is but Smart will be a better defender, shooter, scorer and leader than him IMO....

There is no dispute about the shooting part.    I also agree smart has the tools to be a better defender (just as quick hands and exceptional anticipation ability) and leader.  Rondo at one pt was a very good scorer and blasted by guys for layups.  Smart just has more ways he can score

Rondo still holds key advs that he has won a ring and ability to take it into another gear in the playoffs.

Still if a good offer for Rondo came today, i wouldn't hesitate to trade him

That's sad, imho.

[Csfan1984]

... most unique, eh?

Easily.  How many 6'1" players can grab 18 rebounds in a game?

Yup. + longest wingspan to height ratio. Oh and large freakish hands for is body too. JS

[2short]

Even if he is, "the next great perimeter defender," there's more to basketball than defense.  A lot more.  I do like his passing and I love his fire, but no one should be comparing him to Rondo, especially when it comes to playmaking.  You guys do know how special Rondo is as a player, right?  He's the most unique player in the NBA.

That aside, Smart looks right now to be a kind of poor man's Lance Stephenson, only an inch or two shorter.  He's a good but not great athlete, a pretty good passer (although not on Stephenson's level, imo), he needs to work on his shooting (that's where Lance really has him beat), and I don't believe that he's anywhere close to the rebounder that Stephenson, let alone Rondo, is. 

I'd also like to see what happens when he tries to guard Derrick Rose, the operative word being try.  The reason I say that is because we all think of Bradley as a great defender (he is) and he can't do **** against Rose, quite frankly.  Rondo and Shumpert can, and probably Westbrook as well, but that's about it.  That's the ultimate test for Marcus, imo, and I honestly don't think that Smart is going to fare very well against him, but we'll see.  It's interesting how Bradley can do a very good job on Westbrook and not Rose, given the similarities between the two opposing point guards, especially when it comes to athleticism, speed, and quickness.  I wonder why that is?

Bottom line, of course I want Smart to be awesome, but I'm not going to put such ridiculously-unrealistic expectations on him.

good points
i find it interesting that people are super high on smart so we can trade rondo
to me the guy that should be "worried" about smarts level of play is bradley

[dmopower]

Even if he is, "the next great perimeter defender," there's more to basketball than defense.  A lot more.  I do like his passing and I love his fire, but no one should be comparing him to Rondo, especially when it comes to playmaking.  You guys do know how special Rondo is as a player, right?  He's the most unique player in the NBA.

That aside, Smart looks right now to be a kind of poor man's Lance Stephenson, only an inch or two shorter.  He's a good but not great athlete, a pretty good passer (although not on Stephenson's level, imo), he needs to work on his shooting (that's where Lance really has him beat), and I don't believe that he's anywhere close to the rebounder that Stephenson, let alone Rondo, is. 

I'd also like to see what happens when he tries to guard Derrick Rose, the operative word being try.  The reason I say that is because we all think of Bradley as a great defender (he is) and he can't do **** against Rose, quite frankly.  Rondo and Shumpert can, and probably Westbrook as well, but that's about it.  That's the ultimate test for Marcus, imo, and I honestly don't think that Smart is going to fare very well against him, but we'll see.  It's interesting how Bradley can do a very good job on Westbrook and not Rose, given the similarities between the two opposing point guards, especially when it comes to athleticism, speed, and quickness.  I wonder why that is?

Bottom line, of course I want Smart to be awesome, but I'm not going to put such ridiculously-unrealistic expectations on him.

good points
i find it interesting that people are super high on smart so we can trade rondo
to me the guy that should be "worried" about smarts level of play is bradley

Exactly.  If Rondo is healthy and still here he will get his min. I dont see any problem with all three of these guys playing starter min. 

 As good as Bradley is he is a better fit next to rondo as Bradley sucks at playmaking.  This leaves Smart in a perfect position to play 6th man and learn the game at both positions without having to perfect just one right off. He will have to be a better shooter but he will have Rondo getting him better shots also.

[Celtics4ever]

I'd also like to see what happens when he tries to guard Derrick Rose, the operative word being try.  The reason I say that is because we all think of Bradley as a great defender (he is) and he can't do **** against Rose

Have you seen Rose play lately?   It won't take much and it looks like he is mended but not mentally back from the injury.   In FIBA, he doesn't look so hot. and is only playing 18 MPG

http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldcup/2014/Derrick-ROSE

Also, by all accounts Smart held his own defensively against the USA basketball team.  I am not saying he will dominate  but I think he is a better defender than some imagine.   Better than AB, even, as his strength adds a whole new dimension to his ability to defense that AB doesn't have.

