Author Topic: The good, the bad, the ugly , featuring Marcus Smart  (Read 3729 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

The good, the bad, the ugly , featuring Marcus Smart
« on: March 25, 2017, 10:23:10 AM »

Offline celtics2030

  • Bill Walton
  • *
  • Posts: 1437
  • Tommy Points: 72
Stats vs hustle, stats vs emotion, stats vs leader, stats vs team sacrifice

This is basically Marcus Smart in his early career. Facing him straight in the face are stats, he combats that with hustle, winning plays, good play making and sacrifice (at time).
 
But it will always come to the forefront. Why are you shooting this low, why can't you hit the 3 consistently.

Marcus is playing 30.4 minutes a game this year, an increase from the last. He is part of an upper tier team, which is very important to note, because guys don't play 30 minutes a game on a very very good team without being of importance.

We all know that Marcus Smart means a lot to this team, and for the most part he is a positive for the team, he gives them what they need in departments they would otherwise not have. He is a wildcard on the team.

Now that we have the importance of Marcus Smart to this team out of the way, the difficult part comes in the next year or year and half , maybe not even that , does Marcus improve? Does he elevate his game to that level where he will need to start no questions asked?

The good.. PLAYMAKING. His play making ability has emerged nicely. Can he drive and penetrate at will? No, but he makes the right plays, has solid vision, and makes pretty good passes when he needs to.

FREE THROW % . Its gone up, and not because he is 8-10 in 10 games...he is shooting 87.5% in March which is amazing.

FT ATTEMPTS , another good sign, he is getting to the line, Month to month it has risen and now is at 4.3 attempts per game in March

The bad. SHOOTING. He is shooting a dispicable 36.3% from the field

The bad. 3POINT SHOOTING. He is shooting a disgusting 27.9% from the field

The bad. INCONSISTENT. He had a solid month in February.

Now in March



29% from the field

18 % from 3    9 for 50

Marcus Smart's value? to us and the league?

If Marcus shows he can stay healthy he is valuable to every team in the NBA, and i bet some teams think they can either fix his offense or can equalize it to some extent.


Re: The good, the bad, the ugly , featuring Marcus Smart
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2017, 10:36:21 AM »

Offline feckless

  • Bill Walton
  • *
  • Posts: 1202
  • Tommy Points: 93
While his physical defensive play is great I wish there was a way to find out if he in fact  just isn't "smart " enough to become a good player on offense.  Some guys have great instincts for reacting but poor instincts for creating?

Why are his choices so frequently awful?  Do the C's think he will get beyond the bad choices and hero play?

Is it just youth?  Could better conditioning make him more explosive?

He and Rozier are the same age who works harder on their game?  I want inside info not opinions.
« Last Edit: March 25, 2017, 10:43:07 AM by feckless »
Days up and down they come, like rain on a conga drum, forget most, remember some, don't turn none away.   Townes Van Zandt

Re: The good, the bad, the ugly , featuring Marcus Smart
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2017, 11:50:27 AM »

Offline PAOBoston

  • Don Nelson
  • ********
  • Posts: 8097
  • Tommy Points: 533
He's never going to be an all star. He's more of a 6th man type of player. He plays fantastic defense and can run the offense. He's also displayed leadership qualities. He's never going to be a good shooter but he should continue to attack the basket and get to the line (where he has shown a great improvement over the last 2 seasons). I also feel like the C's don't utilize him enough down low where he's a matchup nightmare and incredibly efficient.

He might improve as a shooter over time but he'll never be great at it.

Re: The good, the bad, the ugly , featuring Marcus Smart
« Reply #3 on: March 25, 2017, 12:06:25 PM »

Offline ThaPreacher

  • Bill Walton
  • *
  • Posts: 1011
  • Tommy Points: 174
  • THA PREACHER
While his physical defensive play is great I wish there was a way to find out if he in fact  just isn't "smart " enough to become a good player on offense.  Some guys have great instincts for reacting but poor instincts for creating?

