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We're having a discussion in the Kings forum about Marcus smart and who he compares to in today's nba. Some names that were mentioned:

Tyreke
Rodney stuckey
Russ Westbrook
Eric Bledsoe

Are these fair comparisons? Who do you guys think he compares to?

i think he's closer to a lance stephenson with a weaker handle.

Don't agree with the Tyreke and Stuckey comparisons cause those guys have low IQ and I don't like the Westbrook/Bledsoe comps because they're greater athletes

There isn't that many guys like him, but Lance and Jrue Holiday, come close

Dr Positivity wrote:Don't agree with the Tyreke and Stuckey comparisons cause those guys have low IQ

smart is not a high iq player though.

I can't for the life of me understand why he is so highly rated draft wise then.

ManualRam wrote:i think he's closer to a lance stephenson with a weaker handle.

Exactly, although he doesn't have Stephenson's body control

Marginally better Rodney Stuckey and I'm being generous. I wouldn't be surprised if he turns out as bad as Shumpert without defense *shudders*

Wouldn't pick him if he fell to me outside the lottery. Much better players to be had. I'd say he's the fifth or sixth best PG in this draft behind Exum, Napier, Ennis, and Christon, and depending on whether Lavine is a PG or a SG in my mind (I say SG, but that's another discussion).

ManualRam wrote:

Dr Positivity wrote:Don't agree with the Tyreke and Stuckey comparisons cause those guys have low IQ

smart is not a high iq player though.

I think he has good instincts, sketchy approach

Personally I've been saying Stuckey, if Stuckey tried hard and played defense. Their offensive games are essentially the same, but Stuckey was faster and a better finisher at this point.

I can see the Stuckey comps. If he shoots better, he could become like Baron Davis with a bit more motor and leadership qualities.

Smart is not even close to Baron athleticism and craftiness with the ball, not even in the same universe as a passer either.

Smart is similar to Lance Stephenson and Tyreke Evans but smaller and a worse ball handler, probably more tenacious on D and better suited to defend two positions.

Smart floor is Tony Allen with the ability to draw FTs and create a little bit for others, that's way better than Stuckey.

Dr Positivity wrote:

ManualRam wrote:

Dr Positivity wrote:Don't agree with the Tyreke and Stuckey comparisons cause those guys have low IQ

smart is not a high iq player though.

I think he has good instincts, sketchy approach

that's a weird way to put it since instincts drive approach. his instincts should tell him not to take bad shots, make risky passes and take unnecessary gambles, but he does those things anyway. if you're saying that he does those things despite having good instincts, that still doesn't show that he has a high iq.

I think he's going to be a solid 2 way player that can fill the stat sheet similar to an Eric Bledsoe. He's probably not as quick as Bledsoe but he is bigger and will be a bit stronger and that's saying a lot because Bledsoe is a tank. He is definitely in my eyes a top 4-5 talent.

When people compare him to Westbrook, they're talking about Smart's shot selection when he's the primary ball handler and his very high confidence and meanness, especially on defense and in loose ball situations.

When people compare him to Bledsoe, they're talking about Smart's tank-like build and tendency to fill the stat sheet with rebounds, steals, blocks, and so on.

When people compare him to Tony Allen, they're talking about Smart's currently elite perimeter defense.

Smart takes pride in his defense, has a high defensive BBIQ, and is a big defensive communicator. He should be drafted to be a defensive SG, not a point guard or offensive player. Otherwise, he would be the train wreck that others are predicting.

There's a lot of negativity around him as a prospect due to the "incident" and the comfortable comparison to Rodney Stuckey, but imo it shouldn't factor into his evaluation as a prospect.

Almost everyone seems to no longer consider the possibility he might be a star or more. But you're still looking at a 6'4 guard, 6'8 wingspan, strong and quick, total stat sheet stuffer (racks up a lot of steals and rebounds, advanced stats like him too), potential defensive nightmare (though many players first drafted for their defensive potential actually don't convert on that front but turn out to be offensive juggernauts, possibly because defensive potential is also a proxy for qualities that become very important in the NBA on offense), highly confident, aggressive and determined to succeed. Jump shot might be fixable, and even if it's not, there's still a lot to like about him.

I think Smart will play both guard positions pretty well but not be great at either one during his NBA career. I think he will always fill the box score and will end up with a "Fat Lever" type career.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... rfa01.html

For Smart to be better than Fat was, he'll have to improve his jump shot. We'll also have to see if Smart's ability to get to the line that has been so effective in the NCAA will translate to the NBA. Smart will have to build up an "NBA Rep" before he gets the "and 1" calls.

Worst case for Smart: He never develops that jump shot and ends up driving into the lane and ends up getting his shot swatted with no call like Evan Turner does ALL THE TIME.

Catchall wrote:I can see the Stuckey comps. If he shoots better, he could become like Baron Davis with a bit more motor and leadership qualities.

I think in certain situations with the ball he plays a bit like Baron Davis, but what made Baron Davis effective was the fear that his defender had of coming up on him, for fear of him blowing by to the hoop. Smart won't have that, so he'll get tighter defense played against him. I can see the Lance Stephenson comps, and even a little of the Jrue Holiday comp mentioned earlier, but he really doesn't have a specific player that looks like him. All that said, I think he will be a great pro, once somebody gets him to shoot with a consistent stroke.

Notanoob wrote:Personally I've been saying Stuckey, if Stuckey tried hard and played defense. Their offensive games are essentially the same, but Stuckey was faster and a better finisher at this point.

'Rodney Stuckey who tries hard and plays defense'.

That's a pretty good player.

If Kevin Love tried hard in all aspects, and played Defense, he might be Larry Bird.

LloydFree wrote:

Notanoob wrote:Personally I've been saying Stuckey, if Stuckey tried hard and played defense. Their offensive games are essentially the same, but Stuckey was faster and a better finisher at this point.

'Rodney Stuckey who tries hard and plays defense'.

That's a pretty good player.

If Kevin Love tried hard in all aspects, and played Defense, he might be Larry Bird.

The key is that he's not a PG, but a 6th man. He's slightly worse than Stuckey as a scorer, but he'll probably give his all on defense. Stuckey used to do that, but he was playing out of position at PG and never played his proper role until well after he stopped caring.

Kevin Love+effort =/= Larry Bird though.

I think people overreact to smart's bad 3s. Yes, he takes too many contested jump shots.

But that's one of the easiest problems to fix.



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