Only saw one difference in smart tonight

[slamtheking]

only real issue I had with Smart's game last night was too many 3's.  I'd like to see him also develop an in-between game where he's at least a consistent shot from at least 20 feet.  kid needs to become a shooting threat from everywhere.

what I'd like to see tonight is him getting better at running the offense and getting his teammates going on offense.  should be running plays to get good looks for Young, Rozier, Hunter and even Mickey. 

[PhoSita]

So while I cannot give you a definition, what I would say is that you know it when you see it.  And I didn't see it last night.

Would you classify Russell Westbrook as "dominant" at the NBA level?  The stat line Smart put up last night was similar to the kind of line we often see Westbrook put up, especially this past season when Durant was out.

[CelticSooner]

If you didn't see it, you weren't looking for it to begin with. Smart was clearly the best player on the floor last night.

[ahonui06]

Glad to see Smart attacking the basket and getting 10+ FTA. Hopefully he continues that throughout summer league and into the regular season.

I don't mind all the 3 point attempts as long as he continues to work and improves his % from deep.

[droopdog7]

only real issue I had with Smart's game last night was too many 3's.  I'd like to see him also develop an in-between game where he's at least a consistent shot from at least 20 feet.  kid needs to become a shooting threat from everywhere.

what I'd like to see tonight is him getting better at running the offense and getting his teammates going on offense.  should be running plays to get good looks for Young, Rozier, Hunter and even Mickey.

Russell Westbrook averaged 28 ppg last year (on 42% shooting).  Not great but still a lot better than smart's summer league game.  Westbrook is certainly out of control often, and he isn't my cup of tea as a PG, but you cannot deny the kind of scoring threat he presents.  Smart is not that.

And as far as the athleticism goes, did people see the breakaway dunk he had in the first half? All by himself and he barely got it there.  Looked like Steve Kerr on that dunk.

[PhoSita]

I honestly don't know why some people are so intent on being negative about Smart.

I guess I just don't see it.  He's not perfect, and he probably will never be a star on the offensive end, which is a bit disappointing.  Still, he's a fiery, hard-working player.  He was diving on the floor for loose balls in a summer league game!  Who does that? 

I suppose this is how some people felt with Rondo.  The flaws in Smart's game don't bother me nearly so much as they seem to bother many people around here.

[JHTruth]

I honestly don't know why some people are so intent on being negative about Smart.

I guess I just don't see it.  He's not perfect, and he probably will never be a star on the offensive end, which is a bit disappointing.  Still, he's a fiery, hard-working player.  He was diving on the floor for loose balls in a summer league game!  Who does that? 

I suppose this is how some people felt with Rondo.  The flaws in Smart's game don't bother me nearly so much as they seem to bother many people around here.

Smart did fine. Summer Ball is always pretty ragtag. I wouldn't take much away from these games other than that Smart was clearly the best guy out there..

[Al91]

This is just me, but I consider "bad shots" to be turnovers. When I look at Smart's shot selection last night I saw a lot of "bad shots" that I don't want him taking in an actual NBA game. For me, his turnover count was more than double the two he officially recorded. I really enjoy watching Smart play but I didn't enjoy his outside shooting last night.

Let him shoot.   He needs to try to find some consistency.   Don't let it bother you.  As long as he continues shooting 30%, there's no way he'll have a major role in our offense.  If there isn't progression, he'll just continue to be a defensive role player.  Summer league is the time when he can try to make that progression in situations that don't count.

Also, even with the garbage shooting, the inflated stats help his trade value a bit.   It'd be more concerning if Smart came out and took 5 shots.   We need to keep that trade value high if we have any hope including him in a large package for a star this summer.

Do YOU actually want to see the Celtics land a star THIS summer? I'm only asking because I thought the general tone of your posts throughout the forum was the opposite, seeking more of a just build approach?

At first I was disappointed with the Celtics off-season thus far, bearing in mind we're barely a month away from the Finals. Then I considered what the Lakers have done in comparison to us. The Lakers didn't sign "stars", don't get me wrong, but I'd much rather continue "collecting assets" than being in the mess they are drafting guys who need to develop, while paying an all star $20+mil, and trading for/signing guys like Hibbert, Lou Williams, and Bass.

[hodgy03038]

I honestly don't know why some people are so intent on being negative about Smart.

I guess I just don't see it.  He's not perfect, and he probably will never be a star on the offensive end, which is a bit disappointing.  Still, he's a fiery, hard-working player.  He was diving on the floor for loose balls in a summer league game!  Who does that? 

I suppose this is how some people felt with Rondo.  The flaws in Smart's game don't bother me nearly so much as they seem to bother many people around here.

Totally agree with you yet they are all apologists for Young and "give him time" blah blah blah

[PhoSita]

Totally agree with you yet they are all apologists for Young and "give him time" blah blah blah

I'm willing to be patient on Young, but that's mostly because all I expect from him is to become a CJ Miles / Martell Webster style bench wing.

[Celtics4ever]

Totally agree with you yet they are all apologists for Young and "give him time" blah blah blah

He is what 20 years old.   Are you kidding me?  I would wait until the end of his rookie contract to decide, I bet he plays better tonight.

[hodgy03038]

Totally agree with you yet they are all apologists for Young and "give him time" blah blah blah

He is what 20 years old.   Are you kidding me?  I would wait until the end of his rookie contract to decide, I bet he plays better tonight.

Wait until the end of his rookie contract and then let him go? I guess we need the Red Claws to compete. BTW, Stanley Johnson is 18 and far more advanced that this 20 yr old.

[GzUP617]

He was more aggressive.  Other than that, close to the same skill set we saw last year.  And contrary to most people, if give him no more than a solid C grade. 

I know this is summer league but he needs to stop shooting.  Unfortunately for him, he isn't a SG so just stop coming off screens shooting.  I suppose he did okay as a PG.  Handled the ball a lot so you would expect a decent assist total.  Basically a guy with a very high usage rate but very inefficient.

In terms of his drives, every one is contested, which means every shot is difficult, which means don't expect him to shoot a high percentage.  And this is in summer league.

So at the end of day, I saw a guy that has been given the green light and took it.  Because he was that good. 

Put it this way.  An nba star needs to outclass these guys.  He didn't come close to that tonight.

 Smart might be better utilized playing the 2 as our SG going forward.  We'd be more effective as a team if he did not directly control the ball movement.  Evan Turner wasn't our starting PG last year for no reason.  If we wanted to tank+develop guys we'd let these guys start over the more experienced players.

[D.o.s.]

So while I cannot give you a definition, what I would say is that you know it when you see it.  And I didn't see it last night.

Would you classify Russell Westbrook as "dominant" at the NBA level?  The stat line Smart put up last night was similar to the kind of line we often see Westbrook put up, especially this past season when Durant was out.

On paper, perhaps (I missed the summer league game), but I think that Westbrook is absolutely a dominant player at the NBA level, even if he wasn't the annual CelticsBlog NBA Summer League MVP like Kelly Olynyk.

[Guardian of The Truth]

"Smart might be better utilized playing the 2 as our SG going forward"

I agree.  I think Smart is better served as a SG (size and body type more reminds me more of a younger D Wade than a PG).  Catch and shoot should help his shot percentage and if he can combine that with drives to the rim he will be ok.  At the start of last nights game Rozier had the point and Smart was the SG.  Let's keep it that way