[manl_lui]

I'd also like to see what happens when he tries to guard Derrick Rose, the operative word being try.  The reason I say that is because we all think of Bradley as a great defender (he is) and he can't do **** against Rose

Have you seen Rose play lately?   It won't take much and it looks like he is mended but not mentally back from the injury.   In FIBA, he doesn't look so hot. and is only playing 18 MPG

http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldcup/2014/Derrick-ROSE

Also, by all accounts Smart held his own defensively against the USA basketball team.  I am not saying he will dominate  but I think he is a better defender than some imagine.   Better than AB, even, as his strength adds a whole new dimension to his ability to defense that AB doesn't have.

I would love to defend Smart in this argument but, we have a very small sample size for Smarts at the moment. He defended well against Exum, and even Wiggins in college and in high school, "held his own" as a select team vs the USA team, but who was he exactly guarding? Maybe some players like Rose or even Curry or Harden got by him, maybe he defended well against Thompson, Lillard, and Wall.

Not to take anything away from Smart, of course I am always open to improvement on the team and I will be ecstatic if Smart is a much much much better player than Bradley, but at this point, at this moment, before the season even started, Bradley is the better defender and HAS proven he is an elite defender at the NBA level vs the likes of Irving, Wall, Wade, etc, etc (not Rose because I do not think he actually defended Rose at all).

[DarkAzcura]

I'd also like to see what happens when he tries to guard Derrick Rose, the operative word being try.  The reason I say that is because we all think of Bradley as a great defender (he is) and he can't do **** against Rose

Have you seen Rose play lately?   It won't take much and it looks like he is mended but not mentally back from the injury.   In FIBA, he doesn't look so hot. and is only playing 18 MPG

http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldcup/2014/Derrick-ROSE

Also, by all accounts Smart held his own defensively against the USA basketball team.  I am not saying he will dominate  but I think he is a better defender than some imagine.   Better than AB, even, as his strength adds a whole new dimension to his ability to defense that AB doesn't have.

I would love to defend Smart in this argument but, we have a very small sample size for Smarts at the moment. He defended well against Exum, and even Wiggins in college and in high school, "held his own" as a select team vs the USA team, but who was he exactly guarding? Maybe some players like Rose or even Curry or Harden got by him, maybe he defended well against Thompson, Lillard, and Wall.

Not to take anything away from Smart, of course I am always open to improvement on the team and I will be ecstatic if Smart is a much much much better player than Bradley, but at this point, at this moment, before the season even started, Bradley is the better defender and HAS proven he is an elite defender at the NBA level vs the likes of Irving, Wall, Wade, etc, etc (not Rose because I do not think he actually defended Rose at all).

He more than held his own at the Team USA camp. Smart was getting a ton of rave reviews and press during camp. There were some people out there saying Smart was one of the most impressive guards through two days at camp regardless of team. There were tweets out there that Smart was locking down Irving and Wall. Smart and Victor O were apparently the lead guards in a comeback vs team Wall and Beal. They came back from 14-2 down to win 22-21. Smart played really, really well with Team USA. 

When people were saying Smart was holding his own vs Irving, Rose, Wall, Lillard, etc, they were saying he was playing on par with them. That's really impressive. Like you said, short sample size, but the reviews out of camp were very, very good.

[slamtheking]

As good as Bradley is he is a better fit next to rondo as Bradley sucks at playmaking.  This leaves Smart in a perfect position to play 6th man and learn the game at both positions without having to perfect just one right off. He will have to be a better shooter but he will have Rondo getting him better shots also.

completely agree -- been saying this myself in other threads since the draft

[Beat LA]

I'd also like to see what happens when he tries to guard Derrick Rose, the operative word being try.  The reason I say that is because we all think of Bradley as a great defender (he is) and he can't do **** against Rose

Have you seen Rose play lately?   It won't take much and it looks like he is mended but not mentally back from the injury.   In FIBA, he doesn't look so hot. and is only playing 18 MPG

http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldcup/2014/Derrick-ROSE

Also, by all accounts Smart held his own defensively against the USA basketball team.  I am not saying he will dominate  but I think he is a better defender than some imagine.   Better than AB, even, as his strength adds a whole new dimension to his ability to defense that AB doesn't have.

