Marcus Smart can't develop properly with IT

[Tr1boy]

IT should really be coming off the bench. But cbs looks like, will punish those that go down in injuries and reward players that may do well as temporary replacements

IT is a nice offensive "weapon" but Smart has the tools to be an even better two way player

I get that Smart needs to step up, make his open shots etc. But what about IT ? He goes 5-15, 7-22. It doesnt matter

Iam a fan of IT dont get me wrong and like him in the lineul. But as a 6th man.

So the question is ,is CBS punish/reward system unfair for Smart(limit progression) or has IT really leapfrogged Smart (though inefficient on the offensive end, late in games does not involve teammates?)

[dannyboy35]

Smart should have had plenty of time off the bench handling the ball to at least develop some, increase his trade value and see what we got. Stevens instead went with turner. This has stunted the growth of smart and we're still trying to see if he can handle the point position.the same thing happened with rozier. Stevens also used jerebko in front of jelly and Sullinger too this decreasing Olynyk's development. It's on Stevens and Ainge for letting Stevens scratch out some more wins at expense of our long term future. It drives me insane but I'm not surprised ( college coach) . I just hope Stevens doesn't bury brown on the pine now.

[feckless]

Marcus, last year showed no understanding of being a Point.  Rozier has passed him in that knowledge.  I do not think Isaiah and Marcus are even competing for the same position anymore.  Tools have to include a desire to run the team and facilitate the offense.  when has Marcus ever done this.  What offensive tools do you see that Marcus can become a coach on the floor and run the offense?

[Tr1boy]

Smart should have had plenty of time off the bench handling the ball to at least develop some, increase his trade value and see what we got. Stevens instead went with turner. This has stunted the growth of smart and we're still trying to see if he can handle the point position.the same thing happened with rozier. Stevens also used jerebko in front of jelly and Sullinger too this decreasing Olynyk's development. It's on Stevens and Ainge for letting Stevens scratch out some more wins at expense of our long term future. It drives me insane but I'm not surprised ( college coach) . I just hope Stevens doesn't bury brown on the pine now.

Cbs is so obsessed with "details" and "vets" sometimes goes hand in hand that he loses sight of the big picture

IT, Turner, Crowder were avg what near 30 min(plus) a game last season. And in the playoffs ... well there is a reason why Turner is only considered just above avg and crowder overachieved.  I still want to believe it was due to Crowders injury (or just coming back) he struggled. But likely guys like crowder, carroll are "helper" types from the bench and should not be allowed/freedom to take shot after shots in the playoffs

[Tr1boy]

Marcus, last year showed no understanding of being a Point.  Rozier has passed him in that knowledge.  I do not think Isaiah and Marcus are even competing for the same position anymore.  Tools have to include a desire to run the team and facilitate the offense.  when has Marcus ever done this.  What offensive tools do you see that Marcus can become a coach on the floor and run the offense?

So what about IT then?

Does he look anything like a pg (especially 2nd half of games)? Guys are standing around

[feckless]

Marcus, last year showed no understanding of being a Point.  Rozier has passed him in that knowledge.  I do not think Isaiah and Marcus are even competing for the same position anymore.  Tools have to include a desire to run the team and facilitate the offense.  when has Marcus ever done this.  What offensive tools do you see that Marcus can become a coach on the floor and run the offense?

So what about IT then?



Does he look anything like a pg (especially 2nd half of games)? Guys are standing around

One of the things I remember about last year's pre-season was Brad praising Isaiah for making great decisions at the point, having really stepped up his mental game.  Until Marcus thinks the offensive game better he will not get the minutes you want him to get.  Let's hope he has done his homework this summer.  Summer league showed Terry wants those minutes and is trying to think the game- run the team better.

Either Marcus or Terry will get some of Evan Turner's minutes.  Let's hope we don't miss Evan too much.

[kozlodoev]

IT this, Turner that, why is it everyone else's fault that Smart sucks?

[feckless]

IT this, Turner that, why is it everyone else's fault that Smart sucks?

