marcus and the next step-it might include defense

[rollie mass]

another opportunity for growth,to pick up moves from the best while playing defense against team usa
all the while a great ambassador for celtics
i think smart injury free will make a massive jump and i believe the celtics defense will make another leap because of  horford,
opposing guards will have to alter their attack and perimeter defense has more options with hofords length and bbiq-sully didn't close out ,sully was slow switching,sully was easy to take off dribble
 here is another thought no david lee ,starting this season -how many games did he cost us
 

[Celts Fan 508]

I agree, I can't wait to see what Smart does next season.  It's really going to be put up or shut up time.  That second line (assuming no other moves) will be sick with Rozier, Smart, Brown, JJ, KO a nice mixture of scoring and defense.  Smart will be able to penetrate with Brown while KO and JJ spread the floor.

Smart hopefully makes a friend playing on Team USA, somebody he can recruit to Boston. 

[ThePaintedArea]

i think smart injury free will make a massive jump and i believe the celtics defense will make another leap because of  horford

Third year's the charm in the NBA.  I don't know about a "massive jump" - but it looks like a good bet that Marcus goes to being a plus on both ends next season.  It's rare for young players to really get team defense, and Marcus is not an exception; but he's got the mind, the mentality, and the physical gifts to be an outstanding team defender.

Team defense is harder to see than individual defense (an artificial distinction, admittedly); most fans are watching the ball, so the contributions of a Kelly Olynyk or a Jae Crowder or an Amir Johnson are mostly invisible.

Horford replaces Sullinger who (despite all the eye-rolling and snark on this board) was a good team defender and moved the ball (why do the doubters think that Brad trusted him?).  Don't get me wrong: Big Al is an upgrade, and true to Danny Ainge's proclivities, is a big you can run offense through.  The upgrade will be more noticeable on the offensive end.

[rollie mass]

i believe last years 3 pt shooting the result of injuries ,recovery time that skewed stats,chrowder injury,along with kelly and the inability of jerebko and kelly to jack up shots with time running down--so i expect him to hit 36%-he shot 34% his rookie year-i think he will get to foul line more ,he will post up and go to the hoop more,his assists will go up with horford playing
for him to come into training camp with his fingers intact and uninjured will be a big boost and with no david lee and remember he was out all the way to dec 31 with a dislocated knee
 when marcus gets hurt its catastrophic-severe high ankle sprain,dislocuted fingers,dislocated knee-that high ankle sprain limited his lift and first step, so he didn't go to the hoop but shot threes
 it finally got better midway through summer-

[ThePaintedArea]

i believe last years 3 pt shooting the result of injuries ,recovery time that skewed stats,chrowder injury,along with kelly and the inability of jerenko and kelly to jack up shpots with time running down--so i expect him to hit36%-he shot 34% his rookie year-i think he will get to foul line more ,he will post up and go to the hoop more,his assists will go up with horford playing
for him to come into training camp uninjured will be a big boost and with no david lee and remember he was out all the way to dec 31 with a dislocated knee

On the whole, I agree.  I don't expect 36% from deep; but anywhere north of 33% would make a big difference.

Some year 1/2 improvements that I don't hear anyone mentioning here: 1) he drastically reduced his turnover rate, even as his usage rate increased; 2) he drastically increased his FT rate, even as he went from a D-plus FT shooter to a B-plus; 3) he got to the rim substantially more often.

[rollie mass]

marcus shot .335 his rookie year from 3
marcus shot .344 in playoffs and .253 for season  2015/16
look how a mild high ankle sprain hindered chrowder and effected his stats in playoffs
so shooting a few % better from rookie season isn't a wild stretch
just went back and watched the 4th game playoff and marcus highlites-

[LilRip]

I'm excited to see Smart's growth as well and I think we'll see improvements across the board. Hopefully he makes it to an all-defense squad by seasons end.

[ThePaintedArea]

marcus shot .335 his rookie year from 3
marcus shot .344 in playoffs and .253 for season  2015/16

so shooting a few % better from rookie season isn't a wild stretch

Absolutely not a wild stretch, I agree.  The playoff number is very respectable, too, and the sample size is not even that small.

[CelticPride2016]

another opportunity for growth,to pick up moves from the best while playing defense against team usa
all the while a great ambassador for celtics
i think smart injury free will make a massive jump and i believe the celtics defense will make another leap because of  horford,
opposing guards will have to alter their attack and perimeter defense has more options with hofords length and bbiq-sully didn't close out ,sully was slow switching,sully was easy to take off dribble
 here is another thought no david lee ,starting this season -how many games did he cost us

It's all about taking the next step for a number of players or at least maintaining it.

