CelticsStrong
Celtics Basketball => Celtics Talk => Topic started by: jpotter33 on July 21, 2017, 03:07:28 PM
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BW0bVPLA28d/
Good to see Smart working so hard this summer to improve his game. He's got a big contract year coming up.
Is it just me, or does he look significantly thinner and actually ripped? You can't tell me he had those abs this past season when everyone was calling him fat!
Perhaps the coaching staff did ask him to bulk up last year to play bigger, and now that we have a million wings and he has zero reason to play the 3 he's slimming back down. That'd probably do wonders for his game.
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Is that James Young on the left? Did he survive offseason changes?
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Smart is definitely looking much leaner than he did last season. I think he's just slimming down. Love that he's putting in the work!
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BW0bVPLA28d/
Good to see Smart working so hard this summer to improve his game. He's got a big contract year coming up.
Is it just me, or does he look significantly thinner and actually ripped? You can't tell me he had those abs this past season when everyone was calling him fat!
Perhaps the coaching staff did ask him to bulk up last year to play bigger, and now that we have a million wings and he has zero reason to play the 3 he's slimming back down. That'd probably do wonders for his game.
He's definitely thinner. You can tell by his arms. I think the extra weight prevented him from getting by anyone last year. I know a 10 lb weight difference was huge for me; the difference between getting the ball stripped constantly and stepping right past someone. Hopefully this makes that difference for Smart. Even if he never improves consistently as a shooter, he needs to add some threat to his offensive game.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BW0bVPLA28d/
Good to see Smart working so hard this summer to improve his game. He's got a big contract year coming up.
Is it just me, or does he look significantly thinner and actually ripped? You can't tell me he had those abs this past season when everyone was calling him fat!
Perhaps the coaching staff did ask him to bulk up last year to play bigger, and now that we have a million wings and he has zero reason to play the 3 he's slimming back down. That'd probably do wonders for his game.
He's definitely thinner. You can tell by his arms. I think the extra weight prevented him from getting by anyone last year. I know a 10 lb weight difference was huge for me; the difference between getting the ball stripped constantly and stepping right past someone. Hopefully this makes that difference for Smart. Even if he never improves consistently as a shooter, he needs to add some threat to his offensive game.
agreed, i guess one could say his bulk last year also enabled him to guard bigger people, though i think 10 lb won't make much a difference in his strength department but should definitely help a bit in his quickness, with bradley gone i think it'll be more pressure on him to guard more PG and SG who are quicker
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with the team we have now, hopefully Marcus does not see any minutes at the small forward position this year.
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Is that James Young on the left? Did he survive offseason changes?
thats Trey Davis
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Is that James Young on the left? Did he survive offseason changes?
Come on now, look how tall he is. That's clearly Isaiah wearing a James Young mask. :P
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BW0bVPLA28d/
Good to see Smart working so hard this summer to improve his game. He's got a big contract year coming up.
Is it just me, or does he look significantly thinner and actually ripped? You can't tell me he had those abs this past season when everyone was calling him fat!
Perhaps the coaching staff did ask him to bulk up last year to play bigger, and now that we have a million wings and he has zero reason to play the 3 he's slimming back down. That'd probably do wonders for his game.
I would love to see the physiques of posters that regularly call Marcus fat or tubby.
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I think the "Smart is fat" stuff was overblown. He's a thick-built guy, that's the way he'll always be. If you put a baggy jersey over that same image above you'll still have people calling him overweight just because that's his body.
But he does look like he's in terrific shape.
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I think he's always been a "whatever the team needs" type of body.
Last year, the team was small with IT4 and Bradley in the backcourt, so they needed Marcus to defend above his size. So he put on that mass.
This year, the team is actually pretty large, so Marcus will definitely need to slim down and be quicker to defend below his size.
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We're not the only ones to notice this either:
http://twitter.com/ESPNForsberg/status/888475188244905984
http://twitter.com/Tom_NBA/status/888475991236124672
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Is that James Young on the left? Did he survive offseason changes?
No. James is about 3 inches taller than Marcus
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That's great and all, but...
Has Isaiah grown 5 inches this off season? Any picture proof? :P :laugh:
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I'm going to throw a comp out there that I honestly believe is Marcus' ceiling.... Dwyane Wade and honestly if he's going to be a shooting guard/ ball handler Wade is the perfect person to emulate.
When you see one of Smart's good offensive games, the way he scores is very Wade-esque... not a lot of threes, but tons of drives and post-ups... timely cuts to the basket or curls off screens to hit mid-range jumpers.
Smart's offensive potential is underrated due to his lack of consistency but the raw tools and ability are there.
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I'd love to see him slimmed down and quicker than in the past.
If he can get a little burst back his ceiling as a player increases substantially.
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I think the "Smart is fat" stuff was overblown. He's a thick-built guy, that's the way he'll always be. If you put a baggy jersey over that same image above you'll still have people calling him overweight just because that's his body.
But he does look like he's in terrific shape.
He was never "fat" but I think he was trained to focus on mass, versus sort of lean/plyometric-type building. Maybe this is a result of the change in training the Cs are taking.
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I think the "Smart is fat" stuff was overblown. He's a thick-built guy, that's the way he'll always be. If you put a baggy jersey over that same image above you'll still have people calling him overweight just because that's his body.
But he does look like he's in terrific shape.
He was never "fat" but I think he was trained to focus on mass, versus sort of lean/plyometric-type building. Maybe this is a result of the change in training the Cs are taking.
I think it has more to do with our glut of wings and Bradley being gone. He'll be covering 1s a lot more than last year, and probably won't be covering 3s at all. That means he can focus less on being bigger and me on being faster
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BW0bVPLA28d/
Good to see Smart working so hard this summer to improve his game. He's got a big contract year coming up.
Is it just me, or does he look significantly thinner and actually ripped? You can't tell me he had those abs this past season when everyone was calling him fat!
Perhaps the coaching staff did ask him to bulk up last year to play bigger, and now that we have a million wings and he has zero reason to play the 3 he's slimming back down. That'd probably do wonders for his game.
I would love to see the physiques of posters that regularly call Marcus fat or tubby.
I bet you would.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BW0bVPLA28d/
Good to see Smart working so hard this summer to improve his game. He's got a big contract year coming up.
Is it just me, or does he look significantly thinner and actually ripped? You can't tell me he had those abs this past season when everyone was calling him fat!
Perhaps the coaching staff did ask him to bulk up last year to play bigger, and now that we have a million wings and he has zero reason to play the 3 he's slimming back down. That'd probably do wonders for his game.
I would love to see the physiques of posters that regularly call Marcus fat or tubby.
I bet you would.
"Smart looks fat. He needs to lose extra those weights"
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A674g9cyKro/maxresdefault.jpg)
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BW0bVPLA28d/
Good to see Smart working so hard this summer to improve his game. He's got a big contract year coming up.
Is it just me, or does he look significantly thinner and actually ripped? You can't tell me he had those abs this past season when everyone was calling him fat!
Perhaps the coaching staff did ask him to bulk up last year to play bigger, and now that we have a million wings and he has zero reason to play the 3 he's slimming back down. That'd probably do wonders for his game.
I would love to see the physiques of posters that regularly call Marcus fat or tubby.
I bet you would.
"Smart looks fat. He needs to lose extra those weights"
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A674g9cyKro/maxresdefault.jpg)
lol
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I'm having Jared Sullinger flashbacks.
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I'm having Jared Sullinger flashbacks.
Um, are we sure that Sully has ever even seen his abs? Lol
I think there's quite a big difference between what we're seeing from Smart here and this:
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9uXyPPVLlVM/VcuLULZlbGI/AAAAAAAAOXA/SVSmXbFAJQY/s320/Sully%2BWeight%2BLoss%2B1.png)
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Marcus Smart gets fatter as the season progresses
some people don't handle eating late....without gaining some weight... Even after an intense game/workout session
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I'm having Jared Sullinger flashbacks.
Um, are we sure that Sully has ever even seen his abs? Lol
I think there's quite a big difference between what we're seeing from Smart here and this:
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9uXyPPVLlVM/VcuLULZlbGI/AAAAAAAAOXA/SVSmXbFAJQY/s320/Sully%2BWeight%2BLoss%2B1.png)
Sully and the NBA finished? poor guy
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I'm having Jared Sullinger flashbacks.
They make meds for that kind of thing.
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Marcus Smart gets fatter as the season progresses
some people don't handle eating late....without gaining some weight... Even after an intense game/workout session
Right....
Profound post.
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Marcus Smart gets fatter as the season progresses
some people don't handle eating late....without gaining some weight... Even after an intense game/workout session
I'm glad you've found a new target to criticize about weight. You must really have missed Sullinger last year to move into Smart.
I can't wait to see your enlightened takes on Yabusele.
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Marcus Smart gets fatter as the season progresses
some people don't handle eating late....without gaining some weight... Even after an intense game/workout session
Unless my memory is failing me, Smart looked to have come in this past season with a bit of extra weight and trimmed down as the season progressed.
