Marcus Smart

[Dogen]

.
In my personal opinion, an opportunity was missed here. Any time I watch a video of a cobra getting pwnd by a mongoose, I just think, Marcus would never get done like that.

He should have been the mongoose. It may not sound as cool, but I think it's even more reflective of what he does. He's a flat out predator.

2 things.

1. Pretty sure it was from the walking the dog play:
http://www.espn.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4721573/dont-walk-the-dog-around-the-celtics-marcus-smart

Smart was perched about 10 feet away from the ball, outside the center-court logo, but eventually lunged like a cobra as the ball rolled near Sloan's feet.

2. How often do you watch cobras getting pwnd by mongoose videos?

All I know is that Rikki Tikki Tavi was the GOAT of Mongeese.

Watch on YouTube

Marcus is Honey Badger, all the way.

Watch on YouTube

[2Mas]

Smart is a very respectable 58% inside the arc over the last month. 3 pointer has evaporated during the same span, but still a solid 56% TS% over those 13 games thanks to the 2 point improvement and continued success at the FT line.

If he can just get into that range over a full 82 games - ~55-56% TS% instead of sub-50% - he'll be a truly elite player.

Seeing Smart get it & grow has been awesome.

I was iffy on him for a long time. It's obvious he does some great stuff, but some stuff really used to irk me.

However, he's here. Finally. & It's great to see. the other night he hcecks into the game, first play down he goes right to the post put whoever is guarding (idr) & gets a nice little bucket. Just not forcing, not tryna be steph. Just playing to your strengths.

The ONLY issue with him is that his 3 point attempts are going up again. & I think its cause hes scoring more so hes getting confident, but his 3' are brutal. He's 4-20 his last 5 games. Why are you shooting 4 a game?

I hate when i see the 1-7, 2-7 nights from deep from him. You can't shoot so don't. Now, you go 1-1, 1-2 I get it, go for another 1 or two. But if you're 0-3, then stop. Dec-Jan he was shooting way less 3's. But lately he's creeping up again.

Anyways - Keep his ass. Even if he don't start. He'll play 30mpg & can play 3 positions, guard 4 & is a leader. Also, he's only 23. Got another 3-4 for him to improve (when he is going to be dirty).

[2Mas]

Marcus is Honey Badger, all the way.

Watch on YouTube

Bro.... Hell yes he is.

1- He's built like one lol.
2- With his blond hair, he even had the little streak on top like Smart lol.

That's a great vid & comparison. Love it.

[Gomes3PC]

Smart is a very respectable 58% inside the arc over the last month. 3 pointer has evaporated during the same span, but still a solid 56% TS% over those 13 games thanks to the 2 point improvement and continued success at the FT line.

If he can just get into that range over a full 82 games - ~55-56% TS% instead of sub-50% - he'll be a truly elite player.

Hard for him to sustain that TS% on volume without improvement from 3. But if he can that's the Andre Miller trajectory.

You mean Professor Andre Miller, PhD.

[Andrew McCeltic]

Smart is a very respectable 58% inside the arc over the last month. 3 pointer has evaporated during the same span, but still a solid 56% TS% over those 13 games thanks to the 2 point improvement and continued success at the FT line.

If he can just get into that range over a full 82 games - ~55-56% TS% instead of sub-50% - he'll be a truly elite player.

Seeing Smart get it & grow has been awesome.

I was iffy on him for a long time. It's obvious he does some great stuff, but some stuff really used to irk me.

However, he's here. Finally. & It's great to see. the other night he hcecks into the game, first play down he goes right to the post put whoever is guarding (idr) & gets a nice little bucket. Just not forcing, not tryna be steph. Just playing to your strengths.

The ONLY issue with him is that his 3 point attempts are going up again. & I think its cause hes scoring more so hes getting confident, but his 3' are brutal. He's 4-20 his last 5 games. Why are you shooting 4 a game?

I hate when i see the 1-7, 2-7 nights from deep from him. You can't shoot so don't. Now, you go 1-1, 1-2 I get it, go for another 1 or two. But if you're 0-3, then stop. Dec-Jan he was shooting way less 3's. But lately he's creeping up again.

Anyways - Keep his ass. Even if he don't start. He'll play 30mpg & can play 3 positions, guard 4 & is a leader. Also, he's only 23. Got another 3-4 for him to improve (when he is going to be dirty).

Yup, called this awhile ago. His three is above the Mendoza line, so you have to at least guard him. He's added a midrange set with the postups, floaters etc., and from having so many reps in the pick and roll, he knows what to do when he gets in the middle of the floor. He's finally strong and experienced enough to be finishing at the rim, too, so he's putting it all together.

