marcus killin it-just a force

[86MaxwellSmart]

The Cobra.

[CelticPride2016]

Smart is the most fun to watch because of his total drive. I think it's called motor. Some people couldn't wait for his third season before condemning him as a role player. He makes it easier to trade Bradley if things get too expensive. The problem with Avery is he can only play one position. He creates redundancy. Although he is a great player. We seem to be able to survive his absence, though, because of Jaylen and Marcus.

Marcus Smart is moving up the Celtics player rankings at a fast clip.

He is a top five team asset who could become our best player. If Danny goes slow and steady.
There is a speed and stamina advantage to playing young guys if they can handle the pressure. I guess Ainge will try one or two big moves, then go all in and bring guys back over the next couple years.

The key is to have a balanced roster. Marcus Smart is a check mark. He has proven himself. He is a hard worker and will become more efficient  on offense after getting full off-seasons to work on shooting.

(I would trade Bradley for Noel, then resign the top guys.)

[celtics2030]

Smart is the most fun to watch because of his total drive. I think it's called motor. Some people couldn't wait for his third season before condemning him as a role player. He makes it easier to trade Bradley if things get too expensive. The problem with Avery is he can only play one position. He creates redundancy. Although he is a great player. We seem to be able to survive his absence, though, because of Jaylen and Marcus.

Marcus Smart is moving up the Celtics player rankings at a fast clip.

He is a top five team asset who could become our best player. If Danny goes slow and steady.
There is a speed and stamina advantage to playing young guys if they can handle the pressure. I guess Ainge will try one or two big moves, then go all in and bring guys back over the next couple years.

The key is to have a balanced roster. Marcus Smart is a check mark. He has proven himself. He is a hard worker and will become more efficient  on offense after getting full off-seasons to work on shooting.

(I would trade Bradley for Noel, then resign the top guys.)

Smart can never be the best player on this team, it's impossible, he is not a number 1 , number 2 , or number 3, he's a 4 guy

He is great at one he is right now, and no other team needs him more than this team , he makes them a very very good team instead of a decent playoff team

but your going way overboard as many are here. If this is Marcus's team at current Marcus, this team will not even be at .500, they might crack it if everything works.

IT is a definitive #1/high 2 guy.

And Marcus is not a check mark as he could easily be involved in a trade to get a great player.

Don't get me wrong, I get the love everyone is giving him, he is needed on this team to be a great team...the potential or being great and upsetting some teams depends on Marcus. So it's understandable to love a player that is already a "Celtic" and has the tools to do almost everything.

[PickNRoll]

Smart is the most fun to watch because of his total drive. I think it's called motor. Some people couldn't wait for his third season before condemning him as a role player. He makes it easier to trade Bradley if things get too expensive. The problem with Avery is he can only play one position. He creates redundancy. Although he is a great player. We seem to be able to survive his absence, though, because of Jaylen and Marcus.

Marcus Smart is moving up the Celtics player rankings at a fast clip.

He is a top five team asset who could become our best player. If Danny goes slow and steady.
There is a speed and stamina advantage to playing young guys if they can handle the pressure. I guess Ainge will try one or two big moves, then go all in and bring guys back over the next couple years.

The key is to have a balanced roster. Marcus Smart is a check mark. He has proven himself. He is a hard worker and will become more efficient  on offense after getting full off-seasons to work on shooting.

(I would trade Bradley for Noel, then resign the top guys.)

Smart can never be the best player on this team, it's impossible, he is not a number 1 , number 2 , or number 3, he's a 4 guy

He is great at one he is right now, and no other team needs him more than this team , he makes them a very very good team instead of a decent playoff team

but your going way overboard as many are here. If this is Marcus's team at current Marcus, this team will not even be at .500, they might crack it if everything works.

IT is a definitive #1/high 2 guy.

And Marcus is not a check mark as he could easily be involved in a trade to get a great player.

Don't get me wrong, I get the love everyone is giving him, he is needed on this team to be a great team...the potential or being great and upsetting some teams depends on Marcus. So it's understandable to love a player that is already a "Celtic" and has the tools to do almost everything.

Depends how you rank them.  Marcus is never going to be a #1 scoring option, but he might make the biggest impact on winning.  Net rating shows it.

[CelticPride2016]

Marcus Smart could easily become our best player. I don't get why defense doesn't count.

All Marcus seems to be missing is consistent outside shooting. Even if he turned out to be a ten point a game scorer at best, he is solid for point guard.

There are new hustle stats. I forget the link, but Marcus leads in all of them - deflections, running down loose balls, those kind of stats.

