Don't give up on Smart

[Eja117]

This is silly.  Marcus is in the NBA quite literally, because he's a genetic lottery winner.

He's not, by any measure, out of shape. 

He'd probably hold his own in an Olympic decathlon. 

To carry that much strength on a 6'4" frame --and still be able to run all day & beat your opponents to key spots-- is quite frankly absurd. 

the sully comp couldn't be further off.

Then why isn't he improving.....noticeably?  His shot is a little better. His passing is a little better. He's more clutch. But he's not what he should be. 

[CelticGuardian]

This is silly.  Marcus is in the NBA quite literally, because he's a genetic lottery winner.

He's not, by any measure, out of shape. 

He'd probably hold his own in an Olympic decathlon. 

To carry that much strength on a 6'4" frame --and still be able to run all day & beat your opponents to key spots-- is quite frankly absurd. 

the sully comp couldn't be further off.

Then why isn't he improving.....noticeably?  His shot is a little better. His passing is a little better. He's more clutch. But he's not what he should be.

I think he's improved, but not by much. Aside from his passing and PnR play, I think he's still more or less the same all energy player, that's cerebral in the sense that he gets into the right spots for the PnR, rebounds, defense, and flops(does are important, I feel). What's really limiting Smart aside from the shooting, is simply that he is just not that creative on offense, kinda slow pulling up, not very agile, on the perimeter, he can't get a guy going one way with his dribble. He lives and dies with screens on offense, which I think Brad might prefer over Evan Turner's contributions last year. The thing is he needs another creator on the perimeter to help execute plays. I have no problem with Smart initiating a play, you just can't have the ball finding itself back to him.

[tankcity!]

I think we're going a little overboard with Smarts passing. He has nice flashes, but I don't see him being and elite passing point guard like say rondo or Rubio. I'm comparing with those guys because they can't shoot either.

Here is the real question. Who is better? Rubio or Smart? Both are supposed to be elite defenders.

[hpantazo]

I think we're going a little overboard with Smarts passing. He has nice flashes, but I don't see him being and elite passing point guard like say rondo or Rubio. I'm comparing with those guys because they can't shoot either.

Here is the real question. Who is better? Rubio or Smart? Both are supposed to be elite defenders.

That's a great comparison. It's a tough choice, but I would go with Smart. Rubio is the better passer, but Smart is the better defender and has the intangibles, he makes things happen and finds ways to win.

[hpantazo]

This is silly.  Marcus is in the NBA quite literally, because he's a genetic lottery winner.

He's not, by any measure, out of shape. 

He'd probably hold his own in an Olympic decathlon. 

To carry that much strength on a 6'4" frame --and still be able to run all day & beat your opponents to key spots-- is quite frankly absurd. 

the sully comp couldn't be further off.

Then why isn't he improving.....noticeably?  His shot is a little better. His passing is a little better. He's more clutch. But he's not what he should be.

In his last 4 games he's averaging 13 points. 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks. He's also on the floor in crunch time every night, plays a key role on a top 3 team in the East, and is not starting because he's backing up two all-star caliber vets. I'd say he's doing quite well for a guy in his 3rd year who missed large parts of his first 2 years from injuries. He already looks significantly better than Bradley did at that stage and look how he turned out.

[Boris Badenov]

This is silly.  Marcus is in the NBA quite literally, because he's a genetic lottery winner.

He's not, by any measure, out of shape. 

He'd probably hold his own in an Olympic decathlon. 

To carry that much strength on a 6'4" frame --and still be able to run all day & beat your opponents to key spots-- is quite frankly absurd. 

the sully comp couldn't be further off.

Then why isn't he improving.....noticeably?  His shot is a little better. His passing is a little better. He's more clutch. But he's not what he should be.

In his last 4 games he's averaging 13 points. 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks. He's also on the floor in crunch time every night, plays a key role on a top 3 team in the East, and is not starting because he's backing up two all-star caliber vets. I'd say he's doing quite well for a guy in his 3rd year who missed large parts of his first 2 years from injuries. He already looks significantly better than Bradley did at that stage and look how he turned out.

I disagree. At the same age Bradley was just as renowned defensively, if not more so, and had established one valuable offensive skill, while Smart has zero.