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Marcus Smart gets fatter as the season progresses
some people don't handle eating late....without gaining some weight... Even after an intense game/workout session
Unless my memory is failing me, Smart looked to have come in this past season with a bit of extra weight and trimmed down as the season progressed.
don't you remember Tommy stating Marcus gained weight in the 2nd half of the 2nd half...thus his decrease performance?
he didn't have the "snap" as he did earlier in the season. And I agree with Tommy
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Marcus Smart gets fatter as the season progresses
some people don't handle eating late....without gaining some weight... Even after an intense game/workout session
Unless my memory is failing me, Smart looked to have come in this past season with a bit of extra weight and trimmed down as the season progressed.
don't you remember Tommy stating Marcus gained weight in the 2nd half of the 2nd half...thus his decrease performance?
he didn't have the "snap" as he did earlier in the season. And I agree with Tommy
I think he probably did get "bigger", but I don't think that in any means he is "fatter". Sullinger is one that does get noticeably "fatter" as the season progresses. For Smart, I think for him it is mostly bulk muscles, and not fat.
I think his slimming down is him wanting to improve his quickness. I never doubted that Smart was ever "fat"
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Marcus Smart gets fatter as the season progresses
some people don't handle eating late....without gaining some weight... Even after an intense game/workout session
I'm glad you've found a new target to criticize about weight. You must really have missed Sullinger last year to move into Smart.
I can't wait to see your enlightened takes on Yabusele.
That'd be hilarious, because Yab is a freak of nature. He's legitimately like 6% body fat with significant amounts of lean mass.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CG7c2iJW0AEC21U.jpg)
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Lean, bulky, fat, skinny it don't matter if all you do is cower behind the 3 point line and gun up 3s 😂
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I'm going to throw a comp out there that I honestly believe is Marcus' ceiling.... Dwyane Wade and honestly if he's going to be a shooting guard/ ball handler Wade is the perfect person to emulate.
When you see one of Smart's good offensive games, the way he scores is very Wade-esque... not a lot of threes, but tons of drives and post-ups... timely cuts to the basket or curls off screens to hit mid-range jumpers.
Smart's offensive potential is underrated due to his lack of consistency but the raw tools and ability are there.
Not even close. Zero chance at DWade status. D Wade was one of the best 2 guard athletes of all Time. Wade is also 2" taller and 2" longer
Smart hasn't even shown he can finish inside with any consistency.
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I'd love to see Smart rebalance himself by focusing on more post-ups and dribble drives, and only open 3s, with slightly higher usage and assist rate.
Now: 5x 2PT (42%), 4x 3PT (28%), 3x FTA (80%), 22% AST rate.
Goal: 9x 2PT (45%), 2x 3PT (35%), 5x FTA (80%), 25% AST rate.
Old line: 10.6/4.6/3.9 on 42/28/80
New line: 13.5/6/5 on 45/35/80
Keep defending and making big plays and that's a reachable, [dang] good player.
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Where is celtic2030 when you need him :laugh:
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I'm going to throw a comp out there that I honestly believe is Marcus' ceiling.... Dwyane Wade and honestly if he's going to be a shooting guard/ ball handler Wade is the perfect person to emulate.
When you see one of Smart's good offensive games, the way he scores is very Wade-esque... not a lot of threes, but tons of drives and post-ups... timely cuts to the basket or curls off screens to hit mid-range jumpers.
Smart's offensive potential is underrated due to his lack of consistency but the raw tools and ability are there.
Not even close. Zero chance at DWade status. D Wade was one of the best 2 guard athletes of all Time. Wade is also 2" taller and 2" longer
Smart hasn't even shown he can finish inside with any consistency.
Didn't know 6'4" was two inches shorter than 6'4"... you learn something new every day.
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He looks great, I hope he is shooting threes too.
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Marcus Smart gets fatter as the season progresses
some people don't handle eating late....without gaining some weight... Even after an intense game/workout session
Triboy dropping knowledge on all of us. So it has nothing to do with daily Macro consumption, it's all about eating "late". To help me out further, what is the cutoff point for "late"? If late is 11 and you eat at 1030, does your body know the difference and you don't gain unwanted "fat"? Another question, what if you travel to Australia, does your body know it's late in Australia or is it still gaining "fat" because your eating breakfast down under, but your body thinks you're in the USA.
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Marcus Smart gets fatter as the season progresses
some people don't handle eating late....without gaining some weight... Even after an intense game/workout session
Triboy dropping knowledge on all of us. So it has nothing to do with daily Macro consumption, it's all about eating "late". To help me out further, what is the cutoff point for "late"? If late is 11 and you eat at 1030, does your body know the difference and you don't gain unwanted "fat"? Another question, what if you travel to Australia, does your body know it's late in Australia or is it still gaining "fat" because your eating breakfast down under, but your body thinks you're in the USA.
Midnight. Haven't you ever seen Gremlins?
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I think the "Smart is fat" stuff was overblown. He's a thick-built guy, that's the way he'll always be. If you put a baggy jersey over that same image above you'll still have people calling him overweight just because that's his body.
But he does look like he's in terrific shape.
I agree fans love to rip on players who do not fit the typical NBA player body type. He has the build and frame to be an elite athlete in any sport not just basketball. We are just conditioned to seeing players who are 6'7 210 and this being the normal body type. In reality that is a very skinny man. Marcus has the frame to play linebacker in the NFL not many NBA players can say that. The Cs actually have a few player who could blend into the Patriots locker room this year.
With that said given the huge strength advantage Smart has over other teams guards he would be best served to avoid further bulk. This will help his quickness and long term health.
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I'm going to throw a comp out there that I honestly believe is Marcus' ceiling.... Dwyane Wade and honestly if he's going to be a shooting guard/ ball handler Wade is the perfect person to emulate.
When you see one of Smart's good offensive games, the way he scores is very Wade-esque... not a lot of threes, but tons of drives and post-ups... timely cuts to the basket or curls off screens to hit mid-range jumpers.
Smart's offensive potential is underrated due to his lack of consistency but the raw tools and ability are there.
Not even close. Zero chance at DWade status. D Wade was one of the best 2 guard athletes of all Time. Wade is also 2" taller and 2" longer
Smart hasn't even shown he can finish inside with any consistency.
Didn't know 6'4" was two inches shorter than 6'4"... you learn something new every day.
predraft Wade measured 6' 3 3/4" with a 6'10 3/4 wingspan Marcus was 6'2 with a 6'9 1/4" wing. Not a huge difference but Wade is taller and longer. The biggest difference between the two as young players is that Wade was much more explosive and a better finisher. I do really like the way Marcus has developed as a post up guard and like everyone else think he is a consistent outside shot away from being really good just not hall of fame Wade good.
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He looks great, I hope he is shooting threes too.
I wish there was a good way to practice finishing at the rim. I think that's where he needs the most improvement.
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He looks great, I hope he is shooting threes too.
I wish there was a good way to practice finishing at the rim. I think that's where he needs the most improvement.
Hopefully the tighter bod will give him a little more lift going to the hoop (and a little more confidence as not to fall backwards/sideways on every attempt). He needs to take some notes out of Jaylen's book who has seemingly turned into a pretty elite finisher, even through contact, in a very short amount of time. I think it would be impossible to emulate IT's game.
As for Smart himself, I hope he either has a total break-out year or a pretty 'meh' year. I would very much like to keep him and I think these are the only two ways that happens.
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He looks great, I hope he is shooting threes too.
I wish there was a good way to practice finishing at the rim. I think that's where he needs the most improvement.
There are, with contact pads or pick and roll drills and things like that. Hopefully he's putting in the work.
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I'm going to throw a comp out there that I honestly believe is Marcus' ceiling.... Dwyane Wade and honestly if he's going to be a shooting guard/ ball handler Wade is the perfect person to emulate.
There's such a gap with all the shots Wade mastered and Smart is not that level of athlete but I would LOVE if he adopted many of Wade's shots in the paint (Wade has an incredible push shot, half hook shot, floater). Wade is one of the absolute best ever at all those shots especially for a guard. I think every guard should emulate all those Wade shots, crazy they don't more.
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He looks great, I hope he is shooting threes too.
I wish there was a good way to practice finishing at the rim. I think that's where he needs the most improvement.
Hopefully the tighter bod will give him a little more lift going to the hoop (and a little more confidence as not to fall backwards/sideways on every attempt). He needs to take some notes out of Jaylen's book who has seemingly turned into a pretty elite finisher, even through contact, in a very short amount of time. I think it would be impossible to emulate IT's game.
As for Smart himself, I hope he either has a total break-out year or a pretty 'meh' year. I would very much like to keep him and I think these are the only two ways that happens.
I personally hope for our sake and his own, he breaks out. This will make next off season an easier decision. If Smart becomes a pretty ok offensive player, I think management lets IT walk and we get younger guys getting more opportunities to score (a la Brown and Tatum). Better decision in the long run. Especially with the East becoming worse and LeBron highly likely going West.
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He looks great, I hope he is shooting threes too.
I wish there was a good way to practice finishing at the rim. I think that's where he needs the most improvement.
Hopefully the tighter bod will give him a little more lift going to the hoop (and a little more confidence as not to fall backwards/sideways on every attempt). He needs to take some notes out of Jaylen's book who has seemingly turned into a pretty elite finisher, even through contact, in a very short amount of time. I think it would be impossible to emulate IT's game.
As for Smart himself, I hope he either has a total break-out year or a pretty 'meh' year. I would very much like to keep him and I think these are the only two ways that happens.
Yeah, I'm hoping a breakout year, because star-level Smart makes us an actual title contender. I'm not sure we get to keep him even with a meh year.
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He looks great, I hope he is shooting threes too.
I wish there was a good way to practice finishing at the rim. I think that's where he needs the most improvement.
