Is Smart in Steven's doghouse?

[jpotter33]

The next time we play, watch what Marcus does on offense. The plays they run have him going straight to the 3-point line and waiting there.

So how do you get better when you're just supposed to sit there? Occasionally he goes set and pick or two, then they send him right back to the 3-point line. Those are designed plays, I know this.

Watch how everyone moves with the ball and rarely gives it to smart unless they are forced too. Maybe it's a rookie thing, or maybe that's the way Stevens runs his team.

While others are taking a bunch of shots to get their points, Smart has to get his points with very little shots taken. If you want your rookie 6th round pick to show what he can do, you have to run the offense through him and allow him to do what he does.

Having said that, Stevens is trying to make the playoffs, and he's not going to gamble with a rookie learning while making that push.

But please watch Marcus on offense next game.

Marcus is shooting less than Jae Crowder while simultaneously shooting way more from 3 than 2, even though he was a poor 3 point shooter in college.  Now, it's possible that's all due to how Smart is playing but when you consider that Stevens seemed content to watch Sully jacking up threes, it seems more likely that Smart is being limited by the offensive role he's being asked to play.

Mike

He definitely is, and he's shown the ability to drive and kick (not so much finish yet) but he just isn't given the opportunity to very much. Right now Stevens has him as the #5 option on offense and #1 option on defense, which is fine. We just need to"chilax" on calling him a bad offensive player when he's not being set up to succeed right now due to our circumstances.

[littleteapot]

Failing that, you move him out there to prevent the floor being clogged by drawing his defender away from the paint.

Why would his defender leave the paint? So he can prevent an inefficient jump shot from being attempted?

If he's that bad and there is literally no way to make him an efficient player with the ball in his hands (which I disagree with) then he should just run around setting picks and getting other guys open. He shouldn't be standing around not getting covered.

[D.o.s.]

Failing that, you move him out there to prevent the floor being clogged by drawing his defender away from the paint.

Why would his defender leave the paint? So he can prevent an inefficient jump shot from being attempted?

If he's that bad and there is literally no way to make him an efficient player with the ball in his hands (which I disagree with) then he should just run around setting picks and getting other guys open. He shouldn't be standing around not getting covered.

It's not my offense, but I was just offering up a reason why a not-so-great shooter might be beyond the arc. As long as they don't cheat off of him to the same degree defenses treat, say, Tyreke Evans's three pointer, it's providing something, however minute.

[gpap]

Smart isn't playing well enough to earn more minutes.   He's become a huge albatross on offense for the starters right now.

Arguably, he shouldn't even be starting at this point.

Blame it on the 'rookie wall' if you want.  And I'm not saying that Smart doesn't have a great future ahead of him.  But right now, he is part of the problem with our starters.

Are we serious about trying to make the playoffs or not?  If not, then whatever, might as well tank our way into the 9th pick (still within reach).   But if we are, then why the heck isn't Thomas starting?

I don't see how that's the case. Every time I see Smart, he hustles on both ends of the floor and plays his as* off.

Certainly you could make the argument that maybe Isaiah should be starting with Smart being the 6th man, but right now in my mind Smart's play is the least of this team's worries and has been a HUGE bright spot.

I think he's already become a better point guard than Rondo ever was.

Your lying.

Well, me saying that I THINK player X is better than player Y and saying I am "lying" are two TOTALLY different things.

But back to the point, I think Smart has better court vision than Rondo did and is a better shooter and better defender.

Are you saying better court vision than Rondo had when he was a Rookie or better court vision than Rondo has currently because...um no  ... lol.

Right now, I'd rather have Smart as the PG than Rondo.

I though EVERYONE on this board felt the same way a few months ago when everyone was saying
"the team should give the keys to Marcus Smart."

Is everyone now suddenly changing their tune and if so, why?

Originally, I wanted to keep Rondo because I wanted to build around him and add a couple all-starts but since, I've grown to like Marcus as a player.

[tazzmaniac]

Some of you guys are too funny. It's like you expect a 20 year old rookie who just turned 21 to be a borderline all-star. People forget how long this year has been for him. Probably the longest whirlwind year he will have in his pro career. Playing college, traveling for workouts/interviews, meetings, getting drafted, public appearances, getting family/friends straight, camps of U.S. team, camps of Celtics, learning area, preseason, Rondo, tanking, 20 different team-mates, IT, playoff chase, a suspension, and now probably back to tanking. This should be a write off year not a year we say predicts his entire career.

