When is Marcus going to break out?

[walker834]

Jabari is starting to.  Deangelo Russell.  Even Gary Harris is outplaying Smart right now and proving to be a better version. Marcus has so much strength as a defender and he's got to get his offense in gear.  With Crowder out now would be a good time.  Aaron Gordon. The list goes on though. Marcus has been solid so far but his offensive numbers are really not what they could be.

[alldaboston]

Has to be pretty soon. If he's really the point guard of the future for the Celtics, that is. I posted something in another thread awhile back, but I didn't get a reaction, so I'll post it here:





I think ET has been huge for this team. He's accepted his role now, and has single handedly saved us in quite a few games these 2 years.

That being said...

He needs the ball in his hands to be effective. He's not good as a floor spacer or catch and shoot guy. And he seems to have an aversion to deferring to Smart in games. Many times, Marcus is wide open but ET decides to look the other way or to score by himself. Evan is a solid guy off the bench, but I think we need to make something else clear here:

Is Marcus Smart the point guard of the future for the Celtics?

If he is, then we need to give him as much development time on the ball as we can. That means moving on from ET. We might also have to contemplate moving Isaiah either back to the bench or to another team.

If he's not, then I think it's useless to keep him here and stunt his development. He's an elite defender and a great team guy, but at some point you have to wonder: could we get something more important to us if we package him in a deal for, say, a Jimmy Butler. Or a DeMarcus Cousins. Or someone like that.

If Danny trusts Isaiah enough, he could seriously decide to move from Smart while he still has value, and keep Isaiah and Evan. Because the longer Smart comes off the bench and continues struggling to score, the lower his value will be.

Discuss.

[walker834]

Smart we are using him like a poor man's Gary Harris when he should be playing ET's role I agree. He should be our starter really, but wasn't really doing much earlier in the year.  With IT as the starter it's kind of tough.  I'm guessing that pairing in some form, IT and Smart but who knows really.  Smart has potential to be our starter.

Smart to me is definately a pg.  His offense is struggling because he really hasn't had much chance to play it.

[alldaboston]

What are your thoughts on an Isaiah-Marcus backcourt?

[walker834]

I was just adding that Smart is definately  pg to me unless the figure out a timeshare where IT and Smart can share duties.  Have both start and share the point then run it when the other goes to the bench or something.

With Crowder out Smart should start and share pg duties with Isaiah.

[straightouttabahstun]

Marcus does not get put in the position he deserves to be in to develop his talent- which is to be the primary distributor. Doesn't matter if its first or second unit, that dude needs to develop because he's got so much potential. He doesn't get enough looks, shot wise, which is why his numbers suck. He just doesn't touch the ball enough.

 I think he should start with Isaiah. Those two play very well together. Move Bradley to the bench. He does a great job scoring off the bench and isn't expected to be a primary ball handler like Smart is. Smart and Thomas can switch being the handler depending on the situation. i hate to say it, but Marcus will be on this team longer than IT simply because he'll still have a lot of gas in the tank when Isaiah starts declining. He may have a higher ceiling too. That, IMO, makes it worth the risk to give him more freedom to run that offense

[BornReady]

I think it more tough for smart
As Thomas is an allstar and has usurped him in the starting lineup

Plus he has to share Playmaking duties with turner and Thomas
So he doesn't really get a chance to have the ball in his hands much

So he's playmaking and shot creation hasn't developed much

[alldaboston]

How effective is Isaiah off the ball? Like. Catch and shoot. Cuts. Stuff like that. So that Marcus can get on the ball time too. And Isaiah isn't always exploited as the primary focus of the defense.

[mrceltics2013]

Can't shoot, does not attack the rim enough, not much offensive awareness, lack of confidence, not good playmaking. I don't see why he would ever be the PG to anyones future. If Smart was not drafted top 10 we would careless what he does.

[Big333223]

I think Smart's destiny is as a SG. He's got great court vision but his passing instincts just aren't what they need to be to run an offense. Eventually he'll be good enough to be a passable second unit PG but I think he's best suited as a 2.

He's got to figure out his NBA niche, offensively, and he'll be fine. He's just not going to be the superstar he was in college. But he's going to be a DPOY candidate soon, so I'll take it.

[jpotter33]

Jabari, Russell, and Harris are also on horrible teams without an All-Star and a sixth man of the year candidate to share playing time, ball-handling, and usage with. And other than Harris, the other two only play one side of the ball. Context matters.

It's going to be hard for Smart to reach his ceiling with this team. We're a good team right now, but it is really coming at the cost of the development of our young guys, especially Smart. I'm to the point of wanting to use Smart and the Brooklyn pick to bring in another star-level player, because I don't think he'll ever reach his potential sharing point guard responsibilities with IT and ET.

[jambr380]

Jabari, Russell, and Harris are also on horrible teams without an All-Star and a sixth man of the year candidate to share playing time, ball-handling, and usage with. And other than Harris, the other two only play one side of the ball. Context matters.

It's going to be hard for Smart to reach his ceiling with this team. We're a good team right now, but it is really coming at the cost of the development of our young guys, especially Smart. I'm to the point of wanting to use Smart and the Brooklyn pick to bring in another star-level player, because I don't think he'll ever reach his potential sharing point guard responsibilities with IT and ET.

I am getting a little nervous with Marcus and am thinking a trade may be necessary. If the BKN pick and Marcus can bring back a guy like Cousins or Butler, then you seriously have to consider it. But, if we can only get a Tobias Harris-level player, then I would much rather ride it out.

I love his defensive tenacity and his ability to know what happens before the offensive player does. He also has had some great passes, pretty threes, and solid drives, but these things need to get more consistent...and maybe that is just part of being a young player.

Still, if in year three he still hasn't made an adequate progression, his value will nosedive, and that's why a trade has to at least be considered.

[walker834]

No need to trade Marcus.  I see the future and it is Marcus.  I think he is a pg.  He's not a guy who is going to play 45  mpg there but he can hold that position for pretty close to that someday.

[max215]

He may never be great. He may not be great until well into his second contract. It's important to remain patient, because he's still just 22 and has less than two years of NBA experience under his belt.

[jpotter33]

No need to trade Marcus.  I see the future and it is Marcus.  I think he is a pg.  He's not a guy who is going to play 45  mpg there but he can hold that position for pretty close to that someday.

Honestly, it's not going to matter as long as IT is the starting point guard. He may be an All-Star this year, but if we can trade for a Cousins or Butler type without including Smart and we pick up a free agent like Horford or Durant, I would without a doubt move IT back to the bench and start Smart. When we get another big-time scorer like a Butler, Durant, or Cousins, then IT is going to be much less effective as a starter for us and much, much more effective as a sixth man, just like Crawford and Williams. That's really the only capacity I can see wanting to keep Smart at this point, because it's going to become a Bledsoe situation all over again where we're going to have to trade him rather than pay him once his contract expires.

I'm one of Smart's biggest fans on this forum, but if we're not going to properly utilize him, then there's no point in keeping him. Ideally, I'd like to try and keep Smart in any trade for a Cousins, Butler, or Love, because I like him better at the point to give us better size and defense when scoring is less of a priority for us.