Hopefully the tighter bod will give him a little more lift going to the hoop (and a little more confidence as not to fall backwards/sideways on every attempt). He needs to take some notes out of Jaylen's book who has seemingly turned into a pretty elite finisher, even through contact, in a very short amount of time. I think it would be impossible to emulate IT's game.
As for Smart himself, I hope he either has a total break-out year or a pretty 'meh' year. I would very much like to keep him and I think these are the only two ways that happens.
Yeah, I'm hoping a breakout year, because star-level Smart makes us an actual title contender. I'm not sure we get to keep him even with a meh year.
Smart's best comp might be TA post-injury. Not enough quickness/hops to slash/finish, not a shooter, defensive impact player. Better handle and passer, but only average at each instead of sucky. Offensive game only rises to 'competent backup' level.
I like him enough, but not more than the mid level he could be replaced with.
Ainge - if we end up using all the picks - is taking as many shots as he can at finding star players. There aren't many of those, and some drafts don't really have any. So we're going to see a lot of good-not-great players come through, and be let go, to make room to get a long look at the next upstart.
We are going to have to get used to letting go.
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To me Smart looks exactly the same in that pic as he always has.
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Everyone knows Marcus Smart gains weight in the second half of games.
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I'm gonna be so mad if we don't resign Smart, pay him 18 mil if you have to, just make sure he doesn't walk.
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To me Smart looks exactly the same in that pic as he always has.
Lol of course you do.
What's that old saying: As inevitable as death, taxes, and Crimson saying something negative about Smart? Lol
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I love Smart and I'd love for him to be a Celtic for life, but it's not happening. Unless he blossoms into a true star this year, no way the Celtics will pay him. We're looking at $40+ million in luxury tax to resign both IT and Smart.
Only way Marcus stays is if for some reason they can't or won't resign IT.
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I love Smart and I'd love for him to be a Celtic for life, but it's not happening. Unless he blossoms into a true star this year, no way the Celtics will pay him. We're looking at $40+ million in luxury tax to resign both IT and Smart.
Only way Marcus stays is if for some reason they can't or won't resign IT.
If we lose Smart, we lose our identity...
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He looks great, I hope he is shooting threes too.
I wish there was a good way to practice finishing at the rim. I think that's where he needs the most improvement.
Hopefully the tighter bod will give him a little more lift going to the hoop (and a little more confidence as not to fall backwards/sideways on every attempt). He needs to take some notes out of Jaylen's book who has seemingly turned into a pretty elite finisher, even through contact, in a very short amount of time. I think it would be impossible to emulate IT's game.
As for Smart himself, I hope he either has a total break-out year or a pretty 'meh' year. I would very much like to keep him and I think these are the only two ways that happens.
Yeah, I'm hoping a breakout year, because star-level Smart makes us an actual title contender. I'm not sure we get to keep him even with a meh year.
Smart's best comp might be TA post-injury. Not enough quickness/hops to slash/finish, not a shooter, defensive impact player. Better handle and passer, but only average at each instead of sucky. Offensive game only rises to 'competent backup' level.
I like him enough, but not more than the mid level he could be replaced with.
Ainge - if we end up using all the picks - is taking as many shots as he can at finding star players. There aren't many of those, and some drafts don't really have any. So we're going to see a lot of good-not-great players come through, and be let go, to make room to get a long look at the next upstart.
We are going to have to get used to letting go.
I do think TA is a decent present-moment comp remembering (as you did) not to over-hype TA's skills (his handle and his decision-making made him pretty dangerous, in a bad way, with the ball).
The thing is Marcus Smart is currently 2 month younger than Tony Allen was at the start of TAs rookie season. Marcus' ceiling still soars beyond Tony Allen's prime. With that said, I do think that this year is the year we should see what Marcus could be. If it's the same Marcus with no improvement/consistency on the offensive end, I'll begin the acceptance phase...
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We've got 56 million a year locked up in Al Horford and Gordon Hayward people, there is 0% chance we are resigning Smart.
Make your farewells and make them quickly.
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He looks great, I hope he is shooting threes too.
I wish there was a good way to practice finishing at the rim. I think that's where he needs the most improvement.
I have a theory that learning better footwork would help him to be more balanced as he's jumping for layups and the like and that would make it easier for him to finish around the rim. It could even help his jump shooting too but he definitely needs to make finishing a priority.
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We've got 56 million a year locked up in Al Horford and Gordon Hayward people, there is 0% chance we are resigning Smart.
Make your farewells and make them quickly.
Never say never. Smart averaged over 30 mpg last year for the #1 seeded team in the EC. Of course I would like to get him for a discount or have him transform into a surefire all-star, but this is not the same as Olynyk. The only year we tanked was in 13-14 and we drafted Smart. He has been a major part of our rotation for three years and we traded away the #1 pick who would have likely replaced him.
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We've got 56 million a year locked up in Al Horford and Gordon Hayward people, there is 0% chance we are resigning Smart.
Make your farewells and make them quickly.
Never say never. Smart averaged over 30 mpg last year for the #1 seeded team in the EC. Of course I would like to get him for a discount or have him transform into a surefire all-star, but this is not the same as Olynyk. The only year we tanked was in 13-14 and we drafted Smart. He has been a major part of our rotation for three years and we traded away the #1 pick who would have likely replaced him.
Keeping him would be awesome, but say we give IT $30 million/yr. If Smart commands $18 million, that would be nearly $50 million in point guards, and a luxury tax of over $40 million.
Simply no way we can keep MS unless something happens like injury that keeps us from re-upping IT. We can't sink big $$ into all these rookies, plus 2 potential high picks next year, IT, Al, and GH and then keep MS on top of that.
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We've got 56 million a year locked up in Al Horford and Gordon Hayward people, there is 0% chance we are resigning Smart.
Make your farewells and make them quickly.
Never say never. Smart averaged over 30 mpg last year for the #1 seeded team in the EC. Of course I would like to get him for a discount or have him transform into a surefire all-star, but this is not the same as Olynyk. The only year we tanked was in 13-14 and we drafted Smart. He has been a major part of our rotation for three years and we traded away the #1 pick who would have likely replaced him.
Keeping him would be awesome, but say we give IT $30 million/yr. If Smart commands $18 million, that would be nearly $50 million in point guards, and a luxury tax of over $40 million.
Simply no way we can keep MS unless something happens like injury that keeps us from re-upping IT. We can't sink big $$ into all these rookies, plus 2 potential high picks next year, IT, Al, and GH and then keep MS on top of that.
$18m a year for Marcus?
I'd put his value in restricted free agency in the Andre Roberson range ($30m over 3 years).
The ceiling for Marcus Smart on-court, IMHO, is Andre Iguodala. Iggy didn't even get that type of money in free agency.
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$18m a year for Marcus?
I'd put his value in restricted free agency in the Andre Roberson range ($30m over 3 years).
Celticsblog also thought Sullinger and Olynyk would both cash in and I believe some even thought KO would make 20 million a year, 18 mil a year for a guy who can't shoot, is just as off base. The one given here is that guys on the blog over value our guys. It is almost a given at this point.
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$18m a year for Marcus?
I'd put his value in restricted free agency in the Andre Roberson range ($30m over 3 years).
Celticsblog also thought Sullinger and Olynyk would both cash in and I believe some even thought KO would make 20 million a year, 18 mil a year for a guy who can't shoot, is just as off base. The one given here is that guys on the blog over value our guys. It is almost a given at this point.
TP.
I think Marcus is worth an extension, but anything over $11-12m a year is a stretch.
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He looks great, I hope he is shooting threes too.
I wish there was a good way to practice finishing at the rim. I think that's where he needs the most improvement.
Hopefully the tighter bod will give him a little more lift going to the hoop (and a little more confidence as not to fall backwards/sideways on every attempt). He needs to take some notes out of Jaylen's book who has seemingly turned into a pretty elite finisher, even through contact, in a very short amount of time. I think it would be impossible to emulate IT's game.
As for Smart himself, I hope he either has a total break-out year or a pretty 'meh' year. I would very much like to keep him and I think these are the only two ways that happens.
Yeah, I'm hoping a breakout year, because star-level Smart makes us an actual title contender. I'm not sure we get to keep him even with a meh year.
Smart's best comp might be TA post-injury. Not enough quickness/hops to slash/finish, not a shooter, defensive impact player. Better handle and passer, but only average at each instead of sucky. Offensive game only rises to 'competent backup' level.
I like him enough, but not more than the mid level he could be replaced with.
Ainge - if we end up using all the picks - is taking as many shots as he can at finding star players. There aren't many of those, and some drafts don't really have any. So we're going to see a lot of good-not-great players come through, and be let go, to make room to get a long look at the next upstart.
We are going to have to get used to letting go.
I do think TA is a decent present-moment comp remembering (as you did) not to over-hype TA's skills (his handle and his decision-making made him pretty dangerous, in a bad way, with the ball).
The thing is Marcus Smart is currently 2 month younger than Tony Allen was at the start of TAs rookie season. Marcus' ceiling still soars beyond Tony Allen's prime. With that said, I do think that this year is the year we should see what Marcus could be. If it's the same Marcus with no improvement/consistency on the offensive end, I'll begin the acceptance phase...
Good points. I forget how young these guys are when they come in the league now. Makes it harder to get a good idea how guys will turn out. He doesn't make me cringe every time he touches the ball like Tony did, doesn't pass to people in the stands, and is less likely to chuck an airball. But he is still a bench role player (since 4 starters need to be all stars these days). MLE offers of $8-9M will be there, but it's going to get tight going above that. Contracts based on projecting him as a star seem to lack any basis for locking up cap space in such a player. We won't.
