How can anyone think Marcus Smart is a good NBA basketball player?

[MikeB12]

Last year I nicknamed Marcus "one-fer" because of how often he only made one FG in a game and got ridiculed for it.  Since Marcus came back the Celtics have been terrible.   Not all his fault of course, but again last night he was 2-9 in a another loss where the C's were pathetic in the 4th Q.

He is shooting .314 from 2 pt range and .210 from 3 pt range...absolutely pathetic.

I personally don't think his defensive skills overcome his utter lack of shooting ability.

MikeB (Celtics fan for 50 years)

[Eja117]

Under many circumstances I might agree, but he doesn't always shoot that bad, and when he shuts down an all star (Harden says hello) he's kinda worth it.

What I would say is all the folks that criticized  Rondo for not being able to shoot....pretty soon they have to make a choice between going after Smart or boarding the hypocrite train.

[KeepRondo]

Under many circumstances I might agree, but he doesn't always shoot that bad, and when he shuts down an all star (Harden says hello) he's kinda worth it.

What I would say is all the folks that criticized  Rondo for not being able to shoot....pretty soon they have to make a choice between going after Smart or boarding the hypocrite train.

Rondo shot 50 percent or close to it for most of the years with the Cs.

The train is derailed. Nice try.

[KG Living Legend]

Last year I nicknamed Marcus "one-fer" because of how often he only made one FG in a game and got ridiculed for it.  Since Marcus came back the Celtics have been terrible.   Not all his fault of course, but again last night he was 2-9 in a another loss where the C's were pathetic in the 4th Q.

He is shooting .314 from 2 pt range and .210 from 3 pt range...absolutely pathetic.

I personally don't think his defensive skills overcome his utter lack of shooting ability.

MikeB (Celtics fan for 50 years)

 Can I call you Mike Bone, Mike B. Had an old friend named Mike Bone.

 And Respect to you kind Sir. 50 years you've seen some stuff.

[crimson_stallion]

The Celtics have been terrible because Avery Bradley has been out. 

People dramatically underestimate (as they always have) the impact Bradley has on this team.  Having another guy on the court who can wreak havok on defence, having another guy who can score in volumes, having another guy who can stretch the floor and hit threes with consistency.  All of those things have a MASSIVE impact on out game.

The reason people think that Marcus Smart is going to be a good player is because even as a rookie (at only 20 years of age) he was already mature beyond his years.  He's a guy with natural leadership skills, with good basketball IQ, who plays ever game like it's his last.  His work ethic and effort levels are off the charts, and that's rare for NBA rookies.

He also has physical attributes - notably his size and length and lateral quickness - that give him a distinct advantage on many nights against PG's and even against many of today's SG's. 

Also last season as a rookie, at 20 years old, he already showed signs of being a half competent three point shooter, ball handler and playmaker - not great or even good one, but a half competent one.  Combine that with his already elite levels of defensive play, and you have a LOT of things to be positive about.

PG is a difficult position to learn in the NBA.  Just look at somebody like Kyle Lowry, who took 4 seasons in the league before he started to put up starting calibre PG numbers. Now for the past three seasons he's been one of the top Point Guards in the NBA.

I think Smart is a guy who has the right physicals, the right attitude and the right instincts - that's the most important thing, because those are the things you can't really teach.  What he lacks is offensive skills which is fine - those things can be taught/learned over time. 

This is why I think Smart will become a good NBA player...I just think that it's going to take him some time to get there, and we might not really seeing flashes of how good he can be until he's 23-24 years old.  I've got the patience to wait for that, but not sure if others here do. 

[crimson_stallion]

Under many circumstances I might agree, but he doesn't always shoot that bad, and when he shuts down an all star (Harden says hello) he's kinda worth it.

What I would say is all the folks that criticized  Rondo for not being able to shoot....pretty soon they have to make a choice between going after Smart or boarding the hypocrite train.

Rondo shot 50 percent or close to it for most of the years with the Cs.

The train is derailed. Nice try.

In 9 seasons with the Celtics Rondo shot 49% or better only 3 times, shot above 30% from three only once, and never once shot 65% or better from the line.

To say "Rondo shot 50 percent or close to it for most of the years with the Cs" is just plain wrong.

Don't mean to be rude, but you really should check the numbers before you decide to use those numbers as a justification for telling other people they are wrong.

 

[MikeB12]

KG - sure, I'm Mike Bone for you.  Yes I have seen a lot of great basketball from the Celtics over the years...before Pierce et al came there was a long dry spell from the Bird days but I used to tell my wife I'm not a Celtics fan...I'm a Celtic!

I hope the Smart supporters are correct.  I just don't believe Marcus will ever become a good shooter in the NBA...he wasn't one in college and he hasn't shown improvement yet in the NBA.

MikeB

[PhoSita]

I mean, he's one of the best defenders at his position in the entire world, probably, so you gotta say he's a good NBA basketball player, at least from one perspective.

Plenty of guys have come through this league with little to no offensive game and elite defense, and they've helped teams win a lot of games.


That said, can Smart ever be a reliable starter, let alone a core part of a good team, so long as he's such a poor offensive player?  Absolutely not.

[chambers]

He's 21 years old and has played less than a full season in the NBA.
Basketball is played on both ends-not just offense.
His defensive impact is enormous and you're ignoring that in your critique.

[mctyson]

He is an excellent basketball player.  Not just good...excellent.

