Marcus Smart is a bust at #6

[LEHGOCELTICS]

[AfamRealGM]

Avery Bradley is much less of a defensive stud than people think.

I agree.

[Rondo9]

Avery Bradley is much less of a defensive stud than people think.

I agree.

Disagree.

[LarBrd33]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDil3GF2ORM

What did this do for his 20% shooting? A broken clock is correct twice a day.

He was shooting 28%.  He shot 33% in this game... he finished with 29% shooting over 5 games.

[LarBrd33]

For anyone that is complaining about Smart's performance in the summer league and wanted Noah Vonleh, Vonleh went 0-13 from the field and 0-2 from the line today.  Not a good start.

Lol was just about to post that.

Guess that explains why he slipped...

Still really anxious to see Julius Randle out there, but they held him out of the game today due to the fact he hasn't signed a contract yet.

Isn't his foot injured?  I didn't expect to see him play at all in the summer league.

Apparently he's healthy enough to play.  THey held him out, because of his contract.

[Future Celtics Owner]

For anyone that is complaining about Smart's performance in the summer league and wanted Noah Vonleh, Vonleh went 0-13 from the field and 0-2 from the line today.  Not a good start.

Lol was just about to post that.

Guess that explains why he slipped...

Still really anxious to see Julius Randle out there, but they held him out of the game today due to the fact he hasn't signed a contract yet.

Isn't his foot injured?  I didn't expect to see him play at all in the summer league.

Apparently he's healthy enough to play.  THey held him out, because of his contract.

I am very interested to see him play too. larbrd33 you think he's not signed yet cuz they are going to trade him?

[crimson_stallion]

Avery Bradley is much less of a defensive stud than people think.

I agree.

Disagree.

I also disagree. 

There's a reason why he got a starting spot over Ray Allen - the Celtics were better with AB on the court.  That was two years ago, when he was practically still a rookie (he barely played his first season). 

His advanced defensive stats were absolutely elite in his second and third seasons - points allowed, opponent FG%, you name it.

Last year Bradley faced a number of challenges:

1) Playing under a new coach - Steven's had a different gameplan for Bradley and asked him to play less aggresively on defense, and focus more on his offenisve game

2) A change of role - Lack of scorers forced Bradley to take on a much larger role in the offense.  It's much harder to play full-court pressire defense on every possession when you are also the teams #2 scoring option. 

Possibly as a result of this, Bradley's defensive numbers slipped dramatically last season when compared to his previous two seasons.  I can only assume it's because of the above factors, because a 22 year old guy doesn't just "drop off" in one season like that for no apparent reason.  It not like he just got in to his mid 30's and his body has given up on him lol

Anyways history shows that Bradley absolutely is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA - easilly top 5, possibly above that.  The only guard I can think of who challenges him in that regard is Tony Allen, who has no offensive game at all.

[clover]

Avery Bradley is much less of a defensive stud than people think.

I agree.

Disagree.

I also disagree. 

There's a reason why he got a starting spot over Ray Allen - the Celtics were better with AB on the court.  That was two years ago, when he was practically still a rookie (he barely played his first season). 

His advanced defensive stats were absolutely elite in his second and third seasons - points allowed, opponent FG%, you name it.

Last year Bradley faced a number of challenges:

1) Playing under a new coach - Steven's had a different gameplan for Bradley and asked him to play less aggresively on defense, and focus more on his offenisve game

2) A change of role - Lack of scorers forced Bradley to take on a much larger role in the offense.  It's much harder to play full-court pressire defense on every possession when you are also the teams #2 scoring option. 

Possibly as a result of this, Bradley's defensive numbers slipped dramatically last season when compared to his previous two seasons.  I can only assume it's because of the above factors, because a 22 year old guy doesn't just "drop off" in one season like that for no apparent reason.  It not like he just got in to his mid 30's and his body has given up on him lol

Anyways history shows that Bradley absolutely is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA - easilly top 5, possibly above that.  The only guard I can think of who challenges him in that regard is Tony Allen, who has no offensive game at all.

Right. But the C's don't want him to go back to being an offensive weakling. We've yet to see that he can do both at a high level simultaneously.

[MISSERY]

i chose randle over smart, love is impossible to acquire

rondo/pressey/bayless
bradley/bogan/filler
green/wallace/johnson
randle/sully/k.o.
zeller/faverani/iverson

much better

[Future Celtics Owner]

i chose randle over smart, love is impossible to acquire

rondo/pressey/bayless
bradley/bogan/filler
green/wallace/johnson
randle/sully/k.o.
zeller/faverani/iverson

much better

But if we move Rondo then....
Smart
Bradley
Green
Sully/KO
Zeller

is better than Pressey Bradley Green Randle Zeller.....imo. Especially when you factor in Smarts defense and his potential to become a much improved shooter.
And I am a huge Randle guy. To be honest I wish we could have both of them. I do think Rondo gets moved(my gut) but I hope we get his worth

[Sketch5]

For anyone that is complaining about Smart's performance in the summer league and wanted Noah Vonleh, Vonleh went 0-13 from the field and 0-2 from the line today.  Not a good start.