[Ilikesports17]

This is silly.  Marcus is in the NBA quite literally, because he's a genetic lottery winner.

He's not, by any measure, out of shape. 

He'd probably hold his own in an Olympic decathlon. 

To carry that much strength on a 6'4" frame --and still be able to run all day & beat your opponents to key spots-- is quite frankly absurd. 

the sully comp couldn't be further off.

Then why isn't he improving.....noticeably?  His shot is a little better. His passing is a little better. He's more clutch. But he's not what he should be.

In his last 4 games he's averaging 13 points. 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks. He's also on the floor in crunch time every night, plays a key role on a top 3 team in the East, and is not starting because he's backing up two all-star caliber vets. I'd say he's doing quite well for a guy in his 3rd year who missed large parts of his first 2 years from injuries. He already looks significantly better than Bradley did at that stage and look how he turned out.

Bradley was much more raw. His skillset was cleary improvable. Smarts, not as much.

The 6th pick is a sunk cost, only valuable in evaluating Danny Ainge. Marcus Smart is the 6th man on a top 10 NBA team. He is a good role-player today. He can easily clean up his game and improve to an elite one, especially if put in the right role.

All that said, the Sully comp is ridiculous. Two players who  underachieved fan expectations, that is the end of the comparison.

Smart is strong enough to pick up bigs in the post. In the last two games hes spent stretch on Marc Gasol and Kristaps and held his own. Yesterday, Gerald Green, a 6'8" wing was picking up Gasol in the half court and Smart called over to him to switch so Smart could matchup with the 7'1" 255 lb center. Gasol immediately recieved the ball in the post and tried to work on Smart but soon realized that he couldnt bully him and passed the ball out and the Grizzlies were unable to get a good shot off.

There are very few players in the NBA with his lateral quickness who have half his strength. I would grant that bradley and pre-injury TA are superior athletes but that does not mean Marcus has a weight problem.

[BitterJim]

This is silly.  Marcus is in the NBA quite literally, because he's a genetic lottery winner.

He's not, by any measure, out of shape. 

He'd probably hold his own in an Olympic decathlon. 

To carry that much strength on a 6'4" frame --and still be able to run all day & beat your opponents to key spots-- is quite frankly absurd. 

the sully comp couldn't be further off.

Then why isn't he improving.....noticeably?  His shot is a little better. His passing is a little better. He's more clutch. But he's not what he should be.

In his last 4 games he's averaging 13 points. 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks. He's also on the floor in crunch time every night, plays a key role on a top 3 team in the East, and is not starting because he's backing up two all-star caliber vets. I'd say he's doing quite well for a guy in his 3rd year who missed large parts of his first 2 years from injuries. He already looks significantly better than Bradley did at that stage and look how he turned out.

I disagree. At the same age Bradley was just as renowned defensively, if not more so, and had established one valuable offensive skill, while Smart has zero.

Is passing not considered a valuable offensive skill?

Edit: Not to mention that Bradley shot 31.7% on 3s and 43.2% on 2s in his 3rd season (compared to 28.7% and 42.6% for Smart this year)

[moiso]

This is silly.  Marcus is in the NBA quite literally, because he's a genetic lottery winner.

He's not, by any measure, out of shape. 

He'd probably hold his own in an Olympic decathlon. 

To carry that much strength on a 6'4" frame --and still be able to run all day & beat your opponents to key spots-- is quite frankly absurd. 

the sully comp couldn't be further off.

There literally is a genetic lottery?

[saltlover]

This is silly.  Marcus is in the NBA quite literally, because he's a genetic lottery winner.

He's not, by any measure, out of shape. 

He'd probably hold his own in an Olympic decathlon. 

To carry that much strength on a 6'4" frame --and still be able to run all day & beat your opponents to key spots-- is quite frankly absurd. 

the sully comp couldn't be further off.

Then why isn't he improving.....noticeably?  His shot is a little better. His passing is a little better. He's more clutch. But he's not what he should be.

