Newz wrote:AussieBuck wrote:People get on Smart about his jumper because he's stagnated on it for 2 years at college. That and a jumper is more important when you don't have top end quickness.
I actually really like Smart. But with all prospects, they could go many ways. I could see him becoming a top 5-10 point guard in the league because he is a great defender, he can finish at the rim and he has the rare abiilty to be productive in the post for a guard. He is also very competitive and seems to play hard night in and night out. He's the type of guy that I think can really break down a defense.
But I could also see him ending up as more of a defensive specialist because he never develops a jump shot. He certainly doesn't seem like a Rondo type of guy who can get by without at least being decent in that area... I say this because I see him as more of a 'scoring point guard' as opposed to a distributor like Rondo is.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1947 ... rcus-smartHe's just not your typical breakdown point guard. Smart is a power guard—he relies heavily on overwhelming defenders with strength as opposed to quickness.
And it's not that he can't handle the ball, but you just don't see that slick change-of-direction ability shared by the most elusive point guards in the pros.
Smart really doesn't have the mid-range game that carries so many NBA-scoring 2-guards . According to Hoop-Math, only 19.3 percent of his shots come on two-point jumpers, where he's shooting just 28.8 percent.
Ironically, he takes the most shots from downtown, the area where he shoots the worst at 28.2 percent. And he wasn't much better last year, when he shot 29 percent from three.
He's effective around the basket, (shoots 64.4 percent at the rim, per Hoop-Math), but without a go-to mid-range game, along with limited shooting range, like I said before, there are questions that still need answers.
Smart has to frequently plow through interior defenders, as opposed to effortlessly float over them. And though he's as tough as nails around the basket, Smart doesn't have that extra burst that converts tough angles below the rim into easy buckets from up above it.
Take a look at Smart running the fast break below. Instead of hitting the gap and exploding up at the rim, a feature he just doesn't necessarily have the same access to as Exum, Smart's natural instinct is to make a play as a passer, resulting in poorly timed lob and an unforced turnover on a four-on-two break
I think teams will play off of Smart, crowd the lane, and let him shoot the 3 all day long.
Shoot, Move, and Communicate...
Countless waze, we pass the daze...
A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.