Lol was just about to post that.

Guess that explains why he slipped...

Still really anxious to see Julius Randle out there, but they held him out of the game today due to the fact he hasn't signed a contract yet.

Isn't his foot injured?  I didn't expect to see him play at all in the summer league.

Apparently he's healthy enough to play.  THey held him out, because of his contract.

I am very interested to see him play too. larbrd33 you think he's not signed yet cuz they are going to trade him?

I just saw a tweet, can't remember from who, that the Lakers are waiting until the Gasol and Lin moves are done to sign him. I'm wondering what LA is up to, who they are targeting.

[pablohoney]

another solid game by Smart in game 5

20 pts, 6-18 shooting, 4-9 from deep (not too shabby)...he looks like he is getting more comfortable out there, his shots will come, and his percentages will continue to improve in my honest opinion

Like Pressey said, I rather have him brick shots in a summer league than in a real game where it matters...there should be no pressure in these games...just work to improve your game here

Wow.  Only 18 shots to get 20 pts.  2-9 on non 3 pointers..... That's 22%. Fantastic - Flip must b dying to get this guy.   I guess I was too harsh calling him a 20% shooter.

[RyNye]

And I am a huge Randle guy. To be honest I wish we could have both of them. I do think Rondo gets moved(my gut) but I hope we get his worth

I'm definitely a Smart over Randle guy, any day of the week. I would put money on Smart having a better career than Randle. I see Smart as a potential All-Star, Randle as a potential starter.

[GreenFaith1819]

another solid game by Smart in game 5

20 pts, 6-18 shooting, 4-9 from deep (not too shabby)...he looks like he is getting more comfortable out there, his shots will come, and his percentages will continue to improve in my honest opinion

Like Pressey said, I rather have him brick shots in a summer league than in a real game where it matters...there should be no pressure in these games...just work to improve your game here

Wow.  Only 18 shots to get 20 pts.  2-9 on non 3 pointers..... That's 22%. Fantastic - Flip must b dying to get this guy.   I guess I was too harsh calling him a 20% shooter.

Give it time, Pablo - give it time.

The shooting/offense will come, most definitely.

The defense is already there. When opponents realize that they'll have to deal with Rondo/AB/Smart on our perimeter, we'll see how they react to it.

I'm sure it won't be fun for our opponents.

As for Flip? Well, if Marcus Smart went to Minny RIGHT NOW, he'd be their BEST defender - and that's saying a LOT.

[Sketch5]

another solid game by Smart in game 5

20 pts, 6-18 shooting, 4-9 from deep (not too shabby)...he looks like he is getting more comfortable out there, his shots will come, and his percentages will continue to improve in my honest opinion

Like Pressey said, I rather have him brick shots in a summer league than in a real game where it matters...there should be no pressure in these games...just work to improve your game here

Wow.  Only 18 shots to get 20 pts.  2-9 on non 3 pointers..... That's 22%. Fantastic - Flip must b dying to get this guy.   I guess I was too harsh calling him a 20% shooter.

Parker and Wiggins didn't shoot the lights out last night. Vonleh went 0-12. I don't think you can see the full picture with this guy. The one knock on him was his shooting. Which with NBA coachs can get better. Payton and Kid both couldn't his the side of the backboard from deep when they entered. And I think Kid ended up being one of the top guys in made 3's, or something along those lines.

Smart makes great passes, plays hard on both ends, and what the stats don't say, and what a lot of people haven't seemed to notice, is how many deflections he gets. And a lot of them are passes coming off of his man. Thats some serious skill right their.

He gets to the line well, and he shoots it well, which should translate to becoming a better shooter. This is the first time he's going to be really accountable getting to the gym and working on his game. There wont be "yes" men or "butt kissers" working with him. There will be coach's that will tell him what he's doing wrong and how to fix it. They will ride him, and he will get better.

Once he gets that twisting and dipping motion out of his shot, it will get better. Plus people forget that he's shooting at longer distance, with a different ball. Anyone that has used a college ball and then went over to an NBA ball can tell you its a lot different. It seems bigger, which I'm sure it's not, but it also seems heavier. Grips different too. It's like going from one of those cheap rubber balls to a synthetic ball.