Marcus Smart NBA comparison

[slightly biased bias fan]

Junk punch aside Smart is having a very good season but I'm still having trouble finding another player in NBA history with a comparable game to his. Smart seems to have a very unique build and skill set and the only thing close to him is Kyle Lowry, but Lowry is much shorter not as athletic and took him 6 years in the league to average over 10 ppg.

[mrceltic]

I'm grasping at straws here, but I'm picking a strong  Gary Payton vibe from Smart.

Both have their trademark  for smothering defense, leadership, physicality,  and  high motor.

Hope our kid picks up his post skills and trash-talking soon!

[greg683x]

I have a really hard time throwing a name like Gary Payton or Joe Dumars out there because Smarts offensive game isnt in their class yet.  If we're talking just defensively and leaving position out of it, I think his defense compares well to Artests

If we're talking total game on both ends of the floor, where Smart stands right now, the best name I can think of, and Im probably gonna get killed for this, is Lindsey Hunter. 

[Csfan1984]

Hunter seems good right now he was a 3nD PG also Chauncey Billups cause more similar size and strength. My hope is that he surpasses them. As a few have mention Smart has Fat Lever potential given his awareness and ability to impact both ends of the court.

[hpantazo]

I have to go with a smaller Ron Artest

[jambr380]

Hunter seems good right now he was a 3nD PG also Chauncey Billups cause more similar size and strength. My hope is that he surpasses them. As a few have mention Smart has Fat Lever potential given his awareness and ability to impact both ends of the court.

I see Hunter as his floor (and Hunter played like 16-17 seasons - while his last few years were less than impressive, he had a very nice run in the 90s). Obviously, if he can reach Billups level, I will be psyched. He is already showing more than Billups did in his rookie year.

People have thrown around the name Dennis Johnson and I guess I can see it. While Smart is a leader, he seems like the kind of player that would excel playing with stars. He would still be an excellent defensive player and could fill in his offense where needed - easily becoming a 14-16 PPG scorer.

[Tr1boy]

Lindsay Hunter sounds about right

[Csfan1984]

Hunter seems good right now he was a 3nD PG also Chauncey Billups cause more similar size and strength. My hope is that he surpasses them. As a few have mention Smart has Fat Lever potential given his awareness and ability to impact both ends of the court.

I see Hunter as his floor (and Hunter played like 16-17 seasons - while his last few years were less than impressive, he had a very nice run in the 90s). Obviously, if he can reach Billups level, I will be psyched. He is already showing more than Billups did in his rookie year.

People have thrown around the name Dennis Johnson and I guess I can see it. While Smart is a leader, he seems like the kind of player that would excel playing with stars. He would still be an excellent defensive player and could fill in his offense where needed - easily becoming a 14-16 PPG scorer.

At the start of the season I thought DJ. But now I think DJ is a better defender than Smart partly do to the rules in that era and help. But Smart should be a better shooter especially from 3 than DJ. So I don't think they are very comparable any more just too different in styles of D and on offense. Fat Lever is closer in style. Fat was also the leader of his team along side English (Young's 20ppg future maybe?) had a nice run with the Nuggets.

[banty19]

The box score data comparisons aren't overwhelming:

http://nbacompare.com/players-like/4225/marcus-smart

The top result is Iman Shumpert, a nice 3 and D player but you'd hope to get a lot more from such a high pick. And to be fair, Smart's still a rookie so his stats should be better in a few years.

Personally, I've always like the Tony Allen connection. Good, physical defenders with limited offensive game that played college ball in Oklahoma. The main differences I see are that is Smart doesn't have TA's explosive leaping ability. But Smart in his first year is having a better 3-point shooting year than TA has ever had, which is a great sign.

[celtics2030]

I have a really hard time throwing a name like Gary Payton or Joe Dumars out there because Smarts offensive game isnt in their class yet.  If we're talking just defensively and leaving position out of it, I think his defense compares well to Artests

If we're talking total game on both ends of the floor, where Smart stands right now, the best name I can think of, and Im probably gonna get killed for this, is Lindsey Hunter.

Dude, great comparison, right now Lyndsay is a perfect comparison.

[celtics2030]

Although Marcus can be a better assist man than Lyndsay was.

[GetLucky]

I've given it some intense thought and done some number-crunching, and I've come up with the perfect Marcus Smart comparison: Marcus Banks. I believe that this is a new perspective worth discussing. Leave thoughts below!!!

[cletus1985]

I'll stick with my original assessment and say Nick Anderson. If he can keep  his 3pt shooting respectable I think they're very similar players. Smart is probably going to be a bit better on the defensive end though.

[chambers]

Would it be fair to say that since the All Star Break, Smart has already become a more valuable player than Tony Allen ever was?

[pearljammer10]

Would it be fair to say that since the All Star Break, Smart has already become a more valuable player than Tony Allen ever was?

Already? Tony Allen was a significant piece to a title winner...Smart has helped the Celtics fight for an 8th seed in a weak conference.