Marcus Smart needs to leave Boston or his career will never get better

[walker834]

He was playing well as a starter.  Was shooting close to 50 percent and improving in other facets.  On the bench he misses a couple more shots. What else is new.  It's more d ifficult to come off the bench and hit your shots sometimes when you don't have the ball in your hands as much.  The celtics want him to shoot more but he's doing fine as a jack of all trades.

I agree with the C's as well.  AS he improves his offense in other ways as a playmaker off the ball it will only make him better for us in the long run.   He's 22 years old.

He goes through spurts where he gets to around 15, 5, 5 and shooting around 50 percent.  He's still improving. Having him play off the bench is good for him imo. 

He was a non factor last night but that doesn't happen too often.  He needs to avoid those performances though.

He had been playing a  lot of minutes. It's understandable he'd have a down game.  IT was hot and Bradley was doing a good job defensively.

We are going to need him though.

Most of these threads are very shortsighted imo.  HE could start on a lot of teams and play major minutes and put up numbers but he can do the same here.  Just in a different role right now.  His shooting and offense still needs some work and he needs to focus on doing that in different ways is all.

I don't see what the hurry is. We drafted him and brought in IT.  He had potential to be a pg here and was drafted as that but also just because he was a basketball player and can do a variety of things.  He and IT compliment each other well. Same with Rozier mixed in there.

[celtics2030]

Marcus' issues aren't the team.  It's that he is a terrible offensive player with little reason to believe he'll get much better.  That's been pretty obvious from the get go.  Anyone thinking differently is basing it only on hope and prayer.

Anyway, going to another team won't change any of that.

then why does the team keep pushing him to shoot.

Other than hope and prayer, there is work ethic and character.  Those are the things the c's staff probably are a bit closer to than we are. 

I don't get the hate for Marcus.  Especially considering nearly everyone here has spent the last five years watching AB blossom from defense-only specialist, to a legit 3pt threat and competent ball handler.  That happened from age 21-25 for AB. 

Why can't Marcus see a similar slow growth in his offensive game?  Seems like a hard worker, in a good environment. 

Considering how much of an asset he is in ANY switch heavy defense, it'd be silly to hold him back at this point in his career.  And for it's worth, he's looking a lot better initiating offense.  One sequence in particular stood out to me last night.  I think it was early in the 4th when we were mounting our comeback.  In the half court, he got drove into the paint, ended up posted -- which is normally a good spot for him-- but the defense collapsed from all directions.  No panic at all.  Found the right play by weaving a perfect bounce pass right into Kelly's shooting hand for a three.

Avery Bradley improved through his three years. I am not Marcus does not have a chance, I am trying to be realistic instead of hopefull. Look at those numbers. Who has had worse and improved?

[walker834]

It took Bradley a bit as well.  People were critical of Bradley his first sevral years just the same. Forest through the trees. 

When we drafted Marcus I saw him as a basketball player who had a chance to be a pg in the future. He was a volume scorer in college but could come in and do a variety of things where there was a chance he could be a pg down the road.  He's learning to be more efficient with his shot selection.

I'm not disapointed in him at all. He's par for the course so far. Good work ethic and leadership abilities and defense. Unselfish team player.

He could be whining that he's not starting but he's not. This is what he was brought in for.

The thought of trading tehse guys doesn't even cross my mind unless it's for someone really good and even then there are ways to make trades where we don't have to disrupt our nucleus here.  If a guy fits here he fits.

i really don't see why we have to move any of these guys.  Horford just got here. People are trading him already too.   These guys don't have to be traded.  If a situation arises where it makes sense sure but there are players that are here and can just be enjoyed as that and might not get dealt at all.

Do people really think the celtics think like this? I was just reading an article the other day on Smart and Horford and how the C's are working at getting better and excited about the future here etc, etc..

We aren't done by any means but these guys are here.  It's not about having to move these guys. It's more if a situation arises where we can do better and put pieces around some of these guys.

[showtime]

Marcus' issues aren't the team.  It's that he is a terrible offensive player with little reason to believe he'll get much better.  That's been pretty obvious from the get go.  Anyone thinking differently is basing it only on hope and prayer.

Anyway, going to another team won't change any of that.

  100% on the money!!

[D Dub]

Marcus' issues aren't the team.  It's that he is a terrible offensive player with little reason to believe he'll get much better.  That's been pretty obvious from the get go.  Anyone thinking differently is basing it only on hope and prayer.

Anyway, going to another team won't change any of that.

then why does the team keep pushing him to shoot.

Other than hope and prayer, there is work ethic and character.  Those are the things the c's staff probably are a bit closer to than we are. 

I don't get the hate for Marcus.  Especially considering nearly everyone here has spent the last five years watching AB blossom from defense-only specialist, to a legit 3pt threat and competent ball handler.  That happened from age 21-25 for AB. 

Why can't Marcus see a similar slow growth in his offensive game?  Seems like a hard worker, in a good environment. 