He just excels at only a few things right now, all of them basically on defense.  He clearly has other good instincts and abilities.  He is just really struggling to score right.  That will change or he will be nothing more than Tony Allen...

...which honestly is more than acceptable for a career path.

[MikeB12]

PhoSita - I agree totally with this statement by you > "That said, can Smart ever be a reliable starter, let alone a core part of a good team, so long as he's such a poor offensive player?  Absolutely not."

MikeB

[KeepRondo]

Last year I nicknamed Marcus "one-fer" because of how often he only made one FG in a game and got ridiculed for it.  Since Marcus came back the Celtics have been terrible.   Not all his fault of course, but again last night he was 2-9 in a another loss where the C's were pathetic in the 4th Q.

He is shooting .314 from 2 pt range and .210 from 3 pt range...absolutely pathetic.

I personally don't think his defensive skills overcome his utter lack of shooting ability.

MikeB (Celtics fan for 50 years)

 Can I call you Mike Bone, Mike B. Had an old friend named Mike Bone.

 And Respect to you kind Sir. 50 years you've seen some stuff.

TP also to the OP.

[Neurotic Guy]

The Celtics have been terrible because Avery Bradley has been out. 

People dramatically underestimate (as they always have) the impact Bradley has on this team.  Having another guy on the court who can wreak havok on defence, having another guy who can score in volumes, having another guy who can stretch the floor and hit threes with consistency.  All of those things have a MASSIVE impact on out game.

The reason people think that Marcus Smart is going to be a good player is because even as a rookie (at only 20 years of age) he was already mature beyond his years.  He's a guy with natural leadership skills, with good basketball IQ, who plays ever game like it's his last.  His work ethic and effort levels are off the charts, and that's rare for NBA rookies.

He also has physical attributes - notably his size and length and lateral quickness - that give him a distinct advantage on many nights against PG's and even against many of today's SG's. 

Also last season as a rookie, at 20 years old, he already showed signs of being a half competent three point shooter, ball handler and playmaker - not great or even good one, but a half competent one.  Combine that with his already elite levels of defensive play, and you have a LOT of things to be positive about.

PG is a difficult position to learn in the NBA.  Just look at somebody like Kyle Lowry, who took 4 seasons in the league before he started to put up starting calibre PG numbers. Now for the past three seasons he's been one of the top Point Guards in the NBA.

I think Smart is a guy who has the right physicals, the right attitude and the right instincts - that's the most important thing, because those are the things you can't really teach.  What he lacks is offensive skills which is fine - those things can be taught/learned over time. 

This is why I think Smart will become a good NBA player...I just think that it's going to take him some time to get there, and we might not really seeing flashes of how good he can be until he's 23-24 years old.  I've got the patience to wait for that, but not sure if others here do.

Thanks for making this reply so easy.  What Crimson said.
TP. 

Btw, ive been watching 50 years too and I cant see how anyone watching Smart doesn't see tremendous potential.  Impacts NBA games at 21 years old.  Shooting has to improve. It will.

[crimson_stallion]

I hope the Smart supporters are correct.  I just don't believe Marcus will ever become a good shooter in the NBA...he wasn't one in college and he hasn't shown improvement yet in the NBA.

I agree - not sure if he'll ever be a good  (i.e. > 36%) three point shooter.

But I think he has the potential to be a good playmaker, rebounder and defender at the PG / SG spot, and I think he'll be able to become "good enough" (e.g. 34% - 35%) a three point shooter to get by. 

For example:

* it took Lowry four seasons before he started to shoot >36% from three on a consistent basis (career FG% of 41.7%).

* John Wall shot < 30% from three until his fourth season, and to this day he's still never shot over 35.1% (Career FG% of 43%)

* Kemba Walker has been in the league for 5 seasons, still has yet to shoot 35% for a season from three (career FG% of 39.9%). 

* Derek Rose has been in the league 7 seasons, has yet to shoot 35% for a season from three, with is career average being 29.9%. 

If you look at all of the top 10 guards in this year's highly celebrated draft, Mario Hezonja is the only player on that list who is shooting respectable numbers this year.  Other than that you have:

* D'Angelo Russell Shooting under 31.8% from three and 40.5% from the field
*Emmanuel Midiay shooting 25% from three and 31.2% from the field
* Justise Winslow shooting 22.2% form three and 39.3% from the field

We are witnessing a very strange and twisted league these days, where we have star guards who can't shoot, and star bigs who cannot rebound or defend the paint.

What this means for Smart is that even if he never becomes a "good" shooter, he'll still be more than capable of being a good player - as long as he can do other things at a high level.  If he can grow into an elite defender, and a good playmaker and rebounder, and develop a competence for getting to the basket and to the line, then that's fine. 

If you're a guard in this league you don't need to be able to shoot, as long as you can do everything else well.   

[walker834]

It's amazing the type of people that come out when the Celtics lose a few.  50 years of fandom or not that doesn't mean much.  I think compared to his class that he came out with he's doing fine.  I'm guessing he ranks near the top in other categories.  It was known that he was a defensive player and his offense was coming.  STevens said his defense was nba ready but his offense wasn't when he was drafted.  He's basically had a full season of play.  A lot of stars struggle through their first 82 games.

The college game as it stands doesn't develop these players.  If you look at his class it's that all down the line.  He was drafted on potential and it was known it would take time.

Anyone who can't see Marcus's talent is blind imo.  Even if he ends up a better version of Pj Tucker that's still a valuable player.

So kudos for stating the obvious in an arrogant way. Amazing!