Anyone want to bet Marcus Smart wont shoot over 40% this year?

[bucknersrevenge]

Have not seen Smart be aggressive much in the preseason so far but it wouldn't surprise me one iota if this was by design. Just as last year Stevens asked AB and Sully to spend more time working on their shot and less on other things regardless of shot selection, so could he have told Smart not to drive as much and just working on finding ways to get off his shot and on running the team for now. Smart is a rhythm shooter. He attacks the rim a few times, gets a layup or two, gets to the line, and then when in rhythm, BOOM then the 3's start to fall. I'd be hard-pressed to think this offensively-laidback version of Smart is the one we're going to get during the season. This is what the preseason is for.

[LooseCannon]

Just for context...in his rookie year bradley shot 34%. Last year he shot 44%. I believe that smart can score in the nba. But he will need to learn to mix drives to the basket with open shots. He will never be Ray Allen, but if he can make open shots and drive to the basket he will be fine as a scorer.

Statistically, Bradley was a better shooter than Smart in college.  It should not be surprising if a similar gulf exists between them when they both realize their full potential in the NBA.

[greece66]

He won't be able to do it. His 3 point percentage will be in the lowest of 30's maybe.

Are we talking of 3P% or FG%?
In any case, anything above 30% in threes looks quite optimistic in light of his stats so far.

[celtics2030]

Yea 40% in field goal % , I just added the 30% in threes as well

[clover]

Just for context...in his rookie year bradley shot 34%. Last year he shot 44%. I believe that smart can score in the nba. But he will need to learn to mix drives to the basket with open shots. He will never be Ray Allen, but if he can make open shots and drive to the basket he will be fine as a scorer.

Statistically, Bradley was a better shooter than Smart in college.  It should not be surprising if a similar gulf exists between them when they both realize their full potential in the NBA.

Bradley was also a top shooter in high school before shooting .375 from the three as a teenager in his one year of college. Smart didn't crack 30% from the college 3 in either of his two years at that level.

Smart could become a good shooter over time or he might not. That's the risk of drafting someone without a shooter's record.

[Hawkeye199]

I bet he won't shoot over 30 %

[SHAQATTACK]

I d say that is a given ,  he is what 20 yrs old ?   He is not known for stroking the ball like Ray Allen

I ll bet you , he learns to be a good shooter long before Rondo .

He is a much natural shot than Rondo.  He needs guidance and he ll nail it.

I have no doubt one day he'll be a very good shooter, maybe not great ,  anyone with his work ethic and footwork and gifts will get it eventually.   Give him a year at least.

Come on......be patient .....look how Sully and KO have improved in. Couple years. .......he is couple or three years younger and more skilled . 

Fans expect too much from 20 year old players .

[GreenWarrior]

what's the point of this thread? no matter what smart does offensively, it's his D that will keep him on the floor. he gets calls defensively that most rookies don't. and he's in a lot of spots defensively you don't expect a rookie to be. if he's not the best pick n' roll defender coming out of college I've ever seen? he's certainly close to it and definitely better than any player we've had defending the pick n' roll in a long time.

there's room to grow offensively. offensively he has the same problem as any other rookie - shot selection.

he also needs to learn to finish better. this will bump his FG% greatly. I don't know what it is? every time I saw him take it to the basket and it didn't go in(pre-season too), he seemed to have the ability to get there and put it up for a quality shot. maybe he's intimidated by the D, hearing footsteps, who knows? but this imo is something that will come with time, much like the rest of his O.

so he could end up being banks 2.0 offensively(which he's not) but his defense is what will keep him in the league longer than banks.
 

[Celtics18]

I'll take that bet.  I think he will shoot better than 40% for the season. 

[twistedrico]

Who cares if he shoots over 40%, the guy is an animal on defense and he will get his offensively.

[droopdog7]

False point anyway.  Shooting percentage has much more to do with quality of shot than ability to shoot.  But yeah, smart can't shoot a lick and will have to work his arse off if he is to improve.

It's more of his shot selection if anything.

You're right.  And shot selection as a lot to do with your ability to get good shots.  Like Shaq shot a very high percentage because he could get dunks (even though he couldn't shoot a lick).  So I all related.

So the question for Smart isn't just can he get better at shooting.  It's about whether he has, or can improve, on his ability to get good shots?  In this case, can he get to the rim consistently and finish or get to the line.  That to me is the real question.  I already know he can't shoot.

[LooseCannon]

Just for context...in his rookie year bradley shot 34%. Last year he shot 44%. I believe that smart can score in the nba. But he will need to learn to mix drives to the basket with open shots. He will never be Ray Allen, but if he can make open shots and drive to the basket he will be fine as a scorer.

Statistically, Bradley was a better shooter than Smart in college.  It should not be surprising if a similar gulf exists between them when they both realize their full potential in the NBA.

Bradley was also a top shooter in high school before shooting .375 from the three as a teenager in his one year of college. Smart didn't crack 30% from the college 3 in either of his two years at that level.

Smart could become a good shooter over time or he might not. That's the risk of drafting someone without a shooter's record.

A good example of how a player with poor college stats can become a good shooter would be Kawhi Leonard.  He shot 20.5% and 29.1% from three in two college seasons.  He has made between 37.0% and 38.0% of his threes in all three of his NBA seasons.

[Beat LA]

Just for context...in his rookie year bradley shot 34%. Last year he shot 44%. I believe that smart can score in the nba. But he will need to learn to mix drives to the basket with open shots. He will never be Ray Allen, but if he can make open shots and drive to the basket he will be fine as a scorer.

Statistically, Bradley was a better shooter than Smart in college.  It should not be surprising if a similar gulf exists between them when they both realize their full potential in the NBA.

Bradley was also a top shooter in high school before shooting .375 from the three as a teenager in his one year of college. Smart didn't crack 30% from the college 3 in either of his two years at that level.

Smart could become a good shooter over time or he might not. That's the risk of drafting someone without a shooter's record.

A good example of how a player with poor college stats can become a good shooter would be Kawhi Leonard.  He shot 20.5% and 29.1% from three in two college seasons.  He has made between 37.0% and 38.0% of his threes in all three of his NBA seasons.

I'd be interested to know how many of Leonard's 3s were corner shots (the easiest 3 point field goal), because the Spurs practically live off of that shot lol. 

[Beat LA]

what's the point of this thread? no matter what smart does offensively, it's his D that will keep him on the floor. he gets calls defensively that most rookies don't. and he's in a lot of spots defensively you don't expect a rookie to be. if he's not the best pick n' roll defender coming out of college I've ever seen? he's certainly close to it and definitely better than any player we've had defending the pick n' roll in a long time.

there's room to grow offensively. offensively he has the same problem as any other rookie - shot selection.

he also needs to learn to finish better. this will bump his FG% greatly. I don't know what it is? every time I saw him take it to the basket and it didn't go in(pre-season too), he seemed to have the ability to get there and put it up for a quality shot. maybe he's intimidated by the D, hearing footsteps, who knows? but this imo is something that will come with time, much like the rest of his O.

so he could end up being banks 2.0 offensively(which he's not) but his defense is what will keep him in the league longer than banks.
 

Are you referring to guards and other swingman type players, because it was only two years ago that KG was still here, and he's probably the best of all time at defending that play.

[PickNRoll]

I'll take the under.  Pierce and Lebron shot .417 their rookie season.  I'll put Marcus around .350.  He'll improve though.