He's going to keep drilling his shot, and eventually the new form will be locked in and he can shoot better from the perimeter. Beyond that, it's just continuing to be consistent, to cement that base of skills, and keep building onto it.

But he's shown enough in this run to have raised his floor to being 16-18 ppg with elite D and intangibles.

[Dmatt]

Smart is a very respectable 58% inside the arc over the last month. 3 pointer has evaporated during the same span, but still a solid 56% TS% over those 13 games thanks to the 2 point improvement and continued success at the FT line.

If he can just get into that range over a full 82 games - ~55-56% TS% instead of sub-50% - he'll be a truly elite player.

Seeing Smart get it & grow has been awesome.

I was iffy on him for a long time. It's obvious he does some great stuff, but some stuff really used to irk me.

However, he's here. Finally. & It's great to see. the other night he hcecks into the game, first play down he goes right to the post put whoever is guarding (idr) & gets a nice little bucket. Just not forcing, not tryna be steph. Just playing to your strengths.

The ONLY issue with him is that his 3 point attempts are going up again. & I think its cause hes scoring more so hes getting confident, but his 3' are brutal. He's 4-20 his last 5 games. Why are you shooting 4 a game?

I hate when i see the 1-7, 2-7 nights from deep from him. You can't shoot so don't. Now, you go 1-1, 1-2 I get it, go for another 1 or two. But if you're 0-3, then stop. Dec-Jan he was shooting way less 3's. But lately he's creeping up again.

Anyways - Keep his ass. Even if he don't start. He'll play 30mpg & can play 3 positions, guard 4 & is a leader. Also, he's only 23. Got another 3-4 for him to improve (when he is going to be dirty).

Yup, called this awhile ago. His three is above the Mendoza line, so you have to at least guard him. He's added a midrange set with the postups, floaters etc., and from having so many reps in the pick and roll, he knows what to do when he gets in the middle of the floor. He's finally strong and experienced enough to be finishing at the rim, too, so he's putting it all together.

He's going to keep drilling his shot, and eventually the new form will be locked in and he can shoot better from the perimeter. Beyond that, it's just continuing to be consistent, to cement that base of skills, and keep building onto it.

But he's shown enough in this run to have raised his floor to being 16-18 ppg with elite D and intangibles.

im okay with 3-4 attempts as long as they arent FORCED shots, because with our offense we love to shoot quick in the shot clock alot of the time whether it be on fastbreaks or due to wide open shots. but when he runs this iso offense on his own and tries to dribble shoot a dumb 3 it is definitely aggravating. but i do agree he is finally beginning to be an asset rather than a liability. brad has really made him an inside threat which is what he should be doing. no PG or SG can defend him in the post. they will either have to let him get a close attempt or foul him. 80% of his shots should be from within 15 ft every game

[Gomes3PC]

Marcus has basically assumed the role of Evan Turner offensively for this team, which was not an easy task. The plus is he's Evan Turner but with even better D, and he's still young enough that it's not guaranteed he will be a terrible 3 point shooter his whole career. He's the same age now as Turner was as a rookie.

[ConstableGeneva]

Smart is a very respectable 58% inside the arc over the last month. 3 pointer has evaporated during the same span, but still a solid 56% TS% over those 13 games thanks to the 2 point improvement and continued success at the FT line.

If he can just get into that range over a full 82 games - ~55-56% TS% instead of sub-50% - he'll be a truly elite player.

Seeing Smart get it & grow has been awesome.

I was iffy on him for a long time. It's obvious he does some great stuff, but some stuff really used to irk me.

However, he's here. Finally. & It's great to see. the other night he hcecks into the game, first play down he goes right to the post put whoever is guarding (idr) & gets a nice little bucket. Just not forcing, not tryna be steph. Just playing to your strengths.

The ONLY issue with him is that his 3 point attempts are going up again. & I think its cause hes scoring more so hes getting confident, but his 3' are brutal. He's 4-20 his last 5 games. Why are you shooting 4 a game?

I hate when i see the 1-7, 2-7 nights from deep from him. You can't shoot so don't. Now, you go 1-1, 1-2 I get it, go for another 1 or two. But if you're 0-3, then stop. Dec-Jan he was shooting way less 3's. But lately he's creeping up again.

Anyways - Keep his ass. Even if he don't start. He'll play 30mpg & can play 3 positions, guard 4 & is a leader. Also, he's only 23. Got another 3-4 for him to improve (when he is going to be dirty).

The catch-and-shoot corner threes, I'm more than fine with. Smart can hit those (same with Brown). What's brutal is the above-the-break pullup threes he still takes either because of his desire to hit a home run (early-clock, on-the-break) or out of necessity (late-clock). They can reduce the late-clock ones if he sets up their offense early. Problem is he sometimes get caught dribbling too long, waiting for a play to manifest itself rather than calling for a play or making things happen right away. With IT off the floor, Smart needs to make quicker, better decisions on the ball 'cos I certainly don't want Rozier running the offense.