A rookie season doesn't define a player's career but it shouldn't be a write off year either.  It should be a player development year.  There hasn't been as much development from Smart (or Young) as I hoped there would be.  I don't think Smart has any really good offensive skill(s) that he can really rely on.  So to be effective he needs to develop his overall skillset. 

[tazzmaniac]

Smart isn't playing well enough to earn more minutes.   He's become a huge albatross on offense for the starters right now.

Arguably, he shouldn't even be starting at this point.

Blame it on the 'rookie wall' if you want.  And I'm not saying that Smart doesn't have a great future ahead of him.  But right now, he is part of the problem with our starters.

Are we serious about trying to make the playoffs or not?  If not, then whatever, might as well tank our way into the 9th pick (still within reach).   But if we are, then why the heck isn't Thomas starting?

I don't see how that's the case. Every time I see Smart, he hustles on both ends of the floor and plays his as* off.

Certainly you could make the argument that maybe Isaiah should be starting with Smart being the 6th man, but right now in my mind Smart's play is the least of this team's worries and has been a HUGE bright spot.

I think he's already become a better point guard than Rondo ever was.

Your lying.

Well, me saying that I THINK player X is better than player Y and saying I am "lying" are two TOTALLY different things.

But back to the point, I think Smart has better court vision than Rondo did and is a better shooter and better defender.

Are you saying better court vision than Rondo had when he was a Rookie or better court vision than Rondo has currently because...um no  ... lol.

Right now, I'd rather have Smart as the PG than Rondo.

I though EVERYONE on this board felt the same way a few months ago when everyone was saying
"the team should give the keys to Marcus Smart."

Is everyone now suddenly changing their tune and if so, why?

Originally, I wanted to keep Rondo because I wanted to build around him and add a couple all-starts but since, I've grown to like Marcus as a player.

Everyone certainly didn't feel that way.  My hope for Smart has always been that he develops enough to displace Bradley from the starting lineup.  Smart is a combo guard not a pure PG and I definitely wouldn't give him the "keys to the team".  The notion that Smart is a better PG than Rondo is absurd. 

[DesertDweller]

Smart isn't playing well enough to earn more minutes.   He's become a huge albatross on offense for the starters right now.

Arguably, he shouldn't even be starting at this point.

Blame it on the 'rookie wall' if you want.  And I'm not saying that Smart doesn't have a great future ahead of him.  But right now, he is part of the problem with our starters.

Are we serious about trying to make the playoffs or not?  If not, then whatever, might as well tank our way into the 9th pick (still within reach).   But if we are, then why the heck isn't Thomas starting?

A TP for you Sir!!!  Marcus Smart is out of control at the time and if his present attitude doesn't change, he can take a hike for all I'm concerned.  he's not worth anything to us in his present state of mind!!!

[Rondo9]

Some of you guys are too funny. It's like you expect a 20 year old rookie who just turned 21 to be a borderline all-star. People forget how long this year has been for him. Probably the longest whirlwind year he will have in his pro career. Playing college, traveling for workouts/interviews, meetings, getting drafted, public appearances, getting family/friends straight, camps of U.S. team, camps of Celtics, learning area, preseason, Rondo, tanking, 20 different team-mates, IT, playoff chase, a suspension, and now probably back to tanking. This should be a write off year not a year we say predicts his entire career.

A rookie season doesn't define a player's career but it shouldn't be a write off year either.  It should be a player development year.  There hasn't been as much development from Smart (or Young) as I hoped there would be.  I don't think Smart has any really good offensive skill(s) that he can really rely on.  So to be effective he needs to develop his overall skillset.

I think people need to temper their expectations. Smart has shown flashes of being good on offense he just needs to put together consistently.

[droopdog7]

Some of you guys are too funny. It's like you expect a 20 year old rookie who just turned 21 to be a borderline all-star. People forget how long this year has been for him. Probably the longest whirlwind year he will have in his pro career. Playing college, traveling for workouts/interviews, meetings, getting drafted, public appearances, getting family/friends straight, camps of U.S. team, camps of Celtics, learning area, preseason, Rondo, tanking, 20 different team-mates, IT, playoff chase, a suspension, and now probably back to tanking. This should be a write off year not a year we say predicts his entire career.

A rookie season doesn't define a player's career but it shouldn't be a write off year either.  It should be a player development year.  There hasn't been as much development from Smart (or Young) as I hoped there would be.  I don't think Smart has any really good offensive skill(s) that he can really rely on.  So to be effective he needs to develop his overall skillset.

I think people need to temper their expectations. Smart has shown flashes of being good on offense he just needs to put together consistently.