Marcus does need to improve in a number of areas, especially shooting and facilitating, if he is to be considered anything but a glorified backup. But he is young and on schedule, so no worries, yes, if he can stay healthy.

I expect improvements from Isaiah and Crowder, but if all they do is stay healthy and repeat what they did, Bradley too, we are a great team.

Horford and Amir make for a very good center tandem. Maybe Olynyk will take the next step and defend the center position better than he has.

I don't know if Zeller is coming back, but he doesn't seem too much of a defender. We seem to be missing a Perk type center, but Cleveland and Golden State don't have much of that either and are still winning titles.

I wish Danny would bring on Zizac. He seems the obvious choice to develop into the biggest of bigs defender.

It is only one aspect of the game and Horford/Amir bring at least a KG center defender mentality. They don't want to be centers, but that's the new NBA.

Horford and Amir don't have to improve. They are proven veterans. I am very happy with our team. The Sully and Zeller problem is over. They have been upgraded. And I don't worry about rebounding without Sullinger. He hurt us in so many other areas. Horford and Olynyk are decent at rebounding. Amir is good. I think we might be contending for a title even if Danny doesn't do anything else. Stay healthy and find a P.J. Brown or Shaq type addition at some point and we might shake up the NBA.

I think Brown plus Rozier is an upgrade on Evan Turner. We are turning the page. Evan was okay to good, but I don't think he will be missed. The roster is now much more balanced.

I can't wait for the season. I can wait for the cold weather. I guess I don't mind waiting for 2016-17 Celtics basketball. I realize we are now a top five NBA team even if most don't. I sleep very well at night because my team is on its way to the top.

[jpotter33]

I think a lot of the naysayers will start changing their tune this coming season with Smart. He's primed for a big jump in efficiency and a good jump statistically, especially in a more primary ball-handling role.

I'd like to see some statistical projections for our guys this season, especially Smart.

[fubar089]

never stop posting rollie 👌🏾

[CelticsJG]

Smart next step is becoming a better scorer / shooter. Also show he can at least play 70-75 games this year.

[BlastFromThePast]

i believe last years 3 pt shooting the result of injuries ,recovery time that skewed stats,chrowder injury,along with kelly and the inability of jerebko and kelly to jack up shots with time running down--so i expect him to hit 36%-he shot 34% his rookie year-i think he will get to foul line more ,he will post up and go to the hoop more,his assists will go up with horford playing
for him to come into training camp with his fingers intact and uninjured will be a big boost and with no david lee and remember he was out all the way to dec 31 with a dislocated knee
 when marcus gets hurt its catastrophic-severe high ankle sprain,dislocuted fingers,dislocated knee-that high ankle sprain limited his lift and first step, so he didn't go to the hoop but shot threes
 it finally got better midway through summer-

I highlighted the salient portion of the above because, in large part, Smart's low FG and 3pt percentages were the direct result of KO, Jerebko and others playing hot potato outside the 3 point line, not because they couldn't take a shot but because they lacked confidence when their shots weren't falling, and then dishing the ball to Smart with 2-3 seconds left on the shot clock.  Same holds true when IT or ET would dribble most of the clock away (and completely ignore Smart when he was wide open) before passing it his way.  What else could he do but jack up a shot before the shot clock expired?

I'm not going to project his numbers for this upcoming season but I think his PPG and shooting percentages will go up significantly particularly with the departure of ET and if he is given the reins to run the 2nd team offense.  He was already a better facilitator IMO than IT who, let's face it, has a scorer's mentality and looks to pass on most occasions only when his own shot isn't there.

 

[Beat LA]

I think a lot of the naysayers will start changing their tune this coming season with Smart. He's primed for a big jump in efficiency and a good jump statistically, especially in a more primary ball-handling role.

I'd like to see some statistical projections for our guys this season, especially Smart.

I really hope that you're right , and, like others in this thread, I'd prefer that his 'next step' comes in terms of actually being able to score, this year, but I have my doubts, given what we've seen of him to this point, about his ability to do so, unfortunately . Here's to hoping I'm dead wrong, as usual, lol .

[inverselock]

I think a lot of the naysayers will start changing their tune this coming season with Smart. He's primed for a big jump in efficiency and a good jump statistically, especially in a more primary ball-handling role.

I'd like to see some statistical projections for our guys this season, especially Smart.

I really hope that you're right , and, like others in this thread, I'd prefer that his 'next step' comes in terms of actually being able to score, this year, but I have my doubts, given what we've seen of him to this point, about his ability to do so, unfortunately . Here's to hoping I'm dead wrong, as usual, lol .

I'm with you.   Dude looks awkward as with the ball.   Not seeing where this big jump is coming from.    Looks like the same player from his 1st Summer league,  pre-injury excuses.