On this team, if you stick to your strengths and don't go off-script as often, you can score efficiently. This also applies to IT who still on occasion forces it on offense. Jae also does those on-the-break pullups like he's Westbrook or something. Possessions need to be valued more on a team with a narrow margin of error, esp. once they enter the playoffs.

[bucknersrevenge]

Smart is a very respectable 58% inside the arc over the last month. 3 pointer has evaporated during the same span, but still a solid 56% TS% over those 13 games thanks to the 2 point improvement and continued success at the FT line.

If he can just get into that range over a full 82 games - ~55-56% TS% instead of sub-50% - he'll be a truly elite player.

Seeing Smart get it & grow has been awesome.

I was iffy on him for a long time. It's obvious he does some great stuff, but some stuff really used to irk me.

However, he's here. Finally. & It's great to see. the other night he hcecks into the game, first play down he goes right to the post put whoever is guarding (idr) & gets a nice little bucket. Just not forcing, not tryna be steph. Just playing to your strengths.

The ONLY issue with him is that his 3 point attempts are going up again. & I think its cause hes scoring more so hes getting confident, but his 3' are brutal. He's 4-20 his last 5 games. Why are you shooting 4 a game?

I hate when i see the 1-7, 2-7 nights from deep from him. You can't shoot so don't. Now, you go 1-1, 1-2 I get it, go for another 1 or two. But if you're 0-3, then stop. Dec-Jan he was shooting way less 3's. But lately he's creeping up again.

Anyways - Keep his ass. Even if he don't start. He'll play 30mpg & can play 3 positions, guard 4 & is a leader. Also, he's only 23. Got another 3-4 for him to improve (when he is going to be dirty).

The catch-and-shoot corner threes, I'm more than fine with. Smart can hit those (same with Brown). What's brutal is the above-the-break pullup threes he still takes either because of his desire to hit a home run (early-clock, on-the-break) or out of necessity (late-clock). They can reduce the late-clock ones if he sets up their offense early. Problem is he sometimes get caught dribbling too long, waiting for a play to manifest itself rather than calling for a play or making things happen right away. With IT off the floor, Smart needs to make quicker, better decisions on the ball 'cos I certainly don't want Rozier running the offense.

On this team, if you stick to your strengths and don't go off-script as often, you can score efficiently. This also applies to IT who still on occasion forces it on offense. Jae also does those on-the-break pullups like he's Westbrook or something. Possessions need to be valued more on a team with a narrow margin of error, esp. once they enter the playoffs.

I am hoping with AB back that he will take Mr. Everything-But-The-Layup's minutes and just use them to run curls for that bench group giving Marcus easier and hopefully quicker reads to make.

[ConstableGeneva]

Marcus Smart taking charge, making hustle plays for Celtics

So what exactly makes Smart so good at drawing contact from offensive players?

"I think he’s got two things: One, he’s not afraid to put his body on the line," said Celtics coach Brad Stevens. "No. 2 is he’s got great instincts to beat people to a spot. I think he does a good job of knowing people’s tendencies, knowing what they want to do, the directions they want to go.

"But then he plays with multiple efforts to get there. And then, you know, it’s easier said than done to be willing to step in front of some of these guys driving the ball. He does that over and over."

Stevens loves sending Smart to the post and letting him take advantage of undersized or weaker guards. On a team thin on bigs willing to consistently post up. Smart trails only Al Horford in post plays finished this season. Smart averages 1.07 points per play in those situations, ranking him in the 90th percentile among all NBA players, according to Synergy Sports data.

Drill down to players with at least 70 post-ups finished, and Smart ranks fourth in the NBA, sitting behind only Denver's Danilo Gallinari (1.163), Toronto's DeMar DeRozan (1.145), and San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard (1.116).

While Smart ranks in the 16th percentile while averaging just 0.813 points per play overall, his value is emphasized when you look at Synergy's plays-plus-assists metric. His production spikes to 1.246 points per play in that instance, elevating him to the 74th percentile.

[ConstableGeneva]

It would be nice if good games from both Smart and Brown would coincide with wins. They still can't carry the team on their shoulders, as evidenced by offensive lulls when starters are out. Someday soon maybe...

Watch on YouTube

[Asian Celtic]

It would be nice if good games from both Smart and Brown would coincide with wins. They still can't carry the team on their shoulders, as evidenced by offensive lulls when starters are out. Someday soon maybe...