Considering how much of an asset he is in ANY switch heavy defense, it'd be silly to hold him back at this point in his career.  And for it's worth, he's looking a lot better initiating offense.  One sequence in particular stood out to me last night.  I think it was early in the 4th when we were mounting our comeback.  In the half court, he got drove into the paint, ended up posted -- which is normally a good spot for him-- but the defense collapsed from all directions.  No panic at all.  Found the right play by weaving a perfect bounce pass right into Kelly's shooting hand for a three.

Avery Bradley improved through his three years. I am not Marcus does not have a chance, I am trying to be realistic instead of hopefull. Look at those numbers. Who has had worse and improved?

I'm not a numbers guy, but off the top of my head Jason Kidd comes to mind?

[tankcity!]

Is it ever Smart's fault?

[walker834]

I can see where keeping Marcus can be seen as selfish and it's not allowing him to reach his potential.  A team may really like him and he could get dealt but until a team steps to the table it's all talk.   I also think he ahs a good role here. He's playing a lot of minutes regardless. He needs to focus more on his playmaking and shot selection when he comes into the game. HE compliments IT well because of his size and defense.  IT isn't old but isn't young either and Smart could start here eventually as well.

I don't think the Celtics have any intent to trade IT or Marcus. I think they like them both.  And Rozier too.

IT is entering and in his  prime years right now.  He's basically entering them.   As he gets older Marcus will be entering his. 

[showtime]

Marcus' issues aren't the team.  It's that he is a terrible offensive player with little reason to believe he'll get much better.  That's been pretty obvious from the get go.  Anyone thinking differently is basing it only on hope and prayer.

Anyway, going to another team won't change any of that.

then why does the team keep pushing him to shoot.

Other than hope and prayer, there is work ethic and character.  Those are the things the c's staff probably are a bit closer to than we are. 

I don't get the hate for Marcus.  Especially considering nearly everyone here has spent the last five years watching AB blossom from defense-only specialist, to a legit 3pt threat and competent ball handler.  That happened from age 21-25 for AB. 

Why can't Marcus see a similar slow growth in his offensive game?  Seems like a hard worker, in a good environment. 

Considering how much of an asset he is in ANY switch heavy defense, it'd be silly to hold him back at this point in his career.  And for it's worth, he's looking a lot better initiating offense.  One sequence in particular stood out to me last night.  I think it was early in the 4th when we were mounting our comeback.  In the half court, he got drove into the paint, ended up posted -- which is normally a good spot for him-- but the defense collapsed from all directions.  No panic at all.  Found the right play by weaving a perfect bounce pass right into Kelly's shooting hand for a three.

  Because AB's form on his shot has always been good, and I could tell he would become a good shooter. Plus AB is way more athletic and a lot quicker then Smart.

[Jferrari401]

I think that Marcus's future will most likely be has a high end role player. A combo guard who can run the offense, play fantastic D, hustle and make winning plays down the stretch. I still hold out hope for him to develop a niche on offense as a post up guard with somewhat of a mid range game; maybe along the lines of Andre Miller.

Smarts worst quality right now is his shot selection and sometimes I feel that this is on Brad. He simply can't continue shooting threes the way he does. It's one thing if he is wide open and has time, but there is no way one of our worst shooters should be catching and shooting on the run or off of screens. He needs to pick his spots and look for midrange shots of the dribble and post shots on smaller defenders.

I still feel like he is a good piece going forward. There are very few players his age who we can say dominated the fourth quarter of a playoff game on both sides of the ball the way he did last year. There is room to grow and lots of players develop slowly.

[tankcity!]

In before jpotter goes Boogie Cousins on you guys.

TP for the Boogie reference. Dude is legit crazy, and I don't even care. I want him!

However, I've made an early New Years Resolution to try and not spend as much time arguing with people over trivial things, like basketball, so I'm going to sit this one out. 

Or you're coming to the realization he isn't going to be a an all star and don't want to admit being wrong. I said Rozier was going to jump Smart this year but Smart has been playing over him. You don't see me denying that I was wrong so far.

[tankcity!]

I think that Marcus's future will most likely be has a high end role player. A combo guard who can run the offense, play fantastic D, hustle and make winning plays down the stretch. I still hold out hope for him to develop a niche on offense as a post up guard with somewhat of a mid range game; maybe along the lines of Andre Miller.

Smarts worst quality right now is his shot selection and sometimes I feel that this is on Brad. He simply can't continue shooting threes the way he does. It's one thing if he is wide open and has time, but there is no way one of our worst shooters should be catching and shooting on the run or off of screens. He needs to pick his spots and look for midrange shots of the dribble and post shots on smaller defenders.

I still feel like he is a good piece going forward. There are very few players his age who we can say dominated the fourth quarter of a playoff game on both sides of the ball the way he did last year. There is room to grow and lots of players develop slowly.

I agree he can be a high end role player, but let's not pretend this is Steven's fault. Stevens isn't telling Smart to shoot threes haha. Smart shot a lot of threes in college too. This is his game. He can't get to the basket because he lacks a good first step, so he shoots.

Do you remember how AB started out when Stevens came in? AB would shoot mid range jumpers mostly, and then the next year he started shooting more threes as he expanded his range.

