Statistically his progress will have a lot to do with his role. If Turner isn't retained I expect smarts minutes to increase above 30mpg and he and Rozier will be given more primary ball handler duties. In that role I predict a playoff like 32mjn 12pt 4.5rb 4ast per game season.
That is absolutely pathetic for the 6th overall pick, but I suppose it's what we have come to expect from him. Oh yeah. And he plays great defense. Whoop...de....doooooooooo.
Oh yeah, he's completely dominant in a whole half of the game. Whoop de doooo?
Smart had been a positive contributor for us since the moment he stepped on in Celtic green. He'll continue doing that no matter what.
I know defense isn't sexy, but you can't brush it off. If Smart becomes A decent player on offense (certainly possible, maybe even likely), he'll be a HUGE asset. Kid has DPOY potential.
Not exactly something to sneeze at.
Given the little he's shown, offensively, despite two years of receiving plenty of minutes, I wouldn't count on it, and, unfortunately, history tells us that we should probably stop holding out for him to suddenly become even an average scorer. As a senior in high school, he averaged 15.1 points 9.2 rebounds, and 5 assists, and was ranked as the number 1 shooting guard and 10th best player overall in his class. 15.1 points!? And he was a top ten player, nationally? The shooting guards that year most have really sucked, lol .
Basketball isn't just about scoring points and counting stats B.LA. Much as you'd like to think so.
Your the guy who was saying "Let's trade Smart to Philly for two late 1sts!", so I'm not gonna pretend like you haven't already come to your own conclusions but c'mon man.
At the VERY least, Smart will be a Tony Allen like player. Superb defensively, and majorly limited offensively. But a DPOY candidate none the less. Let's remember that during our championship runs and in Memphis' playoff runs, Tony Allen was considered as valuable as anyone becAuse of his insane defensive ability. Smart has that gene. Even if he's JUST that, he's a very valuable player.
You constantly seem to ignore the fact that Marcus has been contributing to success since the moment he came into the league. Did you watch the playoffs at all? Outside of IT, Marcus is the main reason we were in that series to begin with after we lost AB. This dude has such a strong motor he can guard PF's at 6'3.
The kid shot 34% from 3 on a lot of attempts his rookie year. Now, I'm not discounting last year stats, but let's not pretend like his shooting %'s last year is the only thing we have to go on.
Considering how much he contributes on the defensive side of things, if Smart can become TA with a better shot and ball-handling ability, that's a dang good player. Considering the improvements we saw last year in terms of driving/ball-handling, as well as passing and court vision, I expect he'll be more than that.
I could understand being a little disappointed with that considering he was the 6th overall pick, but knowing you, you'd rather we play that kid we just drAfted at the end of the 2nd round over Smart. Which makes ZERO sense in just about every way. At least Marcus had proved he can contribute to a winning team with or without breaking out offensively.
I'm well aware of that, and that's not how I view the game, at all. Hustle and effort matter - always have and always will - but for some reason that seems to be more important than having actual skills, nowadays. I recently watched some clips on csnne after the draft, and Scal said that all you have to do to play for Stevens is defend your position, get out in the open floor, try to run off of Avery Bradley's and Marcus Smart's steals, and finish in transition. Umm, that's it? You don't have to be able to shoot, pass, dribble, move without the ball, post up, run off picks, etc.? If that's the case, then anyone on this site can play in the NBA. That's why we can't score in the halfcourt, because guys like Smart just flat out don't know how to play - they're all will and no skill.