Watch on YouTube

Yeah still can't carry but you can obviously see Smart knows how to take advantage of match ups. This way I can see a lot of Smart > Brown alley - oops / threes when we get the green light on brown. Both showed tremendous defensive ability and I believe position 2-3 of the league will be held on notice as early as next year.

[bucknersrevenge]

It would be nice if good games from both Smart and Brown would coincide with wins. They still can't carry the team on their shoulders, as evidenced by offensive lulls when starters are out. Someday soon maybe...

Watch on YouTube

Yeah still can't carry but you can obviously see Smart knows how to take advantage of match ups. This way I can see a lot of Smart > Brown alley - oops / threes when we get the green light on brown. Both showed tremendous defensive ability and I believe position 2-3 of the league will be held on notice as early as next year.

I honestly feel like lately they could go to Smart or Brown in the post even more than they do now. I love Isaiah, but I'd really rather this be Marcus' team and I'd love seeing him posting up PGs to start the game.

[reload141]

Marcus is Honey Badger, all the way.

Watch on YouTube

Bro.... Hell yes he is.

1- He's built like one lol.
2- With his blond hair, he even had the little streak on top like Smart lol.

That's a great vid & comparison. Love it.

Sorry but there is only one Honey Badger, and he's Australian.

Watch on YouTube

[ConstableGeneva]

It would be nice if good games from both Smart and Brown would coincide with wins. They still can't carry the team on their shoulders, as evidenced by offensive lulls when starters are out. Someday soon maybe...

Watch on YouTube

Yeah still can't carry but you can obviously see Smart knows how to take advantage of match ups. This way I can see a lot of Smart > Brown alley - oops / threes when we get the green light on brown. Both showed tremendous defensive ability and I believe position 2-3 of the league will be held on notice as early as next year.

I honestly feel like lately they could go to Smart or Brown in the post even more than they do now. I love Isaiah, but I'd really rather this be Marcus' team and I'd love seeing him posting up PGs to start the game.

While both are above average in scoring down the block, postups are among the least efficient ways to score along with isos and lead to a stagnant offense. The other guys don't get to touch the ball and there's no player movement which in turn doesn't make the defense scramble. I like it after timeouts or when there are obvious mismatches to exploit, but otherwise Smart and Brown need to become more efficient in other facets of the offense. Love how they both get us to the FT line more though. Give me the youth movement, I'd be all for letting them lead the team.

FWIW, when game slows down in the playoffs, Smart postups can now become a weapon. They just need to go into it earlier in the shot clock.

[jfs1000d]

I wanted Marcus gone for some time due to stubbornness. But over last 30 games I think he's found out how to be an effective nba player on offense. He's worth having now because he has adapted. That bodes well for the future.


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[bucknersrevenge]

Yeah still can't carry but you can obviously see Smart knows how to take advantage of match ups. This way I can see a lot of Smart > Brown alley - oops / threes when we get the green light on brown. Both showed tremendous defensive ability and I believe position 2-3 of the league will be held on notice as early as next year.

I honestly feel like lately they could go to Smart or Brown in the post even more than they do now. I love Isaiah, but I'd really rather this be Marcus' team and I'd love seeing him posting up PGs to start the game.

While both are above average in scoring down the block, postups are among the least efficient ways to score along with isos and lead to a stagnant offense. The other guys don't get to touch the ball and there's no player movement which in turn doesn't make the defense scramble. I like it after timeouts or when there are obvious mismatches to exploit, but otherwise Smart and Brown need to become more efficient in other facets of the offense. Love how they both get us to the FT line more though. Give me the youth movement, I'd be all for letting them lead the team.

FWIW, when game slows down in the playoffs, Smart postups can now become a weapon. They just need to go into it earlier in the shot clock.

True but like PnR, even using it as fulcrum for initiating player movement it can be useful. Postups are inefficient when you attempt to post a specialist over and over again. But posting when you have a mismatch at any given position and running action off of it like they frequently do can provide open looks at the rim and at the arc as well. And not just straight postups, but PostnPick with a big designed to create mismatches at 2 different levels can give the offense more options. But overall, as usual, I agree with your assessment. I am more than happy to be patient if I see the direction we're heading in.

[KumaJG]

Smart comp is Patrick Beverley. Minus the three point shooting. He is an elite team defender. Depending the position great to terrible man to man defender.

[OFWGKTA]

Smart comp is Patrick Beverley. Minus the three point shooting. He is an elite team defender. Depending the position great to terrible man to man defender.

Smart's already better at just about everything besides 3 point shooting

[ddb]

Smart comp is Patrick Beverley. Minus the three point shooting. He is an elite team defender. Depending the position great to terrible man to man defender.

Smart's already better at just about everything besides 3 point shooting

Smart is already better than Beverly