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We've got 56 million a year locked up in Al Horford and Gordon Hayward people, there is 0% chance we are resigning Smart.
Make your farewells and make them quickly.
I refuse to do what you say, he will resign
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This is the first time where a "Look at this dude's transformation" thread has come up and it's actually been legitimate. Smart passes the eyeball test.
I would say he has gone from 16-17% body fat to 11-12% in the last 2 months.
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$18m a year for Marcus?
I'd put his value in restricted free agency in the Andre Roberson range ($30m over 3 years).
Celticsblog also thought Sullinger and Olynyk would both cash in and I believe some even thought KO would make 20 million a year, 18 mil a year for a guy who can't shoot, is just as off base. The one given here is that guys on the blog over value our guys. It is almost a given at this point.
TP.
I think Marcus is worth an extension, but anything over $11-12m a year is a stretch.
If we can sign him for 12 or under, that will end up being an epic steal. Feel free to quote me.
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We've got 56 million a year locked up in Al Horford and Gordon Hayward people, there is 0% chance we are resigning Smart.
Make your farewells and make them quickly.
People who make absolute statements like this generally turn out to look foolish down the road.
Hell, its foolish to say that right now as it is. There are plenty of scenarios where we resign and keep Smart, especially if his market is limited.
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$18m a year for Marcus?
I'd put his value in restricted free agency in the Andre Roberson range ($30m over 3 years).
Celticsblog also thought Sullinger and Olynyk would both cash in and I believe some even thought KO would make 20 million a year, 18 mil a year for a guy who can't shoot, is just as off base. The one given here is that guys on the blog over value our guys. It is almost a given at this point.
TP.
I think Marcus is worth an extension, but anything over $11-12m a year is a stretch.
I think this number sounds about right. Would you complete a full extension with Smart at $12M a year by October, something like 5/$60M? Do rookies get 5 year extensions off of their rookie deal?
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$18m a year for Marcus?
I'd put his value in restricted free agency in the Andre Roberson range ($30m over 3 years).
Celticsblog also thought Sullinger and Olynyk would both cash in and I believe some even thought KO would make 20 million a year, 18 mil a year for a guy who can't shoot, is just as off base. The one given here is that guys on the blog over value our guys. It is almost a given at this point.
TP.
I think Marcus is worth an extension, but anything over $11-12m a year is a stretch.
I think this number sounds about right. Would you complete a full extension with Smart at $12M a year by October, something like 5/$60M? Do rookies get 5 year extensions off of their rookie deal?
I would sign smart to that deal in a heart beat
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$18m a year for Marcus?
I'd put his value in restricted free agency in the Andre Roberson range ($30m over 3 years).
Celticsblog also thought Sullinger and Olynyk would both cash in and I believe some even thought KO would make 20 million a year, 18 mil a year for a guy who can't shoot, is just as off base. The one given here is that guys on the blog over value our guys. It is almost a given at this point.
TP.
I think Marcus is worth an extension, but anything over $11-12m a year is a stretch.
I think this number sounds about right. Would you complete a full extension with Smart at $12M a year by October, something like 5/$60M? Do rookies get 5 year extensions off of their rookie deal?
5 years is still permissible for rookie extensions, but it seems like teams have skewed away from that for non-max guys.
With that said, I'd offer Marcus the extension Andre Roberson turned down: 4 years, $48m. I think that's fair market value for a great defensive player with significant offensive limitations.
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$18m a year for Marcus?
I'd put his value in restricted free agency in the Andre Roberson range ($30m over 3 years).
Celticsblog also thought Sullinger and Olynyk would both cash in and I believe some even thought KO would make 20 million a year, 18 mil a year for a guy who can't shoot, is just as off base. The one given here is that guys on the blog over value our guys. It is almost a given at this point.
TP.
I think Marcus is worth an extension, but anything over $11-12m a year is a stretch.
I think this number sounds about right. Would you complete a full extension with Smart at $12M a year by October, something like 5/$60M? Do rookies get 5 year extensions off of their rookie deal?
5 years is still permissible for rookie extensions, but it seems like teams have skewed away from that for non-max guys.
With that said, I'd offer Marcus the extension Andre Roberson turned down: 4 years, $48m. I think that's fair market value for a great defensive player with significant offensive limitations.
5 years is only allowable if you give them the max. For the last CBA, you could only give one such player this deal for the entire CBA duration. This CBA you can do it twice. In either case, the max requirement limited many teams' desire to do this, especially with a max salary that was very unpredictable for a few seasons.
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$18m a year for Marcus?
I'd put his value in restricted free agency in the Andre Roberson range ($30m over 3 years).
Celticsblog also thought Sullinger and Olynyk would both cash in and I believe some even thought KO would make 20 million a year, 18 mil a year for a guy who can't shoot, is just as off base. The one given here is that guys on the blog over value our guys. It is almost a given at this point.
TP.
I think Marcus is worth an extension, but anything over $11-12m a year is a stretch.
I think this number sounds about right. Would you complete a full extension with Smart at $12M a year by October, something like 5/$60M? Do rookies get 5 year extensions off of their rookie deal?
5 years is still permissible for rookie extensions, but it seems like teams have skewed away from that for non-max guys.
With that said, I'd offer Marcus the extension Andre Roberson turned down: 4 years, $48m. I think that's fair market value for a great defensive player with significant offensive limitations.
5 years is only allowable if you give them the max. For the last CBA, you could only give one such player this deal for the entire CBA duration. This CBA you can do it twice. In either case, the max requirement limited many teams' desire to do this, especially with a max salary that was very unpredictable for a few seasons.
Thanks for the clarification. I had Detroit/KCP in mind when thinking of 5 year extensions. I read they initially offered him 5 years at $80m, but the timing of the offer may have been reported incorrectly.
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$18m a year for Marcus?
I'd put his value in restricted free agency in the Andre Roberson range ($30m over 3 years).
Celticsblog also thought Sullinger and Olynyk would both cash in and I believe some even thought KO would make 20 million a year, 18 mil a year for a guy who can't shoot, is just as off base. The one given here is that guys on the blog over value our guys. It is almost a given at this point.
TP.
I think Marcus is worth an extension, but anything over $11-12m a year is a stretch.
I think this number sounds about right. Would you complete a full extension with Smart at $12M a year by October, something like 5/$60M? Do rookies get 5 year extensions off of their rookie deal?
5 years is still permissible for rookie extensions, but it seems like teams have skewed away from that for non-max guys.
With that said, I'd offer Marcus the extension Andre Roberson turned down: 4 years, $48m. I think that's fair market value for a great defensive player with significant offensive limitations.
5 years is only allowable if you give them the max. For the last CBA, you could only give one such player this deal for the entire CBA duration. This CBA you can do it twice. In either case, the max requirement limited many teams' desire to do this, especially with a max salary that was very unpredictable for a few seasons.
Thanks for the clarification. I had Detroit/KCP in mind when thinking of 5 year extensions. I read they initially offered him 5 years at $80m, but the timing of the offer may have been reported incorrectly.
That wasn't an extension, that was an offer made during the free agency period, and so was using Bird rights, which can be for up to 5 years, regardless of dollar amount. But extensions signed in October of the player's fourth year, as was being discussed with Smart, can only be 5 years if they're max deals.
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I think we definitely resign Smart. 12m/yr sounds like a believable outcome.
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Resigning Smart to a $12m/yr contract and paying IT only $25m/yr would be a tax next year of $35 million according to celticshub. $35 million tax for a roster that isn't championship caliber.
In other words, it won't matter if it's only $10 million/yr, unless something else significant on the current roster shakes out, resigning Marcus Smart is a pipe dream, just as re-signing Avery Bradley was.
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Its a great sign that Smart has focused on fitness and losing weight. He also seems to know he needs to simplify his shooting mechanics.
This is a different kind of year for Marcus. Until now, he was more or less cemented into a third guard role and got his 30 minutes. There was no one on the roster to take his minutes.
This year, he will be competing with a rapidly improving Jaylen Brown as well as Rozier, who has the tools to be a much better offensive player than Marcus, but just hasn't performed consistently yet.
Hayward will probably fill some minutes at shooting guard too.
Whether he is worth $10M or $20M depends on his competition with Brown and Rozier. If he has another year where he is a dismal shooter, he may very well find himself behind both these guys and he will be defined as a nice role player who lacks an NBA offense.
Rozier, and especially Brown are pretty likely to make major leaps forward in their games. Marcus can't just be a little better, and expect to keep all his minutes. However, if he meets the challenge, and outplays Brown and Rozier, he'll be in for a big payday, and ironically, we probably won't be able to keep him.
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Honestly, he really doesn't look that much different to me at least. Either way, it's basically a contract year for Smart. Needs to play his best to get paid. Fully expect him to get a huge offer from the Brooklyn Nets next summer.
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Has anyone ever once thought Smart's fitness was the problem?
It'd be better if he came back 30 lbs overweight but with a jumper than with a six pack and the same ol' trash offensive game.
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Has anyone ever once thought Smart's fitness was the problem?
It'd be better if he came back 30 lbs overweight but with a jumper than with a six pack and the same ol' trash offensive game.
How about both? Ever consider they may be related?
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Has anyone ever once thought Smart's fitness was the problem?
It'd be better if he came back 30 lbs overweight but with a jumper than with a six pack and the same ol' trash offensive game.