In all fairness, I must admit that I haven't.  I did, however, see the highlight of him crossing over some guy from Lithuania I believe which ended with a tomahawk dunk.  It certainly looked like the old Rose on that play, but I know that that doesn't even qualify as a sample size haha.  My original point was made with the idea of a healthy Rose against Smart in mind, and judging from that play, he certainly looks like he's at least very close to returning to form, until, of course, he breaks, tears, rips, or shreds another part of his knee this year.  I wonder why so many guys are having acl injuries nowadays, and not like a partial tear (phew) like Rondo had, I mean the explosive, destructive, injuries that occurred to Rose and Shumpert.  Bledsoe and Westbrook keep having knee problems every year, too.  Could it be steroid use?  The footwear is so much better than it was in the 80s, and those guys, Bernard King aside, never had acl or mcl tears.  I just think it's weird.  Are there any medical professionals or assistants on here who are familiar with the problems associated with steroid use who could weigh in on the matter?  I know that anabolic steroids kill your joints, so obviously the knees would be the most vulnerable, I'd think, but what do I know haha?

[fantankerous]

Even if he is, "the next great perimeter defender," there's more to basketball than defense.  A lot more.  I do like his passing and I love his fire, but no one should be comparing him to Rondo, especially when it comes to playmaking.  You guys do know how special Rondo is as a player, right?  He's the most unique player in the NBA.

That aside, Smart looks right now to be a kind of poor man's Lance Stephenson, only an inch or two shorter.  He's a good but not great athlete, a pretty good passer (although not on Stephenson's level, imo), he needs to work on his shooting (that's where Lance really has him beat), and I don't believe that he's anywhere close to the rebounder that Stephenson, let alone Rondo, is. 

I'd also like to see what happens when he tries to guard Derrick Rose, the operative word being try.  The reason I say that is because we all think of Bradley as a great defender (he is) and he can't do **** against Rose, quite frankly.  Rondo and Shumpert can, and probably Westbrook as well, but that's about it.  That's the ultimate test for Marcus, imo, and I honestly don't think that Smart is going to fare very well against him, but we'll see.  It's interesting how Bradley can do a very good job on Westbrook and not Rose, given the similarities between the two opposing point guards, especially when it comes to athleticism, speed, and quickness.  I wonder why that is?

Bottom line, of course I want Smart to be awesome, but I'm not going to put such ridiculously-unrealistic expectations on him.

good points
i find it interesting that people are super high on smart so we can trade rondo
to me the guy that should be "worried" about smarts level of play is bradley

Exactly.  If Rondo is healthy and still here he will get his min. I dont see any problem with all three of these guys playing starter min. 

 As good as Bradley is he is a better fit next to rondo as Bradley sucks at playmaking.  This leaves Smart in a perfect position to play 6th man and learn the game at both positions without having to perfect just one right off. He will have to be a better shooter but he will have Rondo getting him better shots also.

What are smart's catch and shoot percentages?

[manl_lui]

I'd also like to see what happens when he tries to guard Derrick Rose, the operative word being try.  The reason I say that is because we all think of Bradley as a great defender (he is) and he can't do **** against Rose

Have you seen Rose play lately?   It won't take much and it looks like he is mended but not mentally back from the injury.   In FIBA, he doesn't look so hot. and is only playing 18 MPG

http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldcup/2014/Derrick-ROSE

Also, by all accounts Smart held his own defensively against the USA basketball team.  I am not saying he will dominate  but I think he is a better defender than some imagine.   Better than AB, even, as his strength adds a whole new dimension to his ability to defense that AB doesn't have.

I would love to defend Smart in this argument but, we have a very small sample size for Smarts at the moment. He defended well against Exum, and even Wiggins in college and in high school, "held his own" as a select team vs the USA team, but who was he exactly guarding? Maybe some players like Rose or even Curry or Harden got by him, maybe he defended well against Thompson, Lillard, and Wall.

Not to take anything away from Smart, of course I am always open to improvement on the team and I will be ecstatic if Smart is a much much much better player than Bradley, but at this point, at this moment, before the season even started, Bradley is the better defender and HAS proven he is an elite defender at the NBA level vs the likes of Irving, Wall, Wade, etc, etc (not Rose because I do not think he actually defended Rose at all).

He more than held his own at the Team USA camp. Smart was getting a ton of rave reviews and press during camp. There were some people out there saying Smart was one of the most impressive guards through two days at camp regardless of team. There were tweets out there that Smart was locking down Irving and Wall. Smart and Victor O were apparently the lead guards in a comeback vs team Wall and Beal. They came back from 14-2 down to win 22-21. Smart played really, really well with Team USA. 

When people were saying Smart was holding his own vs Irving, Rose, Wall, Lillard, etc, they were saying he was playing on par with them. That's really impressive. Like you said, short sample size, but the reviews out of camp were very, very good.

good point, I am very very high on Smart myself, and cannot wait to see him play. I was simply making a comparison of "now"...of course, training camp hasn't started yet so neither did the season, a lot can happen until then. 2 more months yo!