Is Smart the worst offensive player ever?

[Sophomore]

Yeah. That assist to Al Horford in the 4th last night was just awful. Along with the other four dimes he dropped.

He’s still not shooting well. Maybe that never changes. He’s a surprisingly good passer, tho. Already a decent backup PG, and won’t have to make a massive leap to be a good backup on the offensive side of the court. Combine that with all-NBA defense and you have a nice player.

[jambr380]

The term 'offensive player' is going to set some people off, but I have gotten to the point where I am genuinely surprised when any shot Smart takes actually goes in the hoop.

I am happy to have him on the team - he is a great defensive player who sets up his teammates. He also has some semblance of a post game, but we would be better off if he just gave the ball to Terry every single time - somebody who can shoot, get to the rim, and pull up off the dribble.

The good news, as has been mentioned, is that his contract may be looking a lot closer to the MLE than $15M+/yr.

[Roy H.]

No, but compared to his peers, his shooting is atrocious. He’s easily a bottom-5 rotation player in terms of shooting / efficiency.

[seancally]

if we’re talking shooting / scoring, then yeah he’s pretty awful. But he does make the right play on offense more often than not (by my eyes) in terms of moving the ball, setting up assists, grabbing loose balls and rebounds, and handling the point. There is a moment in games that start getting away from us where Brad says, Ok, Marcus in the post / Marcus bully point guard pick n roll where he gets the D on his butt and top toes into the lane. He does enough unexpected and heady things on offense to at least make up for SOME of his awful shooting.

And yeah I never think his shot will go in unless the game is in the balance. Then it’s always going in.

[BitterJim]

The term 'offensive player' is going to set some people off, but I have gotten to the point where I am genuinely surprised when any shot Smart takes actually goes in the hoop.

I am happy to have him on the team - he is a great defensive player who sets up his teammates. He also has some semblance of a post game, but we would be better off if he just gave the ball to Terry every single time - somebody who can shoot, get to the rim, and pull up off the dribble.

The good news, as has been mentioned, is that his contract may be looking a lot closer to the MLE than $15M+/yr.

Do you mean Terry or someone who can shoot? Terry's 31.7% on 3s and 38.1% overall this year shouldn't exactly fill anyone with confidence. He's like Smart if Smart couldn't run an offense or play defense, but was good at getting to the rim (but not finishing there)

[jambr380]

The term 'offensive player' is going to set some people off, but I have gotten to the point where I am genuinely surprised when any shot Smart takes actually goes in the hoop.

I am happy to have him on the team - he is a great defensive player who sets up his teammates. He also has some semblance of a post game, but we would be better off if he just gave the ball to Terry every single time - somebody who can shoot, get to the rim, and pull up off the dribble.

The good news, as has been mentioned, is that his contract may be looking a lot closer to the MLE than $15M+/yr.

Do you mean Terry or someone who can shoot? Terry's 31.7% on 3s and 38.1% overall this year shouldn't exactly fill anyone with confidence. He's like Smart if Smart couldn't run an offense or play defense, but was good at getting to the rim (but not finishing there)

I knew this was coming.

No, I don't think Terry is a finished product - so I would feel much more comfortable with him getting more shots and continuing to tweak his game. Even though Terry's percentages aren't wonderful, he actually has displayed a wide offensive arsenal - much greater than Smart's throw the ball at the hoop and hope for the best method.

If you can't see the difference between the level of control Terry has or his athleticism in getting to the hoop, then I am not sure what to say. And what are you talking about? I love the way Terry plays D.

I do agree that Smart has a certain clutch factor, but I don't think that Terry doesn't have that.

[ETNCeltics]

He handicaps the entire team. When we go into an offensive drought, one of the reasons is often because MS dribbles the shot clock down and has to force a bad shot. Yes, one of the reasons his shooting % is so unbelievably poor is because he often has to take shots as the clock expires, but frequently, that's through no one's fault but his own because he tried to penetrate for the entire possession when nothing was there.

He's poison to us offensively, he's unquestionably the worst shooter I've ever seen. The only thing I hate about this team is Marcus with the ball in his hands. He has a little hot streak every few games that lasts about 5 minutes, then he goes back to being unable to throw it in the ocean. He needs to have more of a 2 role, let Rozier have the ball, and stop shooting 3s, Marcus, you're all time bad at doing it.

And yes, Rozier is far from a great shooter, but 38% is champion compared to Marcus.