Don't understand why people keep blaming the team for Smart's ineffectiveness on offense. He's literally running the show this year, which is what all the Smart fanatics complained about last year.

[GratefulCs]

In before jpotter goes Boogie Cousins on you guys.

TP for the Boogie reference. Dude is legit crazy, and I don't even care. I want him!

However, I've made an early New Years Resolution to try and not spend as much time arguing with people over trivial things, like basketball, so I'm going to sit this one out. 

Or you're coming to the realization he isn't going to be a an all star and don't want to admit being wrong. I said Rozier was going to jump Smart this year but Smart has been playing over him. You don't see me denying that I was wrong so far.

we can't all be as awesome

[Moranis]

Marcus' issues aren't the team.  It's that he is a terrible offensive player with little reason to believe he'll get much better.  That's been pretty obvious from the get go.  Anyone thinking differently is basing it only on hope and prayer.

Anyway, going to another team won't change any of that.

then why does the team keep pushing him to shoot.

Other than hope and prayer, there is work ethic and character.  Those are the things the c's staff probably are a bit closer to than we are. 

I don't get the hate for Marcus.  Especially considering nearly everyone here has spent the last five years watching AB blossom from defense-only specialist, to a legit 3pt threat and competent ball handler.  That happened from age 21-25 for AB. 

Why can't Marcus see a similar slow growth in his offensive game?  Seems like a hard worker, in a good environment. 

Considering how much of an asset he is in ANY switch heavy defense, it'd be silly to hold him back at this point in his career.  And for it's worth, he's looking a lot better initiating offense.  One sequence in particular stood out to me last night.  I think it was early in the 4th when we were mounting our comeback.  In the half court, he got drove into the paint, ended up posted -- which is normally a good spot for him-- but the defense collapsed from all directions.  No panic at all.  Found the right play by weaving a perfect bounce pass right into Kelly's shooting hand for a three.

Avery Bradley improved through his three years. I am not Marcus does not have a chance, I am trying to be realistic instead of hopefull. Look at those numbers. Who has had worse and improved?

I'm not a numbers guy, but off the top of my head Jason Kidd comes to mind?

Kidd was never as bad a shooter as he was portrayed to be.  He started off at 27.2% from three as a rookie, but year two he was 33.6% and year three he was 37%.  He was then up and down all over the place until the last handful of seasons when he was quite good.  In other words, Kidd always showed the ability to shoot well, he was just very inconsistent until the end of his career when he became much more of a spot up shooter (and did a lot less overall offensively). 

That is not Marcus Smart.  Smart is just bad and has shown no growth or improvement. 

Bradley is a poor comparison.  He was 0-5 as a rookie from three, but shot 40.7% his second year dropped down to 31.7% in year three and has never been below 35.2% since.  In other words, Bradley always showed that he had a nice touch, he just struggled at various times with an increase role, but he also was always getting better.

Again that is not Marcus Smart.

[manl_lui]

I think that Marcus's future will most likely be has a high end role player. A combo guard who can run the offense, play fantastic D, hustle and make winning plays down the stretch. I still hold out hope for him to develop a niche on offense as a post up guard with somewhat of a mid range game; maybe along the lines of Andre Miller.

Smarts worst quality right now is his shot selection and sometimes I feel that this is on Brad. He simply can't continue shooting threes the way he does. It's one thing if he is wide open and has time, but there is no way one of our worst shooters should be catching and shooting on the run or off of screens. He needs to pick his spots and look for midrange shots of the dribble and post shots on smaller defenders.

I still feel like he is a good piece going forward. There are very few players his age who we can say dominated the fourth quarter of a playoff game on both sides of the ball the way he did last year. There is room to grow and lots of players develop slowly.

I agree he can be a high end role player, but let's not pretend this is Steven's fault. Stevens isn't telling Smart to shoot threes haha. Smart shot a lot of threes in college too. This is his game. He can't get to the basket because he lacks a good first step, so he shoots.

Do you remember how AB started out when Stevens came in? AB would shoot mid range jumpers mostly, and then the next year he started shooting more threes as he expanded his range.

Don't understand why people keep blaming the team for Smart's ineffectiveness on offense. He's literally running the show this year, which is what all the Smart fanatics complained about last year.

at this point i fully given up on his ability on the offensive end, that doesn't mean I have given him up as a player. Still LOVE Smart, he brings it every day, and definitely a beast on the defensive end, and I do truly believe his plays down crunch time are definitely skills we will need down the stretch and that is not necessarily scoring, his passing and his defense does change the outcome of games.

However, I still believe to an extent that his offense could be better and because of the system he is playing, Brad isn't using him to be a scorer.

[perks-a-beast]

Was Holding out hope for a while that Marcus smart would develop into a Chauncey Billups type player. Don't think that's ever going to happen. The guy is an offensive dumpster fire. While I admire his defensive grit, his offense is harder to look at than his haircut.

If there was a 2014 re draft, Smart would be taken 16th or 17th. Not a great pick at #6. I see why Ainge did it at the time, and i would have done the same thing..but it would be real nice to have Randle right now.