Yes and then he would be gassed in 5 minutes and wont be able to even play D.
It looks like he's working on his quickness, which will help on D and offense. He can make quicker moves to the hoop, and either pull up for a floater which he was working on last season. Or he can take it all the way. His shot isn't broke, just not consistent. He also gets the ball a lot at the end of the shot clock with IT on the bench. Having Hayward, and Brown getting better, adding Tatumn, and Morris will help limit those shots.
I'm not saying his percentage will go up, just shouldn't have to take so many bad shots at the end of the clock. He also hits them when it's needed. So I'm not super worried about his out side shot, more with his ability to mix it up. And thats part of the weight issue.
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Has anyone ever once thought Smart's fitness was the problem?
It'd be better if he came back 30 lbs overweight but with a jumper than with a six pack and the same ol' trash offensive game.
How about both? Ever consider they may be related?
Actually no, since Marcus Smart has been a bad shooter since highschool I considered that it's probably his poor jumper that's responsible for his woeful shooting.
Highschool 3 point average = .226
https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Marcus-Smart/Events/24275 (https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Marcus-Smart/Events/24275)
College 3 point average = .295
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/marcus-smart-1.html (https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/marcus-smart-1.html)
NBA career 3 point average = .291
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smartma01.html (https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smartma01.html)
If Smart is actually focusing on quickness he's wasting his time.
Smart was bigger/stronger/faster than EVERYONE in highschool and college and was still a terrible shooter. Now he's in the NBA where he has no hope of ever being physically dominant like that again. He needs to be training in the Derrick Fischer/Jamal Tinsley/Paul Pierce/Chauncey Billups/Barron Davis school of basketball where you stop working on beach muscles emphasize actual basketball skills in the offseason first and foremost.
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Has anyone ever once thought Smart's fitness was the problem?
It'd be better if he came back 30 lbs overweight but with a jumper than with a six pack and the same ol' trash offensive game.
How about both? Ever consider they may be related?
Actually no, since Marcus Smart has been a bad shooter since highschool I considered that it's probably his poor jumper that's responsible for his woeful shooting.
Highschool 3 point average = .226
https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Marcus-Smart/Events/24275 (https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Marcus-Smart/Events/24275)
College 3 point average = .295
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/marcus-smart-1.html (https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/marcus-smart-1.html)
NBA career 3 point average = .291
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smartma01.html (https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smartma01.html)
If Smart is actually focusing on quickness he's wasting his time.
Smart was bigger/stronger/faster than EVERYONE in highschool and college and was still a terrible shooter. Now he's in the NBA where he has no hope of ever being physically dominant like that again. He needs to be training in the Derrick Fischer/Jamal Tinsley/Paul Pierce/Chauncey Billups/Barron Davis school of basketball where you stop working on beach muscles emphasize actual basketball skills in the offseason first and foremost.
What on earth makes you think Smart works on "beach muscles" instead of "actual basketball skills"? He has a 6 pack so he must not practice his shooting?
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Has anyone ever once thought Smart's fitness was the problem?
It'd be better if he came back 30 lbs overweight but with a jumper than with a six pack and the same ol' trash offensive game.
How about both? Ever consider they may be related?
Actually no, since Marcus Smart has been a bad shooter since highschool I considered that it's probably his poor jumper that's responsible for his woeful shooting.
Highschool 3 point average = .226
https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Marcus-Smart/Events/24275 (https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Marcus-Smart/Events/24275)
College 3 point average = .295
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/marcus-smart-1.html (https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/marcus-smart-1.html)
NBA career 3 point average = .291
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smartma01.html (https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smartma01.html)
If Smart is actually focusing on quickness he's wasting his time.
Smart was bigger/stronger/faster than EVERYONE in highschool and college and was still a terrible shooter. Now he's in the NBA where he has no hope of ever being physically dominant like that again. He needs to be training in the Derrick Fischer/Jamal Tinsley/Paul Pierce/Chauncey Billups/Barron Davis school of basketball where you stop working on beach muscles emphasize actual basketball skills in the offseason first and foremost.
What on earth makes you think Smart works on "beach muscles" instead of "actual basketball skills"? He has a 6 pack so he must not practice his shooting?
yea i got confused there for a bit, in what way is Smart working on beach muscles? Beach muscles don't translate to him being able to defend the Paul Milsaps, or the bigger players. Smart is legit a very strong guy, otherwise Stevens wouldn't trust him from time to time to defend against bigger players.
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Has anyone ever once thought Smart's fitness was the problem?
It'd be better if he came back 30 lbs overweight but with a jumper than with a six pack and the same ol' trash offensive game.
How about both? Ever consider they may be related?
Actually no, since Marcus Smart has been a bad shooter since highschool I considered that it's probably his poor jumper that's responsible for his woeful shooting.
Highschool 3 point average = .226
https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Marcus-Smart/Events/24275 (https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Marcus-Smart/Events/24275)
College 3 point average = .295
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/marcus-smart-1.html (https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/marcus-smart-1.html)
NBA career 3 point average = .291
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smartma01.html (https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smartma01.html)
If Smart is actually focusing on quickness he's wasting his time.
Smart was bigger/stronger/faster than EVERYONE in highschool and college and was still a terrible shooter. Now he's in the NBA where he has no hope of ever being physically dominant like that again. He needs to be training in the Derrick Fischer/Jamal Tinsley/Paul Pierce/Chauncey Billups/Barron Davis school of basketball where you stop working on beach muscles emphasize actual basketball skills in the offseason first and foremost.
What on earth makes you think Smart works on "beach muscles" instead of "actual basketball skills"? He has a 6 pack so he must not practice his shooting?
yea i got confused there for a bit, in what way is Smart working on beach muscles? Beach muscles don't translate to him being able to defend the Paul Milsaps, or the bigger players. Smart is legit a very strong guy, otherwise Stevens wouldn't trust him from time to time to defend against bigger players.
Perhaps referring to the thread title, describing him as looking ripped.
I'll take the gamer over the athlete in a forced choice scenario. He is both, but the skills need polish.
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Resigning Smart to a $12m/yr contract and paying IT only $25m/yr would be a tax next year of $35 million according to celticshub. $35 million tax for a roster that isn't championship caliber.
In other words, it won't matter if it's only $10 million/yr, unless something else significant on the current roster shakes out, resigning Marcus Smart is a pipe dream, just as re-signing Avery Bradley was.
I disagree. If you are that concerned about tax (and think Smart is worth what the market sets), then dropping Crowder and/or Morris would be a start. No way Danny traded Bradley and plans to let go our only defensive backcourt player left, in a league which is dominated by scoring point guards btw. Basically saying that we won't keep him because of tax reasons makes no sense to me, because if you think he's good and plays a position of need, you keep those players and sort the rest out.
Also if our roster isn't championship caliber with IT, Horford, and Hayward as our best three (which it probably isn't), and paying luxury tax is not an option, then I really have to question what they are actually trying to do then if not bring through a young core of Smart, Brown and Tatum.
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I just realised, after trading bradley, smart is our longest tenured player on our roster.
[dang] these rosters changing fast.
Hopefully he signs an extension this offseason for "cheap" like 40 mil./4 years and if he is not part of our future we can still trade him next summer.
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Has anyone ever once thought Smart's fitness was the problem?
It'd be better if he came back 30 lbs overweight but with a jumper than with a six pack and the same ol' trash offensive game.
How about both? Ever consider they may be related?
Actually no, since Marcus Smart has been a bad shooter since highschool I considered that it's probably his poor jumper that's responsible for his woeful shooting.
Highschool 3 point average = .226
https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Marcus-Smart/Events/24275 (https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Marcus-Smart/Events/24275)
College 3 point average = .295
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/marcus-smart-1.html (https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/marcus-smart-1.html)
NBA career 3 point average = .291
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smartma01.html (https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smartma01.html)
If Smart is actually focusing on quickness he's wasting his time.
Smart was bigger/stronger/faster than EVERYONE in highschool and college and was still a terrible shooter. Now he's in the NBA where he has no hope of ever being physically dominant like that again. He needs to be training in the Derrick Fischer/Jamal Tinsley/Paul Pierce/Chauncey Billups/Barron Davis school of basketball where you stop working on beach muscles emphasize actual basketball skills in the offseason first and foremost.
Lots of assumptions on this post.
Do you actually know what's Smart workout schedule? Should you forego Fitness if you want to shoot better? He will be tasked with defending a lot of quicker guards this year, being fit will help a lot in that regard.
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Its a great sign that Smart has focused on fitness and losing weight. He also seems to know he needs to simplify his shooting mechanics.
This is a different kind of year for Marcus. Until now, he was more or less cemented into a third guard role and got his 30 minutes. There was no one on the roster to take his minutes.
This year, he will be competing with a rapidly improving Jaylen Brown as well as Rozier, who has the tools to be a much better offensive player than Marcus, but just hasn't performed consistently yet.
Hayward will probably fill some minutes at shooting guard too.
Whether he is worth $10M or $20M depends on his competition with Brown and Rozier. If he has another year where he is a dismal shooter, he may very well find himself behind both these guys and he will be defined as a nice role player who lacks an NBA offense.
Rozier, and especially Brown are pretty likely to make major leaps forward in their games. Marcus can't just be a little better, and expect to keep all his minutes. However, if he meets the challenge, and outplays Brown and Rozier, he'll be in for a big payday, and ironically, we probably won't be able to keep him.