As for Tony Allen, I hated that guy and was ecstatic when he left. As much as he helped defensively, he gave almost all of it back on offense because the guy is a bonehead who plays completely out of control, can barely dribble, and is a horrible decision maker. There was a reason why many on here called him 'Tony the Turnover' , and if that's all that Smart is, then that is an absolute failure for a 6th pick, imo. You can find guys like that all the time as undrafted free agents or second round picks almost every year, so it's not like Smart is a one of a kind player, unless you count his propensity for flopping . As an example, you only need to look back at last year's draft to find two better players than Smart in the second round in Josh Richardson and Norman Powell. Not only are they better athletes, but they have brains and actually know how to play. Richardson, for example, at 6'6 200 lbs is so quick, athletic, and tenacious that he is often tasked with guarding the opponents' point guards, and he does an incredible job. Isaiah and Lowry, for example, couldn't score against the guy, but then on offense, but Powell and Richardson can not only shoot, but can also get to the basket, and they don't have Smart's horrible shot selection. Coming into the league, for example, Richardson was known to have a great midrange game and the ability to create his own shot, in addition to his defense and passing skills. The difference between guys like Powell and Richardson, as opposed to Smart, is that those guys are two way players, whereas Smart is simply a defender. Who would you rather have?
Finally, I realize that I am ridiculous most of, if not all of, the time , but Demetrius Jackson is no ordinary 45th pick. Have a look at the highlights of his 24 point 4 assist performance at Duke. Not only is he the far superior athlete to Smart, but Marcus can only dream of being able to shoot, pass, handle, and create his own shot like Jackson can, and he has a far better chance of being an all star than either Smart or Rozier, and yes, I would start him over IT, because he's a better defender, ball handler, passer, and shooter (both on and off the ball) than all of our point guards put together. That is a two way player, not Smart, IT, nor Rozier, but you don't have to take my word for it . Watch footage of Jackson on YouTube and then try and tell me that you don't think he's better than Smart. I'd also like to point out that guys like Jackson, Dunn, and Gary Payton II have far more potential than Smart, and it's not because of their athleticism, quickness, and other physical gifts - it's because of their skills, and we could have had them all on Thursday. Ugh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmdXw7OJjZs
Speaking of two way players, I'd rather have Malcolm Brogdon than Marcus Smart.
Lol you really just said to watch YouTube clips to see how much better Demetrius Jackson is than Marcus Smart? I will no longer respect your POV sir.
Well you should. B.LA knows basketball. He just has a kind of out there, IMO, outlook. Always looking for the next big steal in the draft. That said..
BLA, did you REALLY just say that a rookie picked in the middle of the second round a week ago should start over our All-Star PG who's just coming off an over 20 PT, 6 Ast season that saw him lead the fifth youngest team in the league to the 3rd best record in the East and a shade under 50 wins?
Jackson is a better ball handler, passer, and shooter than Isaiah, and a better defender than Smart or Bradley. Right. So this dude we picked up is gonna be a top 20 player in the league then? If you had a player who could do all those things better than those guys, he'd have to be, right? Better start buying jerseys.
I wouldn't count on it. Just like I wouldn't count on Malcom Brogden or Norman Powell becoming better players than Marcus Smart, a guy who's played big minutes on a legit playoff team and has already received All-NBA defensive team consideration.--
I know it's just a matter of time before Markel Brown and KJ McDaniels break out. You used to say how great those guys were gonna be.
I do? Thanks, lol, and you liked KJ McDaniels, too, man - it wasn't just me
.
And yes, I do think that Jackson should start, even though I'm crazy and realize that he won't get any playing time this year
, lol
. I also didn't say that he was a better defender than Smart or Bradley, what I said was that he's arguably the best point guard on our team because he has many of the best strengths of guys like IT, Smart, and Bradley, all rolled into one, if that makes sense. I'll tell you this much, if you put Jackson in the starting lineup, our defense, at least, and probably passing, as well, would be better, and teams wouldn't be able to abuse Jackson, defensively, as they do Thomas, imo, which means that Avery won't have to kill himself every night, haha
.
Btw, Markel Brown had a few good games this year, lol
, where he looked like a better ball handling and passing version of Bradley, imo. They're more similar than you think.
As for Brogdon vs Smart, in addition to his superior shooting and passing skills, Brogdon moves really well off the ball and splits pick and rolls like Mark Price, as shown in the clip, below. I don't think I've even seen IT do that
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOlTjxWT5VgI realize that Brogdon will be 24 in December, but he's a much better player with significantly more skills than Smart, imo
.