Marcus Smart so far: 13.5ppg, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists. 36% 3 pt, 47% 2pfg

[BitterJim]

I'm glad to see that Marcus is doing a better job hitting outside shots and running the pick and roll.  He's also keeping up production with an increase in role and minutes, which is encouraging.


On the other hand, I'm troubled by the fact that he's not getting to the line (2.0 attempts per 36), he's still not getting to the rim that often (less than a quarter of his attempts), and he is finishing at a below average rate when he does get there (52%).

He got to the line almost twice as often last year (3.8 FTA/36), and hit his FTs at a respectable 77.7% clip, so for now I'll chock it up to the small sample size this year.  If it doesn't improve after another couple of weeks, though, then we might have a problem

[walker834]

Marcus looks so good here.  Playing with poise.  That shot is much improved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Finmoh94Rgk

Over the last week he's averaging 35 mpg, 14, 4 and 4 and 2.5 steals, 1 turnover.  His shooting is still somewhat erratic but you can just tell he is getting more comfortable out there.  Needs to keep pushing though and being a playmaker.

[Boris Badenov]

His per game numbers have gone up because his minutes are up, but he's not much better than previous seasons when you look at per36 or advanced metrics that don't depend on playing time.

his shooting so far this season has risen from historically bad to borderline mediocre. That's big league

I'm not sure what's more big league, Smart's shooting or the fact that your posting so far this year has risen from historically negative to borderline pessimistic.

[walker834]

He's mike conley stuff with better rebounding and defense and steals.  His shooting is still coming but dude is going to be allstar.

players get overhyped just because of the amount they play being in good situations. Marcus has had to earn it and will be overlooked until he really establishes himself and even then he probably still will be.

[LooseCannon]

His per game numbers have gone up because his minutes are up, but he's not much better than previous seasons when you look at per36 or advanced metrics that don't depend on playing time.

his shooting so far this season has risen from historically bad to borderline mediocre. That's big league

His 3-point shooting isn't that different from his rookie season.  Most of his improvement has come on long twos.  His free throw shooting has cratered.

My main point, though, is that anyone looking at per game stats as evidence that Smart has improved is an idiot.

[LarBrd33]

His per game numbers have gone up because his minutes are up, but he's not much better than previous seasons when you look at per36 or advanced metrics that don't depend on playing time.

his shooting so far this season has risen from historically bad to borderline mediocre. That's big league

His 3-point shooting isn't that different from his rookie season.  Most of his improvement has come on long twos.  His free throw shooting has cratered.

My main point, though, is that anyone looking at per game stats as evidence that Smart has improved is an idiot.

we are seeing signs of progress.  Not too concerned about the free throw shooting with that sample size.

[walker834]

His numbers and game has improved.  Anyone not noticing that is an idiot haha.

[LooseCannon]

His per game numbers have gone up because his minutes are up, but he's not much better than previous seasons when you look at per36 or advanced metrics that don't depend on playing time.

his shooting so far this season has risen from historically bad to borderline mediocre. That's big league

His 3-point shooting isn't that different from his rookie season.  Most of his improvement has come on long twos.  His free throw shooting has cratered.

My main point, though, is that anyone looking at per game stats as evidence that Smart has improved is an idiot.

we are seeing signs of progress.  Not too concerned about the free throw shooting with that sample size.

Sample size goes both ways.  One bad day would put his shooting percentage under 40%.  I would be more interested in how people watching the games are analyzing his shooting form.  The process of how he takes shots and why is more important than actual results.

[walker834]

He's still pretty young and is going to have bad games. He's not as developed as some of these other guys.  In college he was basically a volume scorer and has had to adjust tone down his game and become more efficient.  He's always been a leader and hard worker though and plays defense.  It's steps on offense that matter as long as he is trending in the right direction.

His shot has been adjusted this year , he's also more aggressive making plays on offense while still playing within the team.  That has served him well.

It's good having him play off the ball because he can be aggressive while also being selective.  When he was pg in college he would just dominate the ball and come off screens and bombs away. He was the guy at oklahoma st though.  Here he has had to learn how to play more.

[max215]

His per game numbers have gone up because his minutes are up, but he's not much better than previous seasons when you look at per36 or advanced metrics that don't depend on playing time.

his shooting so far this season has risen from historically bad to borderline mediocre. That's big league

His 3-point shooting isn't that different from his rookie season.  Most of his improvement has come on long twos.  His free throw shooting has cratered.

My main point, though, is that anyone looking at per game stats as evidence that Smart has improved is an idiot.

we are seeing signs of progress.  Not too concerned about the free throw shooting with that sample size.

Sample size goes both ways.  One bad day would put his shooting percentage under 40%.  I would be more interested in how people watching the games are analyzing his shooting form.  The process of how he takes shots and why is more important than actual results.

He still dips it quite low sometimes, but he had a stretch of two straight makes last game where the dip looked noticeably smaller. If he concentrates on keeping the dip small and, therefore, maintains his form on every shot, he'll be a passable shooter.

[LarBrd33]

His per game numbers have gone up because his minutes are up, but he's not much better than previous seasons when you look at per36 or advanced metrics that don't depend on playing time.

his shooting so far this season has risen from historically bad to borderline mediocre. That's big league

His 3-point shooting isn't that different from his rookie season.  Most of his improvement has come on long twos.  His free throw shooting has cratered.

My main point, though, is that anyone looking at per game stats as evidence that Smart has improved is an idiot.

we are seeing signs of progress.  Not too concerned about the free throw shooting with that sample size.

Sample size goes both ways.  One bad day would put his shooting percentage under 40%.  I would be more interested in how people watching the games are analyzing his shooting form.  The process of how he takes shots and why is more important than actual results.

Well his shooting form is definitely different this year.   It's too early to say if the progress he's showing is real or just a fluke, but if we ignore his first game coming back from injury and just focus on the past 6, he's averaging 13.8 points, 4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.5 steals with respectable 43% shooting and 39% shooting from three in 32.7mpg.   That's great if he can keep it up.   I'm still hopeful he can make a leap this season and this would qualify as the start of a mini leap.  Looking forward to re-evaluating him after 20 games.

You're right in that he can go 1-10 in his next game and sink the percentages, but it's fair to point out that in each of the past 6 games, his FG% has been higher than the 34% he shot last season.   

[nebist]

Side note: Outside of Horford, Smart is far and away the best post defender on the Celtics.  Last night when he got caught on Davis in a switch, got into his legs to take away his leverage, played him 3/4, and then jumped the entry pass for the steal was a thing of beauty.

[moiso]

Someone is redundant.

[chambers]

Remember he's attempting a lot of threes per game, which will bring his FG% total down a fair bit, but his EFG% is still decent.

ie: 3 point shots make up a huge portion of his total FG attempts.

[vjcsmoke]

Smart is improving his shooting percentages.  That's a good sign.  Still a lot of games to go, he just needs to get consistently good.  As long as he can space the floor, stay in that 36-40% 3 point rate, he will be a net positive for us considering his great defense.