Yes, a good question?  I am not sure if Marcus is just not smart, doesn't listen, is young, is too head strong...but he needs to become a better decision maker.

[Chris22]

Smart is not a point guard.

[kozlodoev]

Smart is not a point guard.

That's a problem, because he's not a SG or SF either.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Interestingly, I found some potential proof Smart may be better with the ball in his hands more.

On possessions when he dribbles the ball more than 7 times, or when he has the ball for more than 6 seconds, his shooting percentage jumps up significantly. I'm a firm believer that if you are a threat in one area, you become better in a different area. In other words, if Smart was more of a threat to score, then the defense must help more which leaves others open for him to pass to.

http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/203935/tracking/shots/?p=marcus-smart&Season=2015-16&SeasonType=Regular%20Season

This is admittedly a small sample size, but it may also be an indication that one of Smart's most difficult transitions has been transition from the primary ball-handler at OKST to the off-guard in Boston.

Basketball is a game of rhythm. If you can't get into rhythm, it doesn't matter if you can hit 90/100 3s in an empty gym. You must be in rhythm with where you will receive the ball and in what situations. Smart has not found his rhythm off ball yet, which I think has led him to lack rhythm even when he gets opportunities to have the ball in his hands.

Luckily, I think Brad Stevens best coaching ability is his ability to help players develop rhythm.

[RJ87]

IT this, Turner that, why is it everyone else's fault that Smart sucks?

This. It's not like he doesn't get minutes or opportunities. He's just a bad offensive player right now, there's no way around that. It doesn't matter who he plays with, he's limited. If he was better offensively, CBS would leave him out there more. You can't really say he has potential to be a 2-way player, when he's ineffective on one end of the floor. For comparison's sake, IT had a TS% of 56% last season, Smart's was 46%, so to answer OP's question: yes, IT has leapfrogged him offensively.

If Smart can 1.) Improve his shot  2.) take smarter shots (46% of shots last season were 3's, that jumped up to 55% in the playoffs), CBS may trust him more later in games and he might crack 30 mins per game.

Smart is not a point guard.

The quicker people accept this, the better off they'll be. I think at his best, he can be a secondary ballhandler like ET was or like Iguodala for GSW, but I don't think he can be a starting caliber PG on a good team. His decision making just isn't there.

[BitterJim]

Ah yes, CBS playing IT over Smart is stunting his development, just as CBS' commitment to Bradley and Crowder is stunting Hunter and Young's development 

I'll bet that CBS' shortsighted focus on winning is going to lead him to play Horford over Mickey, too, dooming Mickey to never reach his potential as an MVP candidate just to get a few extra wins

[kozlodoev]

On possessions when he dribbles the ball more than 7 times, or when he has the ball for more than 6 seconds, his shooting percentage jumps up significantly. I'm a firm believer that if you are a threat in one area, you become better in a different area. In other words, if Smart was more of a threat to score, then the defense must help more which leaves others open for him to pass to.

That's not necessarily conclusive. On a possession where you dribble the ball more, you're more likely to be getting a layup -- which obviously skews your FG%.

This argument is more obvious if you think why he shots way higher than his average on 2-point shots with 0 dribbles.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

On possessions when he dribbles the ball more than 7 times, or when he has the ball for more than 6 seconds, his shooting percentage jumps up significantly. I'm a firm believer that if you are a threat in one area, you become better in a different area. In other words, if Smart was more of a threat to score, then the defense must help more which leaves others open for him to pass to.

That's not necessarily conclusive. On a possession where you dribble the ball more, you're more likely to be getting a layup -- which obviously skews your FG%.

This argument is more obvious if you think why he shots way higher than his average on 2-point shots with 0 dribbles.

That might be. It's inconclusive because I don't know how to break it down more. On top of that, he is probably more likely to be facing scrubs in blowouts if he is handling the ball that much.

But he also may be trying to create on a play where the offense has stagnated and the defense is set. There's just no way to tell.

It's inconclusive, but it does make sense seeing as he switched positions going into the NBA.