Marcus Smart comparison to Dwade

[crimson_stallion]

Way way off. He's more like Deron Williams than Wade.

I don't hate NBA Draftnet like some, but they seem to get carried away with some ideas. Remember when every single mock draft had Aaron Gordon in the top 10, but NBA Draftnet had him like 25th? They stubbornly stuck with Gordon not being in the top 10 almost until the end IIRC.

Really don't see the Deron Williams comparison.

Deron was always a pure PG - an elite passer and ball handler who could also score and defend.  He was always a pretty solid shooter too.

Wade was a true combo guard who could play either PG or SG equally well, but he never had elite handles or an elite jump shot.  He did have unusually impressive size and strength for a PG, and elite defensive skills.  Obviously Wade was a far more capable scorer as a rookie then Smart is right now, but aside from the scoring side of things I think Wade is a very close comparison. 

[pokeKingCurtis]

How about this:
Wade has the better physicals while Smart has better PG instincts
Both impact the game with their intensity

[SHAQATTACK]

Marcus is more pass first . You can tell he is working on this hard .......I imagine be coaxed and coached to do so.
Wade was let run free ,  street ball ,   Small man above the rim .....score first .

I d rather see Marcus be more of a point guard ,   Like a larger CP3 or Jason Kidd.......or a young DWill.   

Pass first , but if you play off him , he has a nice shot to burn you with

[loco_91]

It isn't a terrible comparison. Really smart players, defensive studs, with a similar bodytype, high motor, average jump shot. I see both of them as combo guards, though Smart is more toward the PG end than Wade. However, Wade is a far better athlete than Smart, and also has significantly better handles, finishing ability, and offensive feel. Not that Smart isn't solid in these categories in his own right - he is - but Wade in his prime was a standout athletically, and also a really crafty player offensively.

The Harden comprison on the other hand is way off the mark. Harden's offensive skills are in a different stratosphere compared with Smart, or even Wade. He doesn't have the remarkable explosiveness of Wade at his age, and he is an abysmal defender in comparison to either player.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

I think it's off. Dwayne Wade is a Hall of Fame player that, on his rookie year, has shown flashes of it already.

Heck, my comparison of Baron Davis with better defense is looking like it's off as well. At this point, I don't know who to compare him to, but I like that.

If he turns out to be a PG who can average 12-13 points, 5-7 assists, and a ton of All NBA Defense honors, I don't know who you compare that kind of player to, but heck I'd be happy if there's a similarity to someone or not. Anything else to add to that that's better would be gravy.

[GreenGoggles]

I think it's off. Dwayne Wade is a Hall of Fame player that, on his rookie year, has shown flashes of it already.

Heck, my comparison of Baron Davis with better defense is looking like it's off as well. At this point, I don't know who to compare him to, but I like that.

If he turns out to be a PG who can average 12-13 points, 5-7 assists, and a ton of All NBA Defense honors, I don't know who you compare that kind of player to, but heck I'd be happy if there's a similarity to someone or not. Anything else to add to that that's better would be gravy.

Smart is going to be much mroe than a 13-7 player. I think he has it in him to be a 19-20 PPG guy plus 8 assists.

[Neurotic Guy]

The DJ comparison is interesting.  I didn't watch much of him during his Seattle/Phoenix days, but as a Celtic the two words that come to mind first are smart and clutch.  The guy was not a great shooter, but would invariably hit the clutch shot down the stretch.  I guess that comes, in part, from being confident and from being calm and clear when the going gets tough.  These traits remain to be seen as they play out with Smart, but wouldn't surprise me.  DJ also seemed like he was always bigger than opposing PGs -- he  actually was the same height as Marcus (6'4") and clearly a more dough-y physique.  I don't recall him  being a smothering, manic defender. Rather, he played big, smart, and focused.  So I think they are different defensively, but the idea of focus and intelligence are there, and Marcus certainly can use his size/speed combination to his great advantage.   

[nickagneta]

The DJ comparison is not good. In his youth in Seattle and Phoenix, DJ was a high flying, above the rim 2 guard that looked to score, almost Jordanesque. He also was a major pain in the ass with attitude.

What he became after he lost some of his athleticism was what people most remember and that is the combo guard with tough as nails defense and intelligent play. DJ eventually became what some people want to see Smart become but I am not sure Smart is that type of player. I think the best we can hope for is some like the Glove. Defensive dominant passer that learns to score later in his career

[Yoki_IsTheName]

I think it's off. Dwayne Wade is a Hall of Fame player that, on his rookie year, has shown flashes of it already.

Heck, my comparison of Baron Davis with better defense is looking like it's off as well. At this point, I don't know who to compare him to, but I like that.