Smart plays Hall of Fame defense. He won the backup pg role easily from Rozier. The last game is a blueprint path for Smart to become an all-star. It is not guaranteed, but he is closer to that status than it may seem to people focusing on his bricks.

Haters never leave any room to admit they were wrong. They give these guys harsh ceilings. Like Olynyk. Maybe the haters are right about Kelly. But that's why they play the games and we watch, to see what happens.

[celtics2030]

Marcus Smart could easily become our best player. I don't get why defense doesn't count.

All Marcus seems to be missing is consistent outside shooting. Even if he turned out to be a ten point a game scorer at best, he is solid for point guard.

There are new hustle stats. I forget the link, but Marcus leads in all of them - deflections, running down loose balls, those kind of stats.

Smart plays Hall of Fame defense. He won the backup pg role easily from Rozier. The last game is a blueprint path for Smart to become an all-star. It is not guaranteed, but he is closer to that status than it may seem to people focusing on his bricks.

Haters never leave any room to admit they were wrong. They give these guys harsh ceilings. Like Olynyk. Maybe the haters are right about Kelly. But that's why they play the games and we watch, to see what happens.

It's not even hating. You are just way over the top.

And Olynyk is soft. That is and will always be his problem.

And you cannot be the best player because of deflections, running down loose balls......just no .....no

In the end you have to be a guy you can go to , to get buckets, a guy you know on most nights will go bucket for bucket with the other #1 guy.

Like I said he contributes heavily towards winning, but he is not that guy. Can he become a #3/ #2ish, he has the work ethic and the basics, he just needs to really really improve them. A small example is his improvement i ft shooting. A big improvement has been his point guard abilities.

[mr. dee]

Marcus Smart could easily become our best player. I don't get why defense doesn't count.

All Marcus seems to be missing is consistent outside shooting. Even if he turned out to be a ten point a game scorer at best, he is solid for point guard.

There are new hustle stats. I forget the link, but Marcus leads in all of them - deflections, running down loose balls, those kind of stats.

Smart plays Hall of Fame defense. He won the backup pg role easily from Rozier. The last game is a blueprint path for Smart to become an all-star. It is not guaranteed, but he is closer to that status than it may seem to people focusing on his bricks.

Haters never leave any room to admit they were wrong. They give these guys harsh ceilings. Like Olynyk. Maybe the haters are right about Kelly. But that's why they play the games and we watch, to see what happens.

It's not even hating. You are just way over the top.

And Olynyk is soft. That is and will always be his problem.

And you cannot be the best player because of deflections, running down loose balls......just no .....no

In the end you have to be a guy you can go to , to get buckets, a guy you know on most nights will go bucket for bucket with the other #1 guy.

Like I said he contributes heavily towards winning, but he is not that guy. Can he become a #3/ #2ish, he has the work ethic and the basics, he just needs to really really improve them. A small example is his improvement i ft shooting. A big improvement has been his point guard abilities.

You picked the wrong night to hit on Kelly. Dude was everywhere against the Jazz. And yes, Smart sealed a win against Utah once again with his defense. And his shooting especially on crunch time have become reliable. Hitting FTs in the final 2 minutes in the game.

[ayer]

Does anyone remember how high the praises for Rondo here? just asking..

[Smartacus]

Does anyone remember how high the praises for Rondo here? just asking..

Rondo deserved that high praise a lot of the time and also got a ton of flack around here as well. Nightly triple double threat, league leader in assists, league leader in steals, 2 time all defensive first team, 4 time all star. If Rondo retires tomorrow he'd be doing so with an excellent career to look back on.

Do you remember when Jason Kidd called Rondo the best point guard in the league? But Kidd's just some internet poster right? Just asking...

[tenn_smoothie]

Marcus is most effective in the paint.  He just needs to stop shooting the [dang] ball from three and he would be a much better all around offensive player.  He just keeps shooting (and missing) from deep that it distracts from the other things he does well offensively.  I mean he was 0-2 again last night but 8 of 11 from two.  Marcus, quit shooting the [dang] ball from three.

I think he needs to still try and take a few to keep defenses honest. He just needs to tone down the drastic amount he takes. If he takes less from deep, and forces the issue at the rim, I (as with most here) can almost guarantee he will lose the mantra of "awful" offensive player. His playmaking and ability to set screens as a guard will more than make up for his problems shooting from deep.

You nailed it - he simply needs to cut down on his attempts but not abandon his 3-pointers completely. Not sure why Stevens doesn't address this issue with him, specifically. Also, Smart sure has a knack for hitting big threes late in games.