I think it's really unlikely that Smart sees a dip in his minutes. Rozier was just bad last year, and he's no younger than Smart. Brown, as we saw in SL, is not ready to play a big role at the NBA level. Smart has been getting solid rotation minutes since his rookie year; not once has he fallen out of Stevens's rotation. And last year was clearly his best on the offensive end, as his ability to run PG improved significantly.
Rozier and Brown, not Smart, are the ones who need to worry about their minutes.
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I don't think Brown's summer league is relevant at all. He played a real role last year in the NBA, getting 17 mpg and saw time at the end of close games. He started 20 games last year, played almost 25 mpg, averaged 10 ppg as a starter, shot amost 46% from the floor and over 40% from three. That doesn't automatically mean he would thrive as a starter next year, but it certainly is far more indicative of what we can hope for than a few summer league games. It's not crazy to consider him for a starting role considering how he played as a starter last year.
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I'm going to throw a comp out there that I honestly believe is Marcus' ceiling.... Dwyane Wade and honestly if he's going to be a shooting guard/ ball handler Wade is the perfect person to emulate.
When you see one of Smart's good offensive games, the way he scores is very Wade-esque... not a lot of threes, but tons of drives and post-ups... timely cuts to the basket or curls off screens to hit mid-range jumpers.
Smart's offensive potential is underrated due to his lack of consistency but the raw tools and ability are there.
Lolll
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We've got 56 million a year locked up in Al Horford and Gordon Hayward people, there is 0% chance we are resigning Smart.
Make your farewells and make them quickly.
I refuse to do what you say, he will resign
I like the way you phrase this. You're right either way.
If he stays with the team, you can say, "See, we resigned with the team!"
If he leaves, you can that he resigned from the team.
Problem solved.
Mike
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here's a video breakdown of the work Marcus has put into his jump shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUMRzSDY33E&feature=youtu.be
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here's a video breakdown of the work Marcus has put into his jump shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUMRzSDY33E&feature=youtu.be
great find. tp.
i never even noticed during that pickup game video
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here's a video breakdown of the work Marcus has put into his jump shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUMRzSDY33E&feature=youtu.be
I won't bet my paycheck against it but I think Smart is due for a bigger year this year. Changing your jump shot isn't something that you can do in one offseason - it generally takes two. If he's quicker due to the weight loss and he can shoot at even a close-to-average rate (which he did late last year) he's an major asset.
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Nobody knows what will happen with his thoroughly undisciplined shooting and his future with the team.
Smart perhaps, will be pitted against IT this year by the "who will get the money, folks."
He wants to get better, but, shooting has never been his strength.
There is one question relating to Smart that has made him an important player with Boston.
Just exactly which Celtic do you want on the court at the end of a tight game?
Correct, and a man who knows more than anybody on this board about Smart's playing ability?
Brad Stevens agrees with you.
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Shooting not Smart only problem. Dude have yet to hit 40& FG. Thats alarming
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Ripped?? Looks the same ;D
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Shooting not Smart only problem. Dude have yet to hit 40& FG. Thats alarming
Uh, that's shooting.
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Shooting not Smart only problem. Dude have yet to hit 40& FG. Thats alarming
Uh, that's shooting.
No, not really. Shooting and finishing are two different things. Plenty of non-shooters are good finishers and end up with a half-decent FG% because they can generally make a layup. Smart, not so much.
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Shooting not Smart only problem. Dude have yet to hit 40& FG. Thats alarming
Uh, that's shooting.
No, not really. Shooting and finishing are two different things. Plenty of non-shooters are good finishers and end up with a half-decent FG% because they can generally make a layup. Smart, not so much.
yeah, I actually have a decent amount of faith that he will eventually become a decent catch and shoot 3 point shooter. I am more worried about his inability to finish in close.
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Good.
He and Crowder will be our primary defenders next season. Those two will set our tone.
Can't wait until Oct 17.
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$18m a year for Marcus?
I'd put his value in restricted free agency in the Andre Roberson range ($30m over 3 years).
Celticsblog also thought Sullinger and Olynyk would both cash in and I believe some even thought KO would make 20 million a year, 18 mil a year for a guy who can't shoot, is just as off base. The one given here is that guys on the blog over value our guys. It is almost a given at this point.
TP.
I think Marcus is worth an extension, but anything over $11-12m a year is a stretch.
In a world where JRue Holiday makes ~$30M per, Smart is making more than $11M
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Shooting not Smart only problem. Dude have yet to hit 40& FG. Thats alarming
Uh, that's shooting.
No, not really. Shooting and finishing are two different things. Plenty of non-shooters are good finishers and end up with a half-decent FG% because they can generally make a layup. Smart, not so much.
Fewer than 23% of Smart's FGs come within 3 feet of the basket.
It's shooting, not finishing. Learn the game.
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Shooting not Smart only problem. Dude have yet to hit 40& FG. Thats alarming
Uh, that's shooting.
No, not really. Shooting and finishing are two different things. Plenty of non-shooters are good finishers and end up with a half-decent FG% because they can generally make a layup. Smart, not so much.
Fewer than 23% of Smart's FGs come within 3 feet of the basket.
It's shooting, not finishing. Learn the game.
I don't consider FG% just shooting because it encompasses finishing ability as well. Regardless it is awful.
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here's a video breakdown of the work Marcus has put into his jump shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUMRzSDY33E&feature=youtu.be
Tp for the video. I really enjoyed watching it. Makes me hopeful for this season for smart.
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Holy moses we are in for a seriously good year if Marcus finally breaks out. It would make letting IT walk (god forbid) palatable.
P.S Not sure why I'm getting all biblical - could be just wanting to BELIEVE!!!
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BW0bVPLA28d/
Good to see Smart working so hard this summer to improve his game. He's got a big contract year coming up.
Is it just me, or does he look significantly thinner and actually ripped? You can't tell me he had those abs this past season when everyone was calling him fat!
Perhaps the coaching staff did ask him to bulk up last year to play bigger, and now that we have a million wings and he has zero reason to play the 3 he's slimming back down. That'd probably do wonders for his game.
I would love to see the physiques of posters that regularly call Marcus fat or tubby.
Firstly, I don't think Smart was every "fat" or "tubby". He's a professional athlete, and by pro-athlete standards his body fat % seemed to be on the average-to-slightly-above-average range. Which isn't necessarily a huge issue for bigs or even wings, but can be a limitation for guards who needs to stick with guys like Kemba Walker and John Wall on a nightly basis.
If you saw Smart waling on the street among a sea of every day people, I have no doubt he would stand out as looking extremely athletic and well conditioned by comparison.
That said I don't think the "I would love to see the physiques of posters that regularly call Marcus fat or tubby." comment the slightest bit relevant.
I work in the IT industry, and if I were getting paid an excessively large salary to do my job, then I think there is going to be an expectation that I will go out of my way to make sure I am up to speed with the technologies I am working with, that I have all the necessary certifications (etc) to ensure I am able to my job to the absolute best of my ability.
Marcus Smart is not a computer programmer, or a chef, or a high school teacher. He's a professional athlete who gets paid millions of dollars play basketball. While my job depends on technical knowledge in order for me to be at my best, his depends heavily on his physical conditioning.
Therefore it does not make any rational sense to hold random people posting on a forum to the same standard as a professional athlete, in terms of physical conditioning. That's just silly.
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If I had a dollar for all the guys look ripped threads here I could probably buy a car. People even did these on Sullinger and they were never true but in this case it looks like they might be on to something.
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here's a video breakdown of the work Marcus has put into his jump shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUMRzSDY33E&feature=youtu.be
TP, this gives me hope. Video is excellent analysis of his mechanical problems and that he is trying to address them.
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here's a video breakdown of the work Marcus has put into his jump shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUMRzSDY33E&feature=youtu.be
Tp for the video. I really enjoyed watching it. Makes me hopeful for this season for smart.
TP for the Video, it really shows why Smart's shot is a lost cause.
Everyone on the chart they showed who had back-to-back-to-back sub .300 3 point shooting seasons (Smart's had 3 in a row now) was a sub-.300 career 3 point shooter.
Hopefully his offseason work will at least improve his shot enough in the short term to boost his trade value.
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TP for the Video, it really shows why Smart's shot is a lost cause.
define "lost cause"
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If I had a dollar for all the guys look ripped threads here I could probably buy a car. People even did these on Sullinger and they were never true but in this case it looks like they might be on to something.
Indeed. All the way back to such NBA HOFers as Brandon Hunter, Orien Greene and Delonte West.
I take these threads, and the innumerable (fill in the name of the obscure draft choice or free agent) "is bound to have a breakout year" threads, for what they're worth.
About the same as summer league. Nothing.
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here's a video breakdown of the work Marcus has put into his jump shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUMRzSDY33E&feature=youtu.be
Tp for the video. I really enjoyed watching it. Makes me hopeful for this season for smart.
TP for the Video, it really shows why Smart's shot is a lost cause.
Everyone on the chart they showed who had back-to-back-to-back sub .300 3 point shooting seasons (Smart's had 3 in a row now) was a sub-.300 career 3 point shooter.
Hopefully his offseason work will at least improve his shot enough in the short term to boost his trade value.
Sorry to get in the way of your Smart hostility, but his rookie year he shot 33.5%, which is above 30.
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here's a video breakdown of the work Marcus has put into his jump shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUMRzSDY33E&feature=youtu.be
Tp for the video. I really enjoyed watching it. Makes me hopeful for this season for smart.
