Smart was due for a good game. He was shooting 37%/32%/63% over the second half of last season... had been shooting 32%/24%/72% so far this season. He looked a little better in pre-season. It's been a long time coming. Hopefully this was a breakout game and he keeps it up.
Legit question...do you actually watch most games? Because it seems as though all of your comments are stat related and a box score doesn't tell a complete story. This could explain why you love guys like Randle, who gives up on one end more than he gets you on the other, but don't like Smart since his offensive usage rate isn't as high as it would be if he were on one of the sorry teams you adore (LAL, Philly, Brooklyn).
Of course I watch the games. Smart's been a good 1-way player. Randle has been pretty good 1-way as well. Tonight was a unique game from Smart. Hope he keeps it up.
See that's where I disagree with you about Smart. Even as a rookie last year, he has a knack for hitting big shots and making big plays. Plus, you fail to ever talk about his motor, his high BB IQ, and the little things he does that help you win, but don't show up in a box score. This season his offensive game has improved a lot even though "stats" don't reflect it. He's taking it to the basket a lot more, he's hitting the slipping big on his roll to the basket off a pick, he's posting up, etc.
Why is that you said the other day that Stauskas is "actually playing good" when his offensive numbers are worse than Smarts and he provides 0 defense, but then you call Smart a 1 way player? Those are the issues I have with your posts. They're just so blatantly biased and lack any consistency when you compare how you assess Cs and non-Cs players.
As for Stauskas, he's playing so good that he was completely benched last game during the second half after going 0 for the field and scoreless during the 1st half. You would've been all over that discussion here if it had happened to Smart.
Stauskas was atrocious in his last game. That was an abomination of a performance.
I've at no point claimed Stauskas is a better prospect than Marcus Smart. He's got some promise, though. For the season he's averaging 11 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1 steal on 33%/28%/72% shooting. Shot hasn't been falling and he could see a hit in minutes for a while.
After tonight's huge performance, Smart is averaging 12.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.5 steals with 39%/30%/69% shooting.
You're right, stats don't tell the whole story. Stats show them as roughly even... you'd never know that Smart was sensational in his last game and Stauskas was horrid. Who knows what those guys will look like several months/years from now, though.
Fwiw, Randle is averaging 11 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1 steal with 42%/0%/58% shooting. He's showed some signs as well, but I think it's fair to say Smart is still a better asset for now.
Aaron Gordon has been interesting, but isn't yet getting the minutes. 9 points, 5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1 block, 1 steal with 45%/24%/69%, but he's playing 20mpg while those other guys are playing 30. He's another one to watch.
That entire draft class (beyond Wiggins) was brutally disappointing in year 1. It'll be interesting to look at them a few years from now, though. I think several of those guys will look a lot better... hopefully Smart included.
Also, I commented after game 1 that Smart looked solid. He played within the system on offense. Still, tonight was long overdue. You have to really reach to say Smart has been impressive offensively up until this game.
Topic: Westbrook "throws shade" at Smart (Read 8438 times)