When will Smart start to take over?

[Csfan1984]

Seeing Smart never get a chance at the helm is like watching Chauncey Billups situation.

[hwangjini_1]

If he makes it back this season and looks as awful offensively as he did earlier this year, his trade value is going to plummet pretty rapidly.  The thing about "potential" is that you need to show progress.  Smart hasn't really shown any. 

Still think he could peak out as tony Allen on defense and Rodney stuckey on offense, but he might just be a long-term defensive role player.

smart played last year in 67 games, his first season in the the nba. since then, he has played 9 games this year. let's do the math now...that comes to a total of 76 nba regular season games. not even one complete season has he played.

but yeah, without showing real growth over the 9 games so far this season i can see how we should decide on his career ceiling already. as we all know, 9 games is an ample sample for bringing home a judgement on a player's career potential, isnt it?

sigh. once again, cbers dash, sprint, run, and of course jump to final judgement so quickly.

[Ilikesports17]

If he makes it back this season and looks as awful offensively as he did earlier this year, his trade value is going to plummet pretty rapidly.  The thing about "potential" is that you need to show progress.  Smart hasn't really shown any. 

Still think he could peak out as tony Allen on defense and Rodney stuckey on offense, but he might just be a long-term defensive role player.

smart played last year in 67 games, his first season in the the nba. since then, he has played 9 games this year. let's do the math now...that comes to a total of 76 nba regular season games. not even one complete season has he played.

but yeah, without showing real growth over the 9 games so far this season i can see how we should decide on his career ceiling already. as we all know, 9 games is an ample sample for bringing home a judgement on a player's career potential, isnt it?

sigh. once again, cbers dash, sprint, run, and of course jump to final judgement so quickly.

Marcus also outplayed Russel Westbrook in OKC in one of those games.

[ssspence]

If he makes it back this season and looks as awful offensively as he did earlier this year, his trade value is going to plummet pretty rapidly.  The thing about "potential" is that you need to show progress.  Smart hasn't really shown any. 

Still think he could peak out as tony Allen on defense and Rodney stuckey on offense, but he might just be a long-term defensive role player.

I think this is overstating it a little. He's unlikely to be a dynamic offensive player -- he just needs to work his tail off to become a steady, 35%+ three point shooter.

Smart's injury seems to have created a hyperbolic situation on this board. Alot of folks have moved to an extreme position of love or hate. I doubt his trade value is as high as some have hoped, nor as volatile as others fear.

But I do believe the Cs may be quicker to pull the trigger on shopping him than usual due to, a) his early injury history, and b) their glut of young guards on friendly deals -- especially if they feel optimistic about Rozier (a major if).

=======

post script ~~ just saw this on ESPN:

"Marcus Smart on whether he eventually wants to start again: "Those guys have been playing very well with Isaiah [Thomas] and Avery [Bradley] in the starting lineup so I don't want to mess anything up and keep the rhythm going and if it means I have to come off the bench for this team to keep winning games then I'll come off the bench."

gotta like his maturity, that's for sure.

[KG Living Legend]

I don't think our current team is conducive to him ever reaching his potential. We're a good team as a whole, but we're so system- and team-oriented that it's not the best place for potential stars to develop and hone their skills. A wasteland like Philly is probably better for him to become a better offensive player overall, because he'll get many more reps and a lot more freedom to do what he wants.

Now that I think about it, having him run the second unit might be the best for all parties involved. If we give him the reins to the second unit and tell him to go out there and dominate (similar to IT last year), it's probably best for our team as a whole and his development. That actually makes a ton of sense, and it would have the extra benefit of getting the ball out of Turner's hands!

 Tp Jpotter, Good idea to unleash Smart. Tell Coach Immediately!

[wiley]

If he makes it back this season and looks as awful offensively as he did earlier this year, his trade value is going to plummet pretty rapidly.  The thing about "potential" is that you need to show progress.  Smart hasn't really shown any. 

Still think he could peak out as tony Allen on defense and Rodney stuckey on offense, but he might just be a long-term defensive role player.

smart played last year in 67 games, his first season in the the nba. since then, he has played 9 games this year. let's do the math now...that comes to a total of 76 nba regular season games. not even one complete season has he played.

but yeah, without showing real growth over the 9 games so far this season i can see how we should decide on his career ceiling already. as we all know, 9 games is an ample sample for bringing home a judgement on a player's career potential, isnt it?

sigh. once again, cbers dash, sprint, run, and of course jump to final judgement so quickly.

TP for a well spoken post.

As for earlier question regarding Danny and the Kings, no idea about that I just got so used to reading about his "relentless" pursuit of boogie that I tossed it out as if like the changing of the seasons.  I expect smart to return to the starting lineup as soon as he's playing as well as he was before the injury and looks solidly healthy.  2 or 3 weeks?  Hopefully nothing lingers for him with the knee. 
And I think smart remains the #1 trade asset on the Celtics and will remain so unless the pick turns into Simmons, or possibly Ingram.  I think they'll want him starting for the sake of potential deals if any appear.  That last sentence is a guess though.  I think he's the best guard on the Celtics and will start for that reason.

[Future Celtics Owner]

Well I think we all can agree that, since last season, he has improved: his dribbling/handle, ability to drive to the hoop/ability to drive and dish, passing, and is starting to slowly build the groundwork for a triple threat point guard.

[Chris22]

I don't see Smart starting again this season.

