Has Marcus Smart improved this year?

[trickybilly]

Guys tend to have a plateau year for the first year of a big contract.

Marcus seems to have picked up his game even another step this year to me, but I'm not sure if that's just some homer bias.

And I like polls.

[celtics4ever33]

It depends on who you ask.

We have fans who thought he would be Dwayne Wade or Westbrook in here.

Some thought he would be a definite all star.

They don't talk about that much these days.

He is a failure  or a small gem depending on which way you looked at him from the beginning.

[10610786d]

His offense has improved for sure. He's always been a solid playmaker, but his finishing and shooting is significantly better.

Sometimes expectations/hopes are different from reality, but we also get unexpected surprises - guy is very smart on offense as well. Even if he doesn't end up with what we originally expected, he could still end up being very good in his own ways.

[hpantazo]

He looks a lot more nifty with the ball around the basket, and he's an even better playmaker than last season. Some of the finishes and ball fakes he's made recently had me wondering if it was really him or if it was Kyrie until I saw the replays.

It also helps that he's reigned it in a bit with the 3 point attempts.

[moiso]

I think he’s not forcing his offense as much since he got his contract.  I really like how Smart is playing this year.

[RodyTur10]

Smart needs to keep his desire to shoot under control. If he keeps doing that he'll be one of the most valuable players on the team. He's still my favourite player.

[knuckleballer]

He's better mainly because he doesn't shoot as much.  He's shooting 8.5 field goals per 36 as opposed to 11.5 last year.  That's about 3 fewer times we're screaming at the TV or left scratching our heads because of his ill advised shots.  His percentages are only marginally better and his other numbers are similar to prior years.  That's what I want from him.

[footey]

I would say a lot, even though I recognize the statistical evidence does not back his up. He has become one of the clear leaders of this team, the heart and soul of its hustle, aggressive style, who has no time to wallow in self-pity.

The more the other guys emulate Smart's playing style, the better our chances of actually doing something this season.

[Sophomore]

He's better mainly because he doesn't shoot as much.  He's shooting 8.5 field goals per 36 as opposed to 11.5 last year.  That's about 3 fewer times we're screaming at the TV or left scratching our heads because of his ill advised shots.  His percentages are only marginally better and his other numbers are similar to prior years.  That's what I want from him.

Agree in general, but don’t undersell the change in shooting - his attempts are down *and* his % is up because he is making better basketball plays. He was a historically bad shooter - true shooting 46%-48% in his career. This year his true shooting percentage is up to 53% - nearly league average - and still trending in the right direction while he’s  taking almost 4 threes a game on reduced minutes. If he can be a league average shooter on low-medium volume, and continues his solid playmaking and passing,  and all-NBA defense and grit, he is an absolute steal at $13M per year. And a great, great complementary piece for a team that has scorers but needs someone with Smart’s skills to balance things out.

[IDreamCeltics]

I originally voted no, but a quick look at his per 36 numbers lead me to change my vote to "he's improved a little bit."

His shot attempts are down, his turnovers are down, and his shooting percentages are up.  I'd say he's more conservative about what shots he takes and what passes he makes.  A large portion of this blog - myself included - has been calling for this change for years. So it's only right to give him props.

[tarheelsxxiii]

His role has improved. For Smart, there's no better gig than to defend and make plays across from Kyrie.  He is in a great position to succeed.

[Rosco917]

It's odd to see a player sign the big contract and then improve his game the next season too.

But Marcus has.

[Wretch]

His role has improved. For Smart, there's no better gig than to defend and make plays across from Kyrie.  He is in a great position to succeed.

Kyrie is to Smart as Bird was to DJ.

I've always thought DJ (with the Celtics, not Seattle DJ) was an analogous player to Smart.

[footey]

His role has improved. For Smart, there's no better gig than to defend and make plays across from Kyrie.  He is in a great position to succeed.

Kyrie is to Smart as Bird was to DJ.

I've always thought DJ (with the Celtics, not Seattle DJ) was an analogous player to Smart.

TP for the retro analogy!

[Ogaju]

yes