Wish more people on here felt like you guys do, especially those who keep wanting to trade Smart - he is the epitome of a championship player. Not the superstar that wins the MVP, but the guy that makes all those tough plays that win games ........... James Posey, Paul Silas, Dennis Johnson, Cedric Maxwell, KC Jones, Don Nelson, Frank Ramsey, Kendrick Perkins.

[CelticPride2016]

It's true that Marcus should cut down on shooting threes, at least until he starts shooting them better. Last night he went 0-5 on threes, but 4-11 overall. If he wasn't such a chucker at threes in the Antoine Walker/Sully mode, no one would be saying he's a lousy shooter or at least not so bad to be condemned.

Bad shooters do not hit 31 out of 33 free throws.

And yes, on the bad timing. Now is the wrong time to attack Olynyk as soft. He was soft coming into the league, but that was then and this is now.

I often fall into the bad timing for comments. It happens to all of us. Anytime I go after Green, Young and Zeller, they are bound to play strong games. And the opposite works too for jinxing bloggers. As soon as we go okay Young and Zeller are actually showing signs of being decent with NBA futures, they then play awful and confirm their status as scrubs.

Last night we had a problem with turnovers, but it is the dog days of the schedule as someone phrased it.

That was a great win and almost Gino Time against a top team on the road.

Now we just have to survive injuries and getting banged up. Next guys up need to be ready and get it done. Hopefully we avoid losing trap games. I wouldn't put a ceiling on this year's Celtics. Or maybe we should and then the opposite will happen.

[celtics2030]

It's true that Marcus should cut down on shooting threes, at least until he starts shooting them better. Last night he went 0-5 on threes, but 4-11 overall. If he wasn't such a chucker at threes in the Antoine Walker/Sully mode, no one would be saying he's a lousy shooter or at least not so bad to be condemned.

Bad shooters do not hit 31 out of 33 free throws.

And yes, on the bad timing. Now is the wrong time to attack Olynyk as soft. He was soft coming into the league, but that was then and this is now.

I often fall into the bad timing for comments. It happens to all of us. Anytime I go after Green, Young and Zeller, they are bound to play strong games. And the opposite works too for jinxing bloggers. As soon as we go okay Young and Zeller are actually showing signs of being decent with NBA futures, they then play awful and confirm their status as scrubs.

Last night we had a problem with turnovers, but it is the dog days of the schedule as someone phrased it.

That was a great win and almost Gino Time against a top team on the road.

Now we just have to survive injuries and getting banged up. Next guys up need to be ready and get it done. Hopefully we avoid losing trap games. I wouldn't put a ceiling on this year's Celtics. Or maybe we should and then the opposite will happen.

First of all Marcus is not a "shooter"

Second, he is a bad shot maker at this point in his career, as he can't shoot over 40%

If he stops shooting 3's his FG % will improve

Rondo and Wade are not exactly shooters, with Rondo not being one at all, but he shot in the high 40's from the field because he took shots he can make.

Steve Nash is a shooter , Avery Bradley is a shooter. They are good to great shooters.

Marcus is a bad shooter.

Marcus can make his next 100 ft's in a row, and Bradley can miss his next 50 and Bradley would still be a way better shooter.

Marcus Smart is not that guy. He is too busy working his butt of to do all the other things which takes a toll on the body and performance level on offense.

IF IT worked as hard as smart did It would not be doing what he is doing now.

[feckless]

Marcus has really grown this year.  I don't even think he is a bad shooter but I do think his shot selection needs a lot of work.  I think he makes a decent percentage of good shots but he still takes too many out of rhythm threes and and jump shots and he continues to take it to the rim when there is nothing there.  Hero mentality can be both a good and a bad thing!  But I see progress and hope.

[Tr1boy]

Posted this on the blazers game thread... Winning plays after winning plays... Sometimes even if that means snatching rebounds from your teammate lol...

Smart winning plays vs Blazers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uCQRJl3f3Y

[Tr1boy]

Marcus has really grown this year.  I don't even think he is a bad shooter but I do think his shot selection needs a lot of work.  I think he makes a decent percentage of good shots but he still takes too many out of rhythm threes and and jump shots and he continues to take it to the rim when there is nothing there.  Hero mentality can be both a good and a bad thing!  But I see progress and hope.

When he heaves the ball usually its bad news... When he jumps forward from the 3 pt line, he has been making the 3a more often rhan not.... Also utilizing some nifty quick shots, lob shots around the free throw line

Little bit disappointed his drive and finish is near non exsitent but with everything else he does (now add post ups), you have to be happy with this guy one your team... Teams must hate facing Smart