TP

[34truth]

I don't think our current team is conducive to him ever reaching his potential. We're a good team as a whole, but we're so system- and team-oriented that it's not the best place for potential stars to develop and hone their skills. A wasteland like Philly is probably better for him to become a better offensive player overall, because he'll get many more reps and a lot more freedom to do what he wants.

Now that I think about it, having him run the second unit might be the best for all parties involved. If we give him the reins to the second unit and tell him to go out there and dominate (similar to IT last year), it's probably best for our team as a whole and his development. That actually makes a ton of sense, and it would have the extra benefit of getting the ball out of Turner's hands!

well, I agree 100% lol.

[34truth]

Want Smart to be The Man with second unit, and play with a little bit more freedom and spacing

[LarBrd33]

If he makes it back this season and looks as awful offensively as he did earlier this year, his trade value is going to plummet pretty rapidly.  The thing about "potential" is that you need to show progress.  Smart hasn't really shown any. 

Still think he could peak out as tony Allen on defense and Rodney stuckey on offense, but he might just be a long-term defensive role player.

smart played last year in 67 games, his first season in the the nba. since then, he has played 9 games this year. let's do the math now...that comes to a total of 76 nba regular season games. not even one complete season has he played.

but yeah, without showing real growth over the 9 games so far this season i can see how we should decide on his career ceiling already. as we all know, 9 games is an ample sample for bringing home a judgement on a player's career potential, isnt it?

sigh. once again, cbers dash, sprint, run, and of course jump to final judgement so quickly.

i hear that, but he was arguably worse over the second half of last season.  He could still develop into a great player, but he's been disappointing so far offensively.  I'm not sure he has the tools to be good on that end.   Poor shooter, not very explosive, not that quick, not that athletic.  He has size so maybe he learns to post up other guards but the idea that his weaknesses make him the next Gary Payton seems like a stretch.   I'm not that optimistic about his future. But I'm a pessimist so who knows.

[tarheelsxxiii]

If he makes it back this season and looks as awful offensively as he did earlier this year, his trade value is going to plummet pretty rapidly.  The thing about "potential" is that you need to show progress.  Smart hasn't really shown any. 

Still think he could peak out as tony Allen on defense and Rodney stuckey on offense, but he might just be a long-term defensive role player.

smart played last year in 67 games, his first season in the the nba. since then, he has played 9 games this year. let's do the math now...that comes to a total of 76 nba regular season games. not even one complete season has he played.

but yeah, without showing real growth over the 9 games so far this season i can see how we should decide on his career ceiling already. as we all know, 9 games is an ample sample for bringing home a judgement on a player's career potential, isnt it?

sigh. once again, cbers dash, sprint, run, and of course jump to final judgement so quickly.

i hear that, but he was arguably worse over the second half of last season.  He could still develop into a great player, but he's been disappointing so far offensively.  I'm not sure he has the tools to be good on that end.   Poor shooter, not very explosive, not that quick, not that athletic.  He has size so maybe he learns to post up other guards but the idea that his weaknesses make him the next Gary Payton seems like a stretch.   I'm not that optimistic about his future. But I'm a pessimist so who knows.

I'm in the LarBrd boat on Smart. I like the guy a lot, it was great seeing him back today. But I share a similar outlook for now, and hope that I'm wrong.

[loco_91]

Smart has already started to take over--defensively.

He's a force on that end. Disruptive. But most people won't think of him as a star unless he scores 20ppg... If that's your definition of a star, you'll be disappointed in Marcus. Myself, I'll be happy to see him continue dominating on defense while developing into a dependable 3rd or 4th option on offense. That doesn't make him into Russell Westbrook, but it does make him into a really valuable player, and likely the 2nd best player in an overrated draft class.

[tarheelsxxiii]

"Marcus Smart on whether he eventually wants to start again: "Those guys have been playing very well with Isaiah [Thomas] and Avery [Bradley] in the starting lineup so I don't want to mess anything up and keep the rhythm going and if it means I have to come off the bench for this team to keep winning games then I'll come off the bench."

gotta like his maturity, that's for sure.

That's probably the best quote of his that I've ever read. Very encouraging.

[Alleyoopster]

If he makes it back this season and looks as awful offensively as he did earlier this year, his trade value is going to plummet pretty rapidly.  The thing about "potential" is that you need to show progress.  Smart hasn't really shown any. 

Still think he could peak out as tony Allen on defense and Rodney stuckey on offense, but he might just be a long-term defensive role player.

smart played last year in 67 games, his first season in the the nba. since then, he has played 9 games this year. let's do the math now...that comes to a total of 76 nba regular season games. not even one complete season has he played.

but yeah, without showing real growth over the 9 games so far this season i can see how we should decide on his career ceiling already. as we all know, 9 games is an ample sample for bringing home a judgement on a player's career potential, isnt it?

sigh. once again, cbers dash, sprint, run, and of course jump to final judgement so quickly.

i hear that, but he was arguably worse over the second half of last season.  He could still develop into a great player, but he's been disappointing so far offensively.  I'm not sure he has the tools to be good on that end.   Poor shooter, not very explosive, not that quick, not that athletic.  He has size so maybe he learns to post up other guards but the idea that his weaknesses make him the next Gary Payton seems like a stretch.   I'm not that optimistic about his future. But I'm a pessimist so who knows.

Last year he came back too early from a rather serious injury may explain part of his lack of success. What concerned me last night was his defense. He got burned on back door plays. I'm wondering if he's still hurt or just in a haze since he's just come back.