Why are his choices so frequently awful?  Do the C's think he will get beyond the bad choices and hero play?

Is it just youth?  Could better conditioning make him more explosive?

He and Rozier are the same age who works harder on their game?  I want inside info not opinions.


On this Blog, there are staunch Smart supporters and then there are people who would readily trade him away.  I'm in the middle.  I think he has tremendous value as a role player.
However, why is he consistently taking so many bad shots? Why does Brad Stevens allow this?
Its not rocket science that you ride the hot hand. Basketball 101. Smart was 1/13 shooting .7 %.
There is no defense for that happening repeatedly. It's bad basketball and its poor coaching.
And some of his shot selection is even notoriously worse.

In each basketball game, there are  so many  shots. The goal is to maximize your opportunities.
Marcus has to learn when to stop shooting and share the ball.
"Just do what you do best."  -Red Auerbach-

Re: The good, the bad, the ugly , featuring Marcus Smart
« Reply #4 on: March 25, 2017, 12:22:32 PM »

Offline KGs Knee

  • Frank Ramsey
  • ************
  • Posts: 12749
  • Tommy Points: 1544
Smart has got a long way to go to ever be starting PG material. I'm betting that never happens.

I'm fine with him in the 6th man role we have him in, though, I really wish he would shoot the ball a lot less. I don't know if I've ever seen a player this bad at shooting take as many shots as Smart does.

Nice overall player to have off the bench, particularly for his defense, hustle, and passing. 

Re: The good, the bad, the ugly , featuring Marcus Smart
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2017, 12:25:14 PM »

Offline Rosco917

  • Paul Silas
  • ******
  • Posts: 6108
  • Tommy Points: 559
I love Marcus, but his scoring percentage is terrible. If he weren't such an impactful defender, and intangible glue guy, I'd be the first to complain about him.

He'll alway be a nice guy to have on your bench, a warrior type of player, but the truth is he needs to understand that's how he'll also have to be paid...according to his actual value, when contract time rolls around.


Re: The good, the bad, the ugly , featuring Marcus Smart
« Reply #6 on: March 25, 2017, 01:15:06 PM »

Offline tazzmaniac

  • Don Nelson
  • ********
  • Posts: 8110
  • Tommy Points: 549
Smart is just a good role player.  On the plus side assuming he doesn't improve significantly, I don't see anyone overpaying to get him in free agency.  So we ought to be able to resign him reasonably. 

Re: The good, the bad, the ugly , featuring Marcus Smart
« Reply #7 on: March 25, 2017, 01:28:39 PM »

Offline Phantom255x

  • Larry Bird
  • *****************************
  • Posts: 29438
  • Tommy Points: 2912
  • On To Banner 18!
I doubt Smart will get overpaid in FA, so it would be reasonable to keep him.

He's having a bad month, yes, but as a 6th-man type of player (a Tony Allen-like role), he is something a championship team (like Boston in a year or two) needs.

Now I'm not at all comparing Smart to him and saying he's better (not at all), but he sort of functions as "our Draymond Green", and you definitely need someone like him if you want to contend.
"Tough times never last, but tough people do." - Robert H. Schuller

Re: The good, the bad, the ugly , featuring Marcus Smart
« Reply #8 on: March 25, 2017, 01:36:21 PM »

Offline BringToughnessBack

  • Don Nelson
  • ********
  • Posts: 8088
  • Tommy Points: 941
I am definitely torn on Marcus. His defense is exactly what is needed come playoff time but his offensive is putrid...and that is being kind. He can definitely change many games with his aggressive d but in hindsight, he does not appear to be on his way to becoming a superstar unless he suddenly gets it on the offensive end...and by gets it, he would only need to be decent on that end to become borderline star...good on that end would make him star..anything beyond good, would be fiction.