In his last 4 games he's averaging 13 points. 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks. He's also on the floor in crunch time every night, plays a key role on a top 3 team in the East, and is not starting because he's backing up two all-star caliber vets. I'd say he's doing quite well for a guy in his 3rd year who missed large parts of his first 2 years from injuries. He already looks significantly better than Bradley did at that stage and look how he turned out.

I disagree. At the same age Bradley was just as renowned defensively, if not more so, and had established one valuable offensive skill, while Smart has zero.

I think you're misremembering a little.  Smart in his age 22 season actually has a slightly higher TS% (.465 to .461) than Bradley had in his age 22 season.  AB had shot significantly better the season before, but it was in a relatively small stretch of games, and given his major regression in year 3, we can hardly call it an established skill.

[Ilikesports17]

This is silly.  Marcus is in the NBA quite literally, because he's a genetic lottery winner.

He's not, by any measure, out of shape. 

He'd probably hold his own in an Olympic decathlon. 

To carry that much strength on a 6'4" frame --and still be able to run all day & beat your opponents to key spots-- is quite frankly absurd. 

the sully comp couldn't be further off.

There literally is a genetic lottery?

http://archive.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2011/07/19/literally_the_most_misused_word/

[hpantazo]

This is silly.  Marcus is in the NBA quite literally, because he's a genetic lottery winner.

He's not, by any measure, out of shape. 

He'd probably hold his own in an Olympic decathlon. 

To carry that much strength on a 6'4" frame --and still be able to run all day & beat your opponents to key spots-- is quite frankly absurd. 

the sully comp couldn't be further off.

Then why isn't he improving.....noticeably?  His shot is a little better. His passing is a little better. He's more clutch. But he's not what he should be.

In his last 4 games he's averaging 13 points. 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks. He's also on the floor in crunch time every night, plays a key role on a top 3 team in the East, and is not starting because he's backing up two all-star caliber vets. I'd say he's doing quite well for a guy in his 3rd year who missed large parts of his first 2 years from injuries. He already looks significantly better than Bradley did at that stage and look how he turned out.

I disagree. At the same age Bradley was just as renowned defensively, if not more so, and had established one valuable offensive skill, while Smart has zero.

I think you're misremembering a little.  Smart in his age 22 season actually has a slightly higher TS% (.465 to .461) than Bradley had in his age 22 season.  AB had shot significantly better the season before, but it was in a relatively small stretch of games, and given his major regression in year 3, we can hardly call it an established skill.

Exactly. Let's not romanticize Bradley's first few seasons now that he turned into a borderline all-star. He was downright awful on offense and was not more renowned for his defense that Smart is right now. Smart can at least dribble the ball past half court and is a very good passer, two things that completely eluded Bradley in his first few seasons. Passing still is a problem with Bradley even today.

[Eja117]

This is silly.  Marcus is in the NBA quite literally, because he's a genetic lottery winner.

He's not, by any measure, out of shape. 

He'd probably hold his own in an Olympic decathlon. 

To carry that much strength on a 6'4" frame --and still be able to run all day & beat your opponents to key spots-- is quite frankly absurd. 

the sully comp couldn't be further off.

Then why isn't he improving.....noticeably?  His shot is a little better. His passing is a little better. He's more clutch. But he's not what he should be.

In his last 4 games he's averaging 13 points. 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks. He's also on the floor in crunch time every night, plays a key role on a top 3 team in the East, and is not starting because he's backing up two all-star caliber vets. I'd say he's doing quite well for a guy in his 3rd year who missed large parts of his first 2 years from injuries. He already looks significantly better than Bradley did at that stage and look how he turned out.

I disagree. At the same age Bradley was just as renowned defensively, if not more so, and had established one valuable offensive skill, while Smart has zero.

I think you're misremembering a little.  Smart in his age 22 season actually has a slightly higher TS% (.465 to .461) than Bradley had in his age 22 season.  AB had shot significantly better the season before, but it was in a relatively small stretch of games, and given his major regression in year 3, we can hardly call it an established skill.

Exactly. Let's not romanticize Bradley's first few seasons now that he turned into a borderline all-star. He was downright awful on offense and was not more renowned for his defense that Smart is right now. Smart can at least dribble the ball past half court and is a very good passer, two things that completely eluded Bradley in his first few seasons. Passing still is a problem with Bradley even today.