TP for the Video, it really shows why Smart's shot is a lost cause.
Everyone on the chart they showed who had back-to-back-to-back sub .300 3 point shooting seasons (Smart's had 3 in a row now) was a sub-.300 career 3 point shooter.
Hopefully his offseason work will at least improve his shot enough in the short term to boost his trade value.
Sorry to get in the way of your Smart hostility, but his rookie year he shot 33.5%, which is above 30.
Sorry I forgot he shot above .300 his rookie year! His career 3% is so low I assumed his rookie year was another sub .300 season.
And there's no hostility to it, I'm simply grouping players based on similarities in their careers. There's nothing hostile about pointing out that players on that list who had back-to-back-to-back sub .300 seasons failed to improve over their careers...
But since Smart has actually only had back-to-back sub .300 3 point shooting seasons we can say that based on that list it's EXTREMELY unlikely that he'll improve as a 3 point shooter since he's in the same company as MCW, Corey Brewer, Josh Smith, and Jared Sullinger.
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Jason Kidd shot .272, .336, 370, .323 then .400. he had a .461 and a .425. His career was .349. I think smart will get more open looks this year and will be better than a career .340 shooter IMO.
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Jason Kidd shot .272, .336, 370, .323 then .400. he had a .461 and a .425. His career was .349. I think smart will get more open looks this year and will be better than a career .340 shooter IMO.
TP, there are precedents. Artest another one.
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Jason Kidd shot .272, .336, 370, .323 then .400. he had a .461 and a .425. His career was .349. I think smart will get more open looks this year and will be better than a career .340 shooter IMO.
TP, there are precedents. Artest another one.
TP to both of you. Smart is only 23. He's working hard. It's difficult to believe that he isn't going to become an acceptable shooter.
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Jason Kidd shot .272, .336, 370, .323 then .400. he had a .461 and a .425. His career was .349. I think smart will get more open looks this year and will be better than a career .340 shooter IMO.
TP, there are precedents. Artest another one.
TP to both of you. Smart is only 23. He's working hard. It's difficult to believe that he isn't going to become an acceptable shooter.
Please give me their TP's instead since Jayson Kidd had one sub .300 season in his entire career and that was his rookie year.
We should be proud that Smart has already accomplished something Jayson Kidd and Antoine Walker never could... pull off back to back sub .300 shooting seasons from 3.
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Honestly, I'm not sure exactly what it is with Smart, because his shooting is not CONSISTENTLY terrible. I mean it IS over the long term, but he does go through stretches where he'll shoot really well for a month or two...and he has a tendency to also shoot consistently well in clutch situations and in huge games (e.g. playoffs).
This leads me to think that there is a possibility his issues might be mental - i.e. overthinking too much (versus acting more in instinct when he is hyped up in clutch situations) and that then leaves me thinking he might have hope.
I honestly hope he can develop a capable shot. I'm not hoping for him to become a 40% shooter or even a 36% shooter - if he can just improve to a consistent 33% - 34% shooter then I can kinda live that. At least that would make him enough of a threat that opposing teams cant really afford to just give him 5 feet of space and dare him to shoot all night.
But I cant bring myself to invest too much faith in him doing that. I'm still suffering from that condition called Sully-phobia, and after watching people coming out every offseason saying "Sully will improve his outside shot" and "Sully looks better conditioned this year" and "sully promised to improve his shot selection this year" (etc) and watching Smart seemingly going down so many of those same paths...I find it difficult to invest my faith.
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Jason Kidd shot .272, .336, 370, .323 then .400. he had a .461 and a .425. His career was .349. I think smart will get more open looks this year and will be better than a career .340 shooter IMO.
TP, there are precedents. Artest another one.
TP to both of you. Smart is only 23. He's working hard. It's difficult to believe that he isn't going to become an acceptable shooter.
Please give me their TP's instead since Jayson Kidd had one sub .300 season in his entire career and that was his rookie year.
We should be proud that Smart has already accomplished something Jayson Kidd and Antoine Walker never could... pull off back to back sub .300 shooting seasons from 3.
Okay let's see, Kidd was born in 1973, which would make him a 21 year old rookie in 1994.
I don't believe in being stingy with TP's so I'm giving you one.
Please consider the possibility that Smart might be 25 before he gets his shooting squared away.
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Jason Kidd shot .272, .336, 370, .323 then .400. he had a .461 and a .425. His career was .349. I think smart will get more open looks this year and will be better than a career .340 shooter IMO.
TP, there are precedents. Artest another one.
Bruce Bowen didn't have his first 40%+ season until age 28. He shot 28% in college and 34% and 29% in his first two seasons.
It's been pointed out before but Smart is actually ok from the corners. He shot 36% on 3s from <24 feet and 25% on longer ones which are mainly from up top. He needs to stop shooting from anywhere but the corners unless he really improves his stroke.
Even with that video posted earlier, I'm not terribly optimistic since like others have said decision-making seems to be playing a role, but you never know.
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You guys are naming the exceptions.
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You guys are naming the exceptions.
Dude. Don't you see anything exceptional in Marcus Smart?
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You guys are naming the exceptions.
Here is a list of every player since 1999 who had one year, age 23 or lower, with >120 3PA and a shooting percentage below 30%.
The list also shows their eventual career peak and their career average. (I threw out a few guys who were out of the league by age 25, because we never saw their peak).
Player Season Age 3P% Peak Career
Kobe Bryant 2001-02 23 0.25 0.38 0.33
Carmelo Anthony 2005-06 21 0.24 0.40 0.35
Tony Parker 2004-05 22 0.28 0.43 0.33
Stephon Marbury 1999-00 22 0.28 0.38 0.33
Jason Richardson 2003-04 23 0.28 0.41 0.37
Antoine Walker 1999-00 23 0.26 0.37 0.33
DeMar DeRozan 2012-13 23 0.28 0.34 0.28
Josh Smith 2006-07 21 0.25 0.33 0.29
Kyle Lowry 2009-10 23 0.27 0.41 0.36
Monta Ellis 2006-07 21 0.27 0.36 0.31
Ersan Ilyasova 2010-11 23 0.30 0.46 0.37
Raymond Felton 2007-08 23 0.28 0.38 0.33
Landry Fields 2011-12 23 0.26 0.39 0.33
Lou Williams 2008-09 22 0.29 0.37 0.35
Wilson Chandler 2009-10 22 0.27 0.41 0.34
Richard Hamilton 2000-01 22 0.27 0.46 0.35
Jason Terry 1999-00 22 0.29 0.44 0.38
Metta World Peace 2000-01 21 0.29 0.41 0.34
Larry Hughes 1999-00 21 0.23 0.39 0.31
Jamaal Tinsley 2001-02 23 0.24 0.37 0.30
Charlie Villanueva 2007-08 23 0.30 0.39 0.34
Tyreke Evans 2010-11 21 0.29 0.39 0.30
Jordan Crawford 2011-12 23 0.29 0.39 0.31
Sebastian Telfair 2006-07 21 0.29 0.36 0.32
Rasual Butler 2002-03 23 0.29 0.46 0.36
Average 0.27 0.40 0.33
So, these data tell us that on average, players like this generally ended up shooting 33% for their careers, and had at least one season in the 40% range (usually later in their careers).
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He's ready to play sg full time
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You guys are naming the exceptions.
Here is a list of every player since 1999 who had one year, age 23 or lower, with >120 3PA and a shooting percentage below 30%.
The list also shows their eventual career peak and their career average. (I threw out a few guys who were out of the league by age 25, because we never saw their peak).
Player Season Age 3P% Peak Career
Kobe Bryant 2001-02 23 0.25 0.38 0.33
Carmelo Anthony 2005-06 21 0.24 0.40 0.35
Tony Parker 2004-05 22 0.28 0.43 0.33
Stephon Marbury 1999-00 22 0.28 0.38 0.33
Jason Richardson 2003-04 23 0.28 0.41 0.37
Antoine Walker 1999-00 23 0.26 0.37 0.33
DeMar DeRozan 2012-13 23 0.28 0.34 0.28
Josh Smith 2006-07 21 0.25 0.33 0.29
Kyle Lowry 2009-10 23 0.27 0.41 0.36
Monta Ellis 2006-07 21 0.27 0.36 0.31
Ersan Ilyasova 2010-11 23 0.30 0.46 0.37
Raymond Felton 2007-08 23 0.28 0.38 0.33
Landry Fields 2011-12 23 0.26 0.39 0.33
Lou Williams 2008-09 22 0.29 0.37 0.35
Wilson Chandler 2009-10 22 0.27 0.41 0.34
Richard Hamilton 2000-01 22 0.27 0.46 0.35
Jason Terry 1999-00 22 0.29 0.44 0.38
Metta World Peace 2000-01 21 0.29 0.41 0.34
Larry Hughes 1999-00 21 0.23 0.39 0.31
Jamaal Tinsley 2001-02 23 0.24 0.37 0.30
Charlie Villanueva 2007-08 23 0.30 0.39 0.34
Tyreke Evans 2010-11 21 0.29 0.39 0.30
Jordan Crawford 2011-12 23 0.29 0.39 0.31
Sebastian Telfair 2006-07 21 0.29 0.36 0.32
Rasual Butler 2002-03 23 0.29 0.46 0.36
Average 0.27 0.40 0.33
So, these data tell us that on average, players like this generally ended up shooting 33% for their careers, and had at least one season in the 40% range (usually later in their careers).