I always look at him and Randle and wonder what if...Randle is also nothing on the other end of the spectrum but he would have added rebounds and points to our team vs. added defense......I know some on here were adamant that Randle would be the better player eventually and if I were to bet 10K on which one would be better in 5 years, I might put my money on Randle. Here is hoping Smart figures out how to become a passable offensive player in the next few years and I lose my virtual bet...

Re: The good, the bad, the ugly , featuring Marcus Smart
« Reply #9 on: March 25, 2017, 01:39:05 PM »

Offline Ilikesports17

  • Don Nelson
  • ********
  • Posts: 8595
  • Tommy Points: 842
Marcus Smart is certainly not a good offensive player, but he is not a putrid offensive player. He is a putrid scorer and scoring is a big part of offense, but his playmaking seperates him from truly awful offense.
Quote from: George W. Bush
Too often, we judge other groups by their worst examples while judging ourselves by our best intentions.

Re: The good, the bad, the ugly , featuring Marcus Smart
« Reply #10 on: March 25, 2017, 01:40:25 PM »

Offline Ilikesports17

  • Don Nelson
  • ********
  • Posts: 8595
  • Tommy Points: 842
Honestly I think he is the best 6th man in the NBA.
Quote from: George W. Bush
Too often, we judge other groups by their worst examples while judging ourselves by our best intentions.

Re: The good, the bad, the ugly , featuring Marcus Smart
« Reply #11 on: March 25, 2017, 02:21:18 PM »

Offline alewilliam789

  • Don Chaney
  • *
  • Posts: 1605
  • Tommy Points: 76
I'm not going to sit here and hate on Smart because you know I don't like him, but watch how dramatically the style of play changes on offense when Smart gets on the floor and how the defense focuses on the more imposing threats on the floor and sorta ignores him. He really does mess with our chemistry and floor spacing on offense with the bench which is actually apart of our bench unit struggling as bad as it does at times. Because it's either a wild Smart post up, a brick 3, or a pick and roll in which Marcus gives it up every time because he knows he's not a threat to get to the rim. And he tries to run the bench unit despite this.

He should not be getting 30 minutes per game and honestly Brown should be taking some of his time because Brown can stretch the floor, get to the rim, and can use his length and superior athleticism to play the tougher to guard players better than Smart can. At times of course because very rarely is he consistent enough defensively for Brown.

Re: The good, the bad, the ugly , featuring Marcus Smart
« Reply #12 on: March 27, 2017, 08:35:00 AM »

Offline YoungOne87

  • Bill Walton
  • *
  • Posts: 1167
  • Tommy Points: 65
at this point, I am already happy if he gets more points than shots on the board

Re: The good, the bad, the ugly , featuring Marcus Smart
« Reply #13 on: March 27, 2017, 10:05:04 AM »

Offline Donoghus

  • Global Moderator
  • Bill Russell
  • ******************************
  • Posts: 30912
  • Tommy Points: 1604
  • What a Pub Should Be
Came up big down the stretch last night.  I still can't figure out how he threaded the needle on that pass to IT after grabbing that offensive rebound.   That was unreal.


2010 CB Historical Draft - Best Overall Team

Re: The good, the bad, the ugly , featuring Marcus Smart
« Reply #14 on: March 27, 2017, 10:16:52 AM »

Offline gouki88

  • NCE
  • Red Auerbach
  • *******************************
  • Posts: 31552
  • Tommy Points: 3141
  • 2019 & 2021 CS Historical Draft Champion
Despite the constant poor shooting and oft questionable decision making, I can't help but love him.
'23 Historical Draft: Orlando Magic.

PG: Terry Porter (90-91) / Steve Francis (00-01)
SG: Joe Dumars (92-93) / Jeff Hornacek (91-92) / Jerry Stackhouse (00-01)
SF: Brandon Roy (08-09) / Walter Davis (78-79)
PF: Terry Cummings (84-85) / Paul Millsap (15-16)
C: Chris Webber (00-01) / Ralph Sampson (83-84) / Andrew Bogut (09-10)