Your report on Marcus Smart's play this season

[Shade8780]

As basically an outsider looking in, I'd like to know how you guys feel about Smart's season. I've hardly watched any basketball this season, so I don't know who's been playing good or bad.

Was Smart a good pick? How's his season been, and what's his ceiling potential-wise? I thought he was a great pick around the time, but it's yet to be seen if he really was.

[Real Men Wear Green]

He won a Rookie of the Month. He's developed a tolerable three-ball earlier than I thought he would get it. Still not a good shooter by average but if you break it down it was awful in November, good in December and January but then fell off in February and March again. If you're optimistic that's the rookie wall, if you aren't...:(. Isaiah Thomas's addition has probably been bad for him statistically because Thomas is so far ahead of him as an offensive player. He better work hard this offseason because once Thomas is fully acclimated to the offense Smart's defensive edge won't be enough to keep him off the bench. In the clutch they get substituted for one another on an offense/defense basis but seeing as Thomas is the team's best scorer Smart is at an overall disadvantage, and as Bradley can also defend at a high level while bringing a more consistent offensive game than Smart Smart's not going to take minutes at the 2 from Bradley. Right now he's a hustler with a big body for a pg and not much else.

He's a combo guard but with Turner out there (and to a lesser extent, Bradley) that's not a real issue for the team but for his own value as a player he needs to either develop as a scoring threat or learn the pg position. Defensive specialist guards have a place in the game but they aren't highly valued.

Overall I wish he was better at penetrating, pg play, or shooting consistently but he's worth the spot he was picked at. Unfortunately that's largely due to how poorly the overall class is playing. The 35.5% overall shooting looks atrocious but 4 of the 7 shots he takes per game are threes so it's a little misleading. If he continues to play this hard his whole career (and if his skills don't develop he better) he'll be a reserve that teams put in when they need to stop a guard.

[Rizko]

One thing I'd like to add is Smarts hustle. If he has the same attitude in practice he should be real good cause theres been a few times I've seen Smart make real effort plays not a lot of guys would make. Simmons said the say thing

[salwan]

what surprised me the most is his lack of driving skill/handles/explosiveness. :(

[Real Men Wear Green]

what surprised me the most is his lack of driving skill/handles/explosiveness. :(
It makes me wish I paid better attention to NCAA ball. Because he was supposedly an elite guy in the NCAA and I just wonder what he showed at that level to excite scouts. He does belong in the NBA. And he can defend at a high level. But offensively I'm not sure what in his game will take him above the level of a roleplayer.

[salwan]

It makes me wish I paid better attention to NCAA ball. Because he was supposedly an elite guy in the NCAA and I just wonder what he showed at that level to excite scouts. He does belong in the NBA. And he can defend at a high level. But offensively I'm not sure what in his game will take him above the level of a roleplayer.

definitely.

I remember expecting a poor man's version of DWade, based on reading that he was a beast at finishing at the hoop and drawing fouls at historic rates in college :lol he turned out the complete opposite - chucking 3s (albeit on much higher FG% than expected) and not attacking the hoop at all.:lol

turns out it was already pointed out waay before the draft:
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/marcus-smart

Weaknesses: Mediocre ballhandler, another source of his turnover problems

[salwan]

that said..

he has been given an off-the-ball role on offense and we are easing him in slowly. maybe he will get together other parts of his offensive game ..

his shot looks already better than expected and his defense has carried over to the pros nicely.

I can't say that I'm disappointed in smart or that I would take many players drafted lower over him.

Payton, Nurkic, McGary, LaVine? meh.. maybe the first 2