TP. Lowry looks like a great example for hope.
26%, 27%, 27% and now over 36% for his entire career, including 41% last year on 7+ attempts.
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I am hoping that Smart reaches one of these best case scenarios and becomes a 2-way force. One thing we can notice, that isn't in his favor, is his physical playstyle. All those strong 2-handed takeaways, ball slaps, the floor dives, crashing the offensive glass "on his head" and the extra muscle he carries (and uses). These are all stuff that take away your touch but help your hustle. You can't have both (at least MS can't, Kawhi, MJ and rare HOF guys can), to be a maul and to be a finesse feather at once.
But he is a mini Ron Artest (I always viewed him in that light), a guy that can lock down the opponents main threat, and still hit a dagger three to secure the championship. Even if he is 0/4 till that point.
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Jason Kidd shot .272, .336, 370, .323 then .400. he had a .461 and a .425. His career was .349. I think smart will get more open looks this year and will be better than a career .340 shooter IMO.
TP, there are precedents. Artest another one.
TP to both of you. Smart is only 23. He's working hard. It's difficult to believe that he isn't going to become an acceptable shooter.
Please give me their TP's instead since Jayson Kidd had one sub .300 season in his entire career and that was his rookie year.
We should be proud that Smart has already accomplished something Jayson Kidd and Antoine Walker never could... pull off back to back sub .300 shooting seasons from 3.
If Smart jump starts off his great playoff game. He can become a shooter. He took alot of shots with the clock winding down. He will have more open looks with Heyward on the flloor. No excuses this year. People always Said Kidd would never shoot the three well. He proved them wrong. I feel Smart will to because he will put in the work like Kidd did that is why i used the comparison of Kidd.
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https://twitter.com/taylorcsnow/status/905549244181999616
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https://twitter.com/taylorcsnow/status/905549244181999616
So for a supposed hard worker, why is the light only now turning on in terms of weight. Hopefully this is true because dude was positively fat last year.
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https://twitter.com/taylorcsnow/status/905549244181999616
So for a supposed hard worker, why is the light only now turning on in terms of weight. Hopefully this is true because dude was positively fat last year.
Do you think he kept the weight on last year accidentally? He was playing a ton of SF last year
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https://twitter.com/taylorcsnow/status/905549244181999616
So for a supposed hard worker, why is the light only now turning on in terms of weight. Hopefully this is true because dude was positively fat last year.
Do you think he kept the weight on last year accidentally? He was playing a ton of SF last year
Yeah hope he stays in the backcourt this year.
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https://twitter.com/taylorcsnow/status/905549244181999616
So for a supposed hard worker, why is the light only now turning on in terms of weight. Hopefully this is true because dude was positively fat last year.
Did you see his shooting? He had a lot to work on besides his fitness!
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https://twitter.com/taylorcsnow/status/905549244181999616
So for a supposed hard worker, why is the light only now turning on in terms of weight. Hopefully this is true because dude was positively fat last year.
Do you think he kept the weight on last year accidentally? He was playing a ton of SF last year
But there is a difference between muscle and fat. While Marcus has always been truly strong, I am not convinced that being pudgy benefited him last season. Yes, he played a little SF last year, but he was still mainly a guard. With his tenacious play, having a strong 220lb guy instead of a fat 240lb is more important almost every time (except as an offensive lineman).
I am happy to see him putting in the work. While I doubt he will turn into Kyrie Irving on the offensive side of the ball, he should hopefully be a little more effective on basket cuts and it should help him better maintain his already high level defensive effort.
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He lost 20 pounds this offseason.
Was around 240 last season (Al Horford is 245).
Marcus now weighs 219 lbs.
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1. We'll see. Every basketball player is always in "the best shape of my life!" in September.
2. Contract year. Marcus has all the incentive in the world to play the best ball he's ever played. My wife bought me a Smart jersey for my birthday last year, I'm planning on wearing it a lot this season.
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Holy hell. No wonder he looked better this summer and so plump last year. 240 at 6'3" in the NBA is rather big.
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yeah , im a Smart fan , and he did look plump last year and wee bit slow to me from previous year.
He is at that age where you kinda encounter the first effects of not being able to eat as much as you want
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Holy hell. No wonder he looked better this summer and so plump last year. 240 at 6'3" in the NBA is rather big.
NFl linebacker. perfect size.
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https://twitter.com/taylorcsnow/status/905549244181999616
Sweet. A quicker Smart is going to be a defensive nightmare for opponents.
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What took him so long?
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I guess he won't be able to guard 3-5's next season. Maybe small ball 3's at most?
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Holy hell. No wonder he looked better this summer and so plump last year. 240 at 6'3" in the NBA is rather big.
NFl linebacker. perfect size.
I hear the Pats are thin after Ninkovic retired.
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I guess he won't be able to guard 3-5's next season. Maybe small ball 3's at most?
Not really, he has been doing that since his rookie season, where he was like 220 pounds.
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my favorite player to watch!!
can't wait, right now i'm thinking about going to the london game
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I wonder if the Cs asked him to beef up last off-season. 219 is still pretty big for a guard. Either way, it's a contract year so in was expecting his best season to date from Smart this year.
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I guess he won't be able to guard 3-5's next season. Maybe small ball 3's at most?
Not really, he has been doing that since his rookie season, where he was like 220 pounds.
Yeah, if he stays at around 220 he'll still be able to guard any SF he was able to guard last year.
The PF thing is pretty uncommon but he's still going to be ruthless with a low center of gravity, so throwing him at some shorter PF's as a disruptor could still happen.
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https://twitter.com/taylorcsnow/status/905549244181999616
So for a supposed hard worker, why is the light only now turning on in terms of weight. Hopefully this is true because dude was positively fat last year.
Do you think he kept the weight on last year accidentally? He was playing a ton of SF last year
But there is a difference between muscle and fat. While Marcus has always been truly strong, I am not convinced that being pudgy benefited him last season. Yes, he played a little SF last year, but he was still mainly a guard. With his tenacious play, having a strong 220lb guy instead of a fat 240lb is more important almost every time (except as an offensive lineman).
I am happy to see him putting in the work. While I doubt he will turn into Kyrie Irving on the offensive side of the ball, he should hopefully be a little more effective on basket cuts and it should help him better maintain his already high level defensive effort.
No offense, but comments like this are usually by people who have no clue what it takes to be either strong or ripped.
Yes there's a difference between muscle and fat, but it's nearly impossible to gain muscle without gaining some fat.
It's called a bulk.
At his age, Marcus should be taking advantage of his hormones and bulking as often as possible.
Most people trying to get stronger bulk until they hit 15-16% body fat, and then cut back down to 8-12% (20 pounds sounds right). I guarantee Marcus never had a body fat percentage that was far off from that.
If that extra weight hurt him at all last season, just get over it, because it'll help him the rest of his career.
Marcus Smart is not a finished product.
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Smart has a great opportunity this season. The starting SG role is his for the taking. He is not a classic wing and never will be but if he is ever going to develop a reliable shot, this is the time to do it. Maybe he is planning to body for that role.
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Marcus is load for other skinny minnie guards to slow down . Bigs have to pick him up to contain him.
I love watching Marcus work , not crazy about his outside shooting .....but when he plays mini center inside is fun stuff to watch .
Still my favorite Celtic to watch hands down.
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https://twitter.com/taylorcsnow/status/905549244181999616
So for a supposed hard worker, why is the light only now turning on in terms of weight. Hopefully this is true because dude was positively fat last year.
Do you think he kept the weight on last year accidentally? He was playing a ton of SF last year
But there is a difference between muscle and fat. While Marcus has always been truly strong, I am not convinced that being pudgy benefited him last season. Yes, he played a little SF last year, but he was still mainly a guard. With his tenacious play, having a strong 220lb guy instead of a fat 240lb is more important almost every time (except as an offensive lineman).
I am happy to see him putting in the work. While I doubt he will turn into Kyrie Irving on the offensive side of the ball, he should hopefully be a little more effective on basket cuts and it should help him better maintain his already high level defensive effort.
No offense, but comments like this are usually by people who have no clue what it takes to be either strong or ripped.
Yes there's a difference between muscle and fat, but it's nearly impossible to gain muscle without gaining some fat.
It's called a bulk.
At his age, Marcus should be taking advantage of his hormones and bulking as often as possible.
Most people trying to get stronger bulk until they hit 15-16% body fat, and then cut back down to 8-12% (20 pounds sounds right). I guarantee Marcus never had a body fat percentage that was far off from that.
If that extra weight hurt him at all last season, just get over it, because it'll help him the rest of his career.
Marcus Smart is not a finished product.
You are barking up the wrong tree here, my friend. Physical fitness is a way of life for me and far too often I see people who think they are strong (because they are big), but are mostly just fat. These same dudes walk around thinking they can kick anybody's a$$, but they are really just losers. This is not Marcus, but I get pretty sick of people who just eat a lot, do a little bench press and curls and then stare at themselves in the mirror while their tight tank top struggles to cover their disproportional gut.
If you are thinking in bodybuilding terms - sure, there is a time and place for bulking up (and then adjusting diet to get as lean as possible). But, I am going to go out on a limb and say that Marcus isn't constantly worried if he is getting the ultimate definition in his lats.
Basically what I am saying is, even though Marcus may have originally put on a couple of extra pounds in order to deal sometimes deal with the rigors of NBA SFs, many of those pounds were not the right ones. Hence, the reason Marcus seems so excited now about being in the best shape of his life.