[GreenWarrior]

i personally think the contract issue is some of what's going on with smart. i think he put the work in this summer and he feels a little insulted.

he looked like a completely different player in pre-season(anyone that didn't see that is not being honest) and as soon as the option didn't get picked up he went back to "old marcus".

on one hand i hope that's not the case because smart still needs to be professional. on the other hand it might work out in our favor and we might be able to get him cheap enough. 

[Vox_Populi]

I mean, offense isn't just scoring unless I'm misunderstanding something. Smart can at least run pick and rolls, pass out of the post and shoot a respectable free throw percentage.

Most metrics would call him a minus overall but far from the worst ever.

[BitterJim]

The term 'offensive player' is going to set some people off, but I have gotten to the point where I am genuinely surprised when any shot Smart takes actually goes in the hoop.

I am happy to have him on the team - he is a great defensive player who sets up his teammates. He also has some semblance of a post game, but we would be better off if he just gave the ball to Terry every single time - somebody who can shoot, get to the rim, and pull up off the dribble.

The good news, as has been mentioned, is that his contract may be looking a lot closer to the MLE than $15M+/yr.

Do you mean Terry or someone who can shoot? Terry's 31.7% on 3s and 38.1% overall this year shouldn't exactly fill anyone with confidence. He's like Smart if Smart couldn't run an offense or play defense, but was good at getting to the rim (but not finishing there)

I knew this was coming.

No, I don't think Terry is a finished product - so I would feel much more comfortable with him getting more shots and continuing to tweak his game. Even though Terry's percentages aren't wonderful, he actually has displayed a wide offensive arsenal - much greater than Smart's throw the ball at the hoop and hope for the best method.

If you can't see the difference between the level of control Terry has or his athleticism in getting to the hoop, then I am not sure what to say. And what are you talking about? I love the way Terry plays D.

I do agree that Smart has a certain clutch factor, but I don't think that Terry doesn't have that.

So, is Smart also not a finished product? I know Smart's (11 days) older, but both are still young and have room to improve.  I'm really not sure what "arsenal" you are talking about, though - shooting poorly from more spots on the floor isn't exactly impressive, and at least Marcus can get to the line.  Neither of them should be taking as many 3 point shots as they are (4.6 3PA/game for Terry, 4.4 for Marcus).

I agree that Terry is better at getting to the hoop - the issue is that he can't finish there, and isn't very good at passing out of his drives, so it doesn't actually help.  You can love his D all you want, too, but it isn't very effective.  He gets some great steals (and does great in transition off of them), but he's far from a good overall defender. He can keep himself in front of guys for stretches, but then overcommits and gets burned.

If you want to say "Smart should pass more to Kyrie/Al/Jaylen/Jayson/Theis in a pick and roll/Morris, then yeah, I agree.  But I'm tired of people Edited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline.ting on Smart's poor shooting and then immediately praising Terry's equally awful shooting.  Neither of them should be shooting as much as they are, but at least when Smart has the ball in his hands he can run a pick and roll

[Green-18]

Personally I feel confident in our TEAM when Marcus is on the floor in crunch time.  We all know his limitations on offense but he is a winner.  There's a reason Marcus seems to be on the floor for so many of our big runs against good teams.  It's just very difficult to quantify hustle, heart, defense, and the other intangibles that he brings. 

[Dino Pitino]

I'm happy I'm pro-Smart, because watching the game isn't spoiled by resentment when Smart has the ball. I feel bad for anti-Smart posters, because he's going to keep shooting since Stevens gives him a green light.

[ManUp]

I'm ready to let him go.

If he's going to take that leap it won't be with us.

He likes to pound the ball with the second unit and I can't stand it.

[A Future of Stevens]

It could be worse. He could have a shooting season like Lonzo has had, except without the defense.

[ETNCeltics]

I'm happy I'm pro-Smart, because watching the game isn't spoiled by resentment when Smart has the ball. I feel bad for anti-Smart posters, because he's going to keep shooting since Stevens gives him a green light.

Why would any be pleased with this?

Marcus shooting is literally the worst thing about our team by miles. He's taking almost as many shots as Brown and more than Tatum. His shooting, and to a lesser degree Rozier's, is the biggest weakness we have.

The 2 or 3 hustle plays and the defense he gives us isn't worth the perpetual 2 for 9 shooting. I'll be relieved when some idiot team offers him a big contract and the Celts let him walk.