I have seen little to no flashes from Marcus on the offensive end.  Therein lies the problem.

[sed522002]

Smart isn't playing well enough to earn more minutes.   He's become a huge albatross on offense for the starters right now.

Arguably, he shouldn't even be starting at this point.

Blame it on the 'rookie wall' if you want.  And I'm not saying that Smart doesn't have a great future ahead of him.  But right now, he is part of the problem with our starters.

Are we serious about trying to make the playoffs or not?  If not, then whatever, might as well tank our way into the 9th pick (still within reach).   But if we are, then why the heck isn't Thomas starting?

I don't see how that's the case. Every time I see Smart, he hustles on both ends of the floor and plays his as* off.

Certainly you could make the argument that maybe Isaiah should be starting with Smart being the 6th man, but right now in my mind Smart's play is the least of this team's worries and has been a HUGE bright spot.

I think he's already become a better point guard than Rondo ever was.

Your lying.

Well, me saying that I THINK player X is better than player Y and saying I am "lying" are two TOTALLY different things.

But back to the point, I think Smart has better court vision than Rondo did and is a better shooter and better defender.

Are you saying better court vision than Rondo had when he was a Rookie or better court vision than Rondo has currently because...um no  ... lol.

Right now, I'd rather have Smart as the PG than Rondo.

I though EVERYONE on this board felt the same way a few months ago when everyone was saying
"the team should give the keys to Marcus Smart."

Is everyone now suddenly changing their tune and if so, why?

Originally, I wanted to keep Rondo because I wanted to build around him and add a couple all-starts but since, I've grown to like Marcus as a player.

That's not the same though. I for one wasn't one of those posters, BUT saying you have a preference for Smart does not mean he's better than Rondo (he doesn't even touch his pg capabilities right now). It means that he's better for the role moving forward, with the type of team we have now.
Marcus is a BEAST on defense, but he's not touching Rondo, as a rookie pg, with his court vision and ball handling. It's not there yet.

[jpotter33]

Some of you guys are too funny. It's like you expect a 20 year old rookie who just turned 21 to be a borderline all-star. People forget how long this year has been for him. Probably the longest whirlwind year he will have in his pro career. Playing college, traveling for workouts/interviews, meetings, getting drafted, public appearances, getting family/friends straight, camps of U.S. team, camps of Celtics, learning area, preseason, Rondo, tanking, 20 different team-mates, IT, playoff chase, a suspension, and now probably back to tanking. This should be a write off year not a year we say predicts his entire career.

A rookie season doesn't define a player's career but it shouldn't be a write off year either.  It should be a player development year.  There hasn't been as much development from Smart (or Young) as I hoped there would be.  I don't think Smart has any really good offensive skill(s) that he can really rely on.  So to be effective he needs to develop his overall skillset.

I think people need to temper their expectations. Smart has shown flashes of being good on offense he just needs to put together consistently.

I have seen little to no flashes from Marcus on the offensive end.  Therein lies the problem.

Exactly, the problem is with your sight 

[tazzmaniac]

Some of you guys are too funny. It's like you expect a 20 year old rookie who just turned 21 to be a borderline all-star. People forget how long this year has been for him. Probably the longest whirlwind year he will have in his pro career. Playing college, traveling for workouts/interviews, meetings, getting drafted, public appearances, getting family/friends straight, camps of U.S. team, camps of Celtics, learning area, preseason, Rondo, tanking, 20 different team-mates, IT, playoff chase, a suspension, and now probably back to tanking. This should be a write off year not a year we say predicts his entire career.

A rookie season doesn't define a player's career but it shouldn't be a write off year either.  It should be a player development year.  There hasn't been as much development from Smart (or Young) as I hoped there would be.  I don't think Smart has any really good offensive skill(s) that he can really rely on.  So to be effective he needs to develop his overall skillset.

I think people need to temper their expectations. Smart has shown flashes of being good on offense he just needs to put together consistently.

My expectations have been tempered since we drafted Smart.  I've never seen Smart as our starting PG.  If he can develop enough offensively to displace Bradley from the starting lineup, I'll be happy. 

[Rosco917]

Maybe Stevens is starting to realize that Marcus Smart is no better than Marcus Banks.

Include Smart in a package to bring Cousins here. Then sign Leonard and Rondo in the offseason.

I'd love to sign Leonard, I doubt we're getting Cousins this year at least, and the last player the Celtics would want back is Rondo. LOL But heck, I'll bet Dallas wouldn't say no. They must miss Crowder.

