Gee willikers, I'd say. I love Marcus Smart, but ahead of Monta and Tyreke? Dang.
He'd need to average 30+ minutes a night and put up, like, at least 12-5-5-2 on good percentages with great defense.
Do you think that's unrealistic though? Everything but the shooting part seems optimistic but within reason to me.
He did 10/4/4/2 per 36 last year, playing 27mpg supposedly on a bad ankle for the majority of the year. Also did 11/4/4/2 in 26 games where he played 30+mpg, where he avg 34mpg. I hope to see an increase in minutes and production this year, that's not a huge leap.
I think he can do it, especially if he drives to the rim more often and can finish there at a decent percentage.
Will he get the minutes to put up those numbers, though?
You're absolutely right that Smart put together some stretches last year where he put up pretty close to the numbers I quoted on a per-minute basis. Get his shooting percentage up and it's within reach.
Still, Monta and Tyreke are veteran NBA players who are proven producers. Flawed players, but they're consistent scorers who I think get underrated because neither has ever been a featured player on a great team. Smart has what it takes to be better than them, but I'm not bold enough to say he'll get there this year.