Is Smart the new Dennis Johnson?

[JumpingJudkins]

People keep searching for modern players to compare Marcus Smart to, but is he really the next Dennis Johnson?

DJ was an All-NBA defender (first or second team) nine times. He had a spotty jump shot -- career 17.2 percent on threes -- but was always willing to take the big shot. Not a true point guard, but he handled the ball most of his Boston career.

Marcus isn't quite the heady player that DJ was in his Celtics years, but seems to have a lot of the same traits. Seems to be a more likely ceiling than Dwayne Wade or James Harden or Chauncey Billups.

[Big333223]

DJ is a good one. I also like Lionel Hollins as a comp.

Smart probably would've been even better in their era than in his own.

[saltlover]

It just makes more sense to compare Smart to contemporary players because of how important the 3-pointer is today.  Smart made more 3's in his rookie year than DJ made in his career.  Being a guard with a poor outside shot was much more tenable back in the day.  So we to compare him to contemporaries who either started off shooting poorly and got better, or have survived despite shooting poorly (and poorly is now in the 25-30% range, not 17% like DJ).

I get what you're saying, but the difference between 17% and Smart's 30% is very significant.

[Roy H.]

A little early to put Marcus in the HOF, I think.

For a ceiling? Maybe, but I think it's a wildly high projection.

[TheSundanceKid]

A little early to put Marcus in the HOF, I think.

For a ceiling? Maybe, but I think it's a wildly high projection.

That's the thing about a ceiling though. It likely would be high. If I set a ceiling of Tony Allen for Smart, then next year he exceeds that ceiling I would have to create a new ceiling. Then perhaps he exceeds that one. After a while I question whether I'm being too conservative in the first place.

Setting a ceiling for a player is something only fans really do, for the player himself it's largely pointless, you just think about long term goals and short term goals and how to achieve them. But as a fan, the ceiling should be what he would be if everything went right wouldn't it? So it's likely to never be reached.

So anyway my ceiling for Smart is MJ, it's the natural comparison..

[slamtheking]

not sure he'll score like DJ did in his prime before coming to Boston but I could see him on that level defensively.  I don't think he's far from it at the moment.  definitely physical enough.  has the active hands too.

[JumpingJudkins]

A little early to put Marcus in the HOF, I think.

For a ceiling? Maybe, but I think it's a wildly high projection.

His ceiling is what I mean. Obviously Smart is not a Hall of Famer, but it seems he has a similar tool set.

[otherdave]

Going on just my memory, I would say DJ shot for a higher percentage in the 4th Q vs. the first 3Q's.

I would be curious to compare Smart & DJ's 4th Q shooting stats.  Does anyone know where to find such stats?

[SHAQATTACK]

I thought this long ago.....but figured nobody else would remember DJ.

DJ ..was mega tuff for his size ......not the fastest , couldn't jump great , but was so smart and gifted in the paint crafty , quick to analyze a situation and capatolize

[Celtics4ever]

I do not think DJ and He are much alike as players, other than they are black and both are good defenders. 

Are peoples minds so feeble that they have to have a comparison for everything?

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/johnsde01.html


Smart has a long way to catch DJ offensively.

[GetLucky]

I do not think DJ and He are much alike as players, other than they are black and both are good defenders. 

Are peoples minds so feeble that they have to have a comparison for everything?

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/johnsde01.html


Smart has a long way to catch DJ offensively.

Aren't you the guy that said the Celtics shouldn't even think about drafting Zhou Qi because Jack Sikma was better than Yao Ming and Yao "didn't deserve to be in the Hall before Sikma"?

EDIT: yep

Pass, I do not even think Yao belongs in the hall of fame with his mediocre stats and short career now peeps are pawning this guy.

Heck, Jack Sigma won a ring, had 17K career points and 10K career rebounds and has better stats than Yao should have been in there before Ming.

What does any of this have to do with Yao Ming? Nobody talked about drafting Ming, he's retired. Might as well talk about Matute Bol or Roni Siekaly? Just because Zhou Qi is Chinese doesnt mean they are all the same. Is Kwame Brown the same as Anthony Davis? Is Porzingis the same as Milicic?

Seems I hit a nerve.  Zhou Qi is from China, Yao is too, I realize not all players are the same but they both came from the same league  .  I doubt he is as good as Yao.      They are both tall, too. Is that not similar?    I went off topic, so you melt down?   Go back to your safe room perhaps?

[Emmette Bryant]

People keep searching for modern players to compare Marcus Smart to, but is he really the next Dennis Johnson?

DJ was an All-NBA defender (first or second team) nine times. He had a spotty jump shot -- career 17.2 percent on threes -- but was always willing to take the big shot. Not a true point guard, but he handled the ball most of his Boston career.

Marcus isn't quite the heady player that DJ was in his Celtics years, but seems to have a lot of the same traits. Seems to be a more likely ceiling than Dwayne Wade or James Harden or Chauncey Billups.

Yeah Smart's game reminds me of DJ. Of course Dennis Johnson's game wasn't quite so, uh, flamboyant.

[saltlover]

I do not think DJ and He are much alike as players, other than they are black and both are good defenders. 

Are peoples minds so feeble that they have to have a comparison for everything?

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/johnsde01.html


Smart has a long way to catch DJ offensively.

Aren't you the guy that said the Celtics shouldn't even think about drafting Zhou Qi because Jack Sikma was better than Yao Ming and Yao "didn't deserve to be in the Hall before Sikma"?

EDIT: yep

Pass, I do not even think Yao belongs in the hall of fame with his mediocre stats and short career now peeps are pawning this guy.

Heck, Jack Sigma won a ring, had 17K career points and 10K career rebounds and has better stats than Yao should have been in there before Ming.

What does any of this have to do with Yao Ming? Nobody talked about drafting Ming, he's retired. Might as well talk about Matute Bol or Roni Siekaly? Just because Zhou Qi is Chinese doesnt mean they are all the same. Is Kwame Brown the same as Anthony Davis? Is Porzingis the same as Milicic?

Seems I hit a nerve.  Zhou Qi is from China, Yao is too, I realize not all players are the same but they both came from the same league  .  I doubt he is as good as Yao.      They are both tall, too.  Is that not similar?    I went off topic, so you melt down?   Go back to your safe room perhaps?

TP for research.

[crownsy]

A little early to put Marcus in the HOF, I think.

For a ceiling? Maybe, but I think it's a wildly high projection.

Yea, I liked what I saw out of Marcus on the whole this season, and i loved his game four performance, but for him it will be about consistency. He needs to be right on the edge like he was in game four, but without crossing it like he did with the flopping and hero shorts in game 3.

Marcus has all the talent in the world, and i love the edge he plays with, and i hope they keep him long term but he needs to show me that guy from Sunday night alot more before i slap a "key piece" tag on him. Looking forward to watching how it turns out

[Eja117]

Larry Bird called DJ "the best player I ever played with...and probably the one guy as intense or more intense about winning than me."

The story was backed up by Bill Walton who said on his first day with the team Bird said "This is how it works here. You pass me the ball. Every once in a while you can pass to DJ cause he's pretty good."


Sometimes I think Bird didn't like McHale or maybe even Chief.

I think Smart has a very very long way to go to get to DJ land