[Beat LA]

I think he might just be hitting a rookie wall.  His offense is a work in progress.  It takes a while for some players.  Just look at Avery Bradley.  I think Smarts ceiling is higher than Bradley's.  Bradley was a mess his rookie year and look at him now.

In fairness to AB, he really never played until the last 1-2 games of his rookie year, but when he did get a chance to play, he dropped 20 on the knicks, iirc, which is far better than what we've seen from Smart so far.

AB literally had a good half of basketball vs. the Knicks on the last game of the regular season, when both teams were resting anyone who was a regular, since they were going to start a playoff series against each other in three days.  It was a fun game to watch, but to say that his game against the Knicks was better than the 25/9/5 line that Smart put up just 10 days ago against OKC in the middle of a playoff race for both teams is just laughable.

I know that it was our b and c team versus the same for the knicks, but I guess my whole thing is that, when AB was given an opportunity, not only did he embrace it, but he pretty much showed us much of what he could be.  With Smart, it seems like he has maybe one good game a month, no matter who he's playing against.  Sometimes, like last night's game, he'll go 0-6, but then in other contests he'll play more minutes but only take 3 shots, leaving me to think, "huh?"  I'm just completely baffled by how bad he's been.  Like I said before, I'm not giving up on him, but I think he needs to take a real look at his game, as well as his physique.  Perhaps if he lost 15-20 lbs. he might be able to get to the basket, as opposed to what's not happening right now.  It couldn't hurt, right?

AB shot .343 from the 2 and .000 from the 3 and .500 on FTs in his first year.

Smart hit a 3, went 3-3 from the line and scored 10 points to go along with 4 steals, a couple of assists and a couple of boards in his first game in the NBA.

I think it's important to point out that Bradley only played in 31 games during his rookie year due to injuries and Doc, but he also wasn't the 6th pick in the draft, either, so the expectations for both guys are hardly the same.  Honestly, it's pretty disturbing to see that Bradley and Smart's percentages across the board are so similar, given that Smart has actually been given the chance to play.  Ugh.  I'm very patient, but I did think that over the course of the year, Smart would show more improvement.  Instead, it really seems like he's regressed, imo.  I wonder how Young would have fared this year had he received similar playing time to Smart.  This season should have been about player development, not regression, lol. Sigh.

[jpotter33]

I think he might just be hitting a rookie wall.  His offense is a work in progress.  It takes a while for some players.  Just look at Avery Bradley.  I think Smarts ceiling is higher than Bradley's.  Bradley was a mess his rookie year and look at him now.

In fairness to AB, he really never played until the last 1-2 games of his rookie year, but when he did get a chance to play, he dropped 20 on the knicks, iirc, which is far better than what we've seen from Smart so far.

AB literally had a good half of basketball vs. the Knicks on the last game of the regular season, when both teams were resting anyone who was a regular, since they were going to start a playoff series against each other in three days.  It was a fun game to watch, but to say that his game against the Knicks was better than the 25/9/5 line that Smart put up just 10 days ago against OKC in the middle of a playoff race for both teams is just laughable.

I know that it was our b and c team versus the same for the knicks, but I guess my whole thing is that, when AB was given an opportunity, not only did he embrace it, but he pretty much showed us much of what he could be.  With Smart, it seems like he has maybe one good game a month, no matter who he's playing against.  Sometimes, like last night's game, he'll go 0-6, but then in other contests he'll play more minutes but only take 3 shots, leaving me to think, "huh?"  I'm just completely baffled by how bad he's been.  Like I said before, I'm not giving up on him, but I think he needs to take a real look at his game, as well as his physique.  Perhaps if he lost 15-20 lbs. he might be able to get to the basket, as opposed to what's not happening right now.  It couldn't hurt, right?

AB shot .343 from the 2 and .000 from the 3 and .500 on FTs in his first year.

Smart hit a 3, went 3-3 from the line and scored 10 points to go along with 4 steals, a couple of assists and a couple of boards in his first game in the NBA.

I think it's important to point out that Bradley only played in 31 games during his rookie year due to injuries and Doc, but he also wasn't the 6th pick in the draft, either, so the expectations for both guys are hardly the same.  Honestly, it's pretty disturbing to see that Bradley and Smart's percentages across the board are so similar, given that Smart has actually been given the chance to play.  Ugh.  I'm very patient, but I did think that over the course of the year, Smart would show more improvement.  Instead, it really seems like he's regressed, imo.  I wonder how Young would have fared this year had he received similar playing time to Smart.  This season should have been about player development, not regression, lol. Sigh.

It's amazing how little leeway you give the 21 year old rookie compared to Rondo when he was here lol