Regardless of the validity of the stats posted, I will say I have been extremely impressed with Marcus Smart's rookie season.
Let's remember that Marcus just turned twenty-one about a month ago. I think we tend to overlook how young he is a). because he went back to school for his sophomore year, and b). because he already plays like such a veteran.
The fact that he's light years ahead of a vast majority of other players his age already in the NBA on the defensive end seems to work against him as far as perception for his future goes. When we watch Giannis Antetokounmpo, Andrew Wiggins, and Nerlens Noel play, we have a tendency to get excited for their futures, not because of the players they are now, but because of the players we project them to become.
When we look at Marcus Smart, we see someone playing like a ten year veteran already. This makes us think this is how he will be playing in ten years. It's harder to allow for the fact that as a twenty-one year old kid, he might very well make some significant improvements to his game as well.
No, he's not a super athlete. But, he is strong as an ox, with very strong, quick hands, and excellent lateral movement.
Perhaps what has impressed me the most about him, though, is his shooting stroke from behind the arc. Obviously he's not an elite shooter, but coming in to the draft, his outside touch was widely reputed to be one of his significant drawbacks. It hasn't been. He's been very reliable and serviceable from three point range.
The fact that his shooting has improved as much as it has as early as it has makes me believe that he will continue to get better as a shooter.
I do think that Marcus Smart has the chance to become a star player in the NBA. What's even better is that he'll become the kind of star that will fit the gritty, blue collar culture of our franchise. He'll never be a flashy, high flying scorer, who overpowers his opposition with speed and above the rim athleticism. I think that's a given.
What he may well be is a very heady guard who plays tenaciously on both ends of the floor and has a knack for making big plays.