Bradley was drafted a year earlier and wasn't the 6th pick. Comparing Smart to other players drafted outside the lottery isn't something we're supposed to be doing.

[hpantazo]

This is silly.  Marcus is in the NBA quite literally, because he's a genetic lottery winner.

He's not, by any measure, out of shape. 

He'd probably hold his own in an Olympic decathlon. 

To carry that much strength on a 6'4" frame --and still be able to run all day & beat your opponents to key spots-- is quite frankly absurd. 

the sully comp couldn't be further off.

Then why isn't he improving.....noticeably?  His shot is a little better. His passing is a little better. He's more clutch. But he's not what he should be.

In his last 4 games he's averaging 13 points. 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks. He's also on the floor in crunch time every night, plays a key role on a top 3 team in the East, and is not starting because he's backing up two all-star caliber vets. I'd say he's doing quite well for a guy in his 3rd year who missed large parts of his first 2 years from injuries. He already looks significantly better than Bradley did at that stage and look how he turned out.

I disagree. At the same age Bradley was just as renowned defensively, if not more so, and had established one valuable offensive skill, while Smart has zero.

I think you're misremembering a little.  Smart in his age 22 season actually has a slightly higher TS% (.465 to .461) than Bradley had in his age 22 season.  AB had shot significantly better the season before, but it was in a relatively small stretch of games, and given his major regression in year 3, we can hardly call it an established skill.

Exactly. Let's not romanticize Bradley's first few seasons now that he turned into a borderline all-star. He was downright awful on offense and was not more renowned for his defense that Smart is right now. Smart can at least dribble the ball past half court and is a very good passer, two things that completely eluded Bradley in his first few seasons. Passing still is a problem with Bradley even today.

Bradley was drafted a year earlier and wasn't the 6th pick. Comparing Smart to other players drafted outside the lottery isn't something we're supposed to be doing.

Should we compare him to guys like Olowakandi , Kwame Brown and Anthony Bennett instead because of their draft position? Should people not compare great prospects to IT because he was the 60th pick?

Bradley is a borderline all-star, excellent two way player. That's as great as you can hope for with a #6 pick.

[BitterJim]

This is silly.  Marcus is in the NBA quite literally, because he's a genetic lottery winner.

He's not, by any measure, out of shape. 

He'd probably hold his own in an Olympic decathlon. 

To carry that much strength on a 6'4" frame --and still be able to run all day & beat your opponents to key spots-- is quite frankly absurd. 

the sully comp couldn't be further off.

Then why isn't he improving.....noticeably?  His shot is a little better. His passing is a little better. He's more clutch. But he's not what he should be.

In his last 4 games he's averaging 13 points. 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks. He's also on the floor in crunch time every night, plays a key role on a top 3 team in the East, and is not starting because he's backing up two all-star caliber vets. I'd say he's doing quite well for a guy in his 3rd year who missed large parts of his first 2 years from injuries. He already looks significantly better than Bradley did at that stage and look how he turned out.

I disagree. At the same age Bradley was just as renowned defensively, if not more so, and had established one valuable offensive skill, while Smart has zero.

I think you're misremembering a little.  Smart in his age 22 season actually has a slightly higher TS% (.465 to .461) than Bradley had in his age 22 season.  AB had shot significantly better the season before, but it was in a relatively small stretch of games, and given his major regression in year 3, we can hardly call it an established skill.

Exactly. Let's not romanticize Bradley's first few seasons now that he turned into a borderline all-star. He was downright awful on offense and was not more renowned for his defense that Smart is right now. Smart can at least dribble the ball past half court and is a very good passer, two things that completely eluded Bradley in his first few seasons. Passing still is a problem with Bradley even today.

Bradley was drafted a year earlier and wasn't the 6th pick. Comparing Smart to other players drafted outside the lottery isn't something we're supposed to be doing.

Where a player was picked has nothing to do with how they develop.  If Smart ended up at Bradley's level (a borderline all star), that's a good thing regardless of where Bradley was drafted.

Should teams be concerned if their first rounders start developing like Isaiah just because he was a 60th overall pick instead of an early lottery pick?