If he turns out to be a PG who can average 12-13 points, 5-7 assists, and a ton of All NBA Defense honors, I don't know who you compare that kind of player to, but heck I'd be happy if there's a similarity to someone or not. Anything else to add to that that's better would be gravy.

Smart is going to be much mroe than a 13-7 player. I think he has it in him to be a 19-20 PPG guy plus 8 assists.

I wouldn't be surprised if he does. All I'm saying is I'd be happy if that's his ceiling. That's a very good player you got right there. Anything more than that would be of course, so much better.

[Tr1boy]

Smart is a unique player. No doubt about it. Defensively he is like a shot blocking extrodinaire out on the perimeter.  We have yet to see his best.i remember a few games last season vs bigger schools, with the OK state crowed going nuts, smart was on another level. Would really like to see this kind of intensity from him in the playoffs

I like the baron davis comparison. At his peak , davis was a beast

[Jesus Shuttlesworth #20]

The Marcus Smart to DWade comparison is fair as long as they also compare Avery Bradley to Kobe Bryant and James Young to Kevin Durant.

[Tr1boy]

Again not sure about the James Harden comparison.  But I think Harden is glad he won't be playing Smart any time soon.  Excellent defense by Smart.  Never thought it would be actually fun to watch defense

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmjli8hakJY

[Kane3387]

Don't see it.

Wade was relentless going to the basket. Petrified of threes.

Not sure Marcus knows how to shoot anything other then threes.

[crimson_stallion]

The Marcus Smart to DWade comparison is fair as long as they also compare Avery Bradley to Kobe Bryant and James Young to Kevin Durant.

I think you're missing the point.

The Comparison of Smart to Wade isn't suggesting he's on the same level - it's a comparison of player type and skill set. 

Avery Bradley is a '3 & D' player who has a defense-first mentality.  He's an undersized SG who isn't very strong, has a mediocre handle, medicore passing and an offensive game limited to open threes, pull up mid range jumpers and baseline cuts. 

Kobe Bryant in his prime was an offense-first player who also had excellent defensive skills.  He had the size and strength to play either SG or SF, and was always an elite ball handler and passer for his position.  He has always had the ability to score in every way, from jumpers to drives to post game.   He is not even remotely close to AB in terms of player type. 

James Young is a SG with legit SG size and a solid jumper, slightly above average athleticism, pretty average passing and rebounding...and that's about it (so far).  Durant is a SF with the height and length of a PF, the athleticism of a shooting guard, elite offensive game, and exceptional rebounding and passing skills.

Again, these two guys have just about nothing in common except they are both skilled perimeter shooters.

Comparing Smart to Wade however, there are a lot of similarities.  Yes Wade is (and always was) a far more accomplished scorer than Smart is right now.  But ignore that one aspect, and in every other part of their game they are extremely similar.  Both about the same height and weight, similar strength, length and athleticism (Wade slightly more athletic).  Like Smart, Wade predominantly played PG as a rookie and averaged around 5-6 assists and around 5-6 rebounds (which I suspect Smart will be averaging once this season is over).  Like Smart, Wade was an absolute defensive beast in his prime - I would say he was one of the top 3-5 perimeter defenders in the league.   

I seriously doubt that Smart will ever be on Wade's level offensively - Wade has been one of the league's most dominant scorers for the past decade.  I do think he has the potential to be a very productive (16-19 PPG) scorer though 3-4 years from now.  My instincts tell me that 3 years from now Smart will be up around 16.5 points, 6.5 assists, 5 rebounds and 1.7 steals...and they are very nice numbers if that comes true.

Aside from Wade I thin the next best comparison is probably Tyreke Evans, though Smart is already a much better defensive player and probably already a better shooter.   
   

[GetLucky]

Again not sure about the James Harden comparison.  But I think Harden is glad he won't be playing Smart any time soon.  Excellent defense by Smart.  Never thought it would be actually fun to watch defense

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmjli8hakJY

Wow! This is great. I admittedly haven't caught too many Celtics games this year, but from what I have seen Smart has been solid. These "defensive highlight" videos usually don't end up being highlights, but that was two and a half minutes of great defense- effort-wise, technique-wise, and cheat-just-enough-when-no-one's-looking wise.

I was a big proponent of the Smart/DWade comparison when he got drafted, especially based on his percentages and scouting reports (all drive and bully-ball). However, like everyone already pointed out, Smart's NBA game, so far, is much more perimeter-oriented. I'm frankly quite impressed, as he's already a better three-point shooter than Wade. If Marcus developed those little bank-shot runners a la Wade or Nash, I can only imagine how good he'd be.