Marcus Smart "It's a different me"

[DarkAzcura]

Unfortunately, evidence of Celtics fans overrating his defense can be seen in the fact has not made an all defensive team yet. I too like his defensive tenacity and when he gets the rest of the team to buy into his grit. You can't put a measurement on that. However, his offensive shortcomings make it too easy to exploit by other teams. They doubled IT last year and they'll double Kyrie each time they share the floor.

The other thing I don't like is because Brad loves his defensive effort, he gives him the green light too often and needs to reel him in at times. Brad gives everyone the green light and maybe his being too soft with that is part of the problem. I don't care that we lost Hayward's double digit attempts per game, Smart has no business taking 16 shots in any Celtics game. He's not talented enough offensively to do that.

Defensive teams mean absolutely nothing. Avery Bradley made a couple of them despite Smart being a much better defender in my opinion. Kobe used to make them in his sleep and he barely tried on defense for the second half of his career. It's all reputation and sometimes feels more like a reward for who the best two way players are rather than defender.

I really have no reason to be biased towards Bradley or Smart either since they were both Celtics when Bradley got on that team. To me Bradley was actually the one who made a few pesky defensive plays every now and then and got completely overrated for it. I trusted Smart possession to possession way more defensively. It also has something to do with me valuing team defenders (Smart) much more than one on one defenders (Bradley).

Smart better defender than Bradley? Yikes. Gotta strongly disagree there. But I’d say more than half of Boston sports fans I’ve talked to agree with you.
Smart makes plays I’ve barely ever seen, but then can’t stay with quick point guards. Bradley to me is as good as it gets at that, pretty much. I think 1 game where Paul Milsap forgot he could just turn and shoot over Smart every time gets stuck in many peoples heads and then it became “ “Marcus Smart can guard 1-4. “ But I’d disagree. I’m in the minority though so ...

Stopping quick guards may be one of the more meh things in the NBA right now. Even the best defenders of the modern point guard get lit up and that includes Bradley. I’ll take the guy who plays team defense at what seems like an elite level and has successfully switched onto players ranging from 1-4. Bradley’s primary value as a defender is against quick guards as you stated, but I find very little value in that.

Also, I have a feeling Smart will be staying with quicker guards much better this season anyway because of the weight loss.

[Dannyboy36]

Good points. I think you should be correct too, about the weight loss. I haven’t been able to watch the celts since after the injury. I get too worked up. I don’t like any other teams from other sports . It’s all Celtics for me. It’s just a sport but I was devastated and need to step back for a couple of months.
Sounds ridiculous but I don’t ha e any Celtic first friends. I got 137 texts from 11 friends joking about what my reaction would be and I’d i jumped off the Tobin. Lol. Sox fans are the most brutal cuz the team has been able to assure a competitive team MOST years due to money reasons

[Dannyboy36]

It’s a **** thing to do. I like DC movies instead of the Marvel stuff. So I’m on a serious island with all entertainment with friends.

[LarryBirdsFingr]

It’s a **** thing to do. I like DC movies instead of the Marvel stuff. So I’m on a serious island with all entertainment with friends.

Just watch twin peaks and even further alienate yourself

[GuyClinch]

There are certain types of players Brad will never cut minutes from and Smart is basically the poster-child of that type.

Danny knows this - and trades guys like that if thinks Brad is over valuing them. Hate to say it but don't think we keep Smart. Never developed his offensive game and plays slower on O then he should..

You can get good offensive players to play some D. But its hard to get pure defenders to score.. That's always been Danny's mantra.. Make guys like Tatum, Brown and Kyrie D people up ..

[ermocrate]

He's built for the Iggy role on the Warriors. Play defense. Make the smart pass. Be the glue guy. Take about 5ish shots a game. A couple 3's when left wide open. Bring energy and leadership and poise.

But no. He wants to be paid.. and thus plays like Durant.

Well Iggy is a superstar compared to Marcus tho.

[ermocrate]

There are certain types of players Brad will never cut minutes from and Smart is basically the poster-child of that type.

Danny knows this - and trades guys like that if thinks Brad is over valuing them. Hate to say it but don't think we keep Smart. Never developed his offensive game and plays slower on O then he should..

You can get good offensive players to play some D. But its hard to get pure defenders to score.. That's always been Danny's mantra.. Make guys like Tatum, Brown and Kyrie D people up ..

I would went as far to ask, Who, on today's Celtics, doesn't want/isn't able to defend?

[Edug27]

He's built for the Iggy role on the Warriors. Play defense. Make the smart pass. Be the glue guy. Take about 5ish shots a game. A couple 3's when left wide open. Bring energy and leadership and poise.

But no. He wants to be paid.. and thus plays like Durant.

Well Iggy is a superstar compared to Marcus tho.

Right.. but it starts with mindset in my opinion. If Smart zero'd in on that specific role he'd be a much better player.

[ermocrate]

He's built for the Iggy role on the Warriors. Play defense. Make the smart pass. Be the glue guy. Take about 5ish shots a game. A couple 3's when left wide open. Bring energy and leadership and poise.

But no. He wants to be paid.. and thus plays like Durant.

Well Iggy is a superstar compared to Marcus tho.

Right.. but it starts with mindset in my opinion. If Smart zero'd in on that specific role he'd be a much better player.

I agree, he has to think like Iguodala desn't have to think he has to suck shots to other with better offense and more talent.

[Jaqua92]

So he's absolutely attrocious for 3 quarters, he hits 2 threes and makes defensive play, and all is great right? Horford and Kyrie won this game for us. Absurd, he isn't good

[shackles10]

Nothing has changed for Smart for me except his competition on the roster. He’s the same player 3 years later, more or less, but Terry Rozier is not. Rozier has definitely improved so I’m fine with moving on from rozier considering what many of our other pieces will or already cost.

[darrendaye]

The one major element to Smart that makes it difficult to be without are the desperation plays. When you talk about guys who are competitive, that applies to a decent percentage of players. But its the small handful of startling plays that he makes from absolute desperation that can be momentum changers.

Jaylen Brown had one or two of those last night (one on a rebound, maybe one of the loose ball gets qualify as another). Perhaps those instances become more frequent and he becomes that source of "winning plays,"

Strictly from a defender perspective, I think you can replace much of his value, in time, with Brown and Ojeleye.

[24istheLAW]

He's built for the Iggy role on the Warriors. Play defense. Make the smart pass. Be the glue guy. Take about 5ish shots a game. A couple 3's when left wide open. Bring energy and leadership and poise.

But no. He wants to be paid.. and thus plays like Durant.

Well Iggy is a superstar compared to Marcus tho.

Right.. but it starts with mindset in my opinion. If Smart zero'd in on that specific role he'd be a much better player.

Iguodala is also a player who had a big role on a middling team in the past, and grew into accepting his current role. Can't pay Smart until he gets to that age waiting.

[KumaJG]

When did Smart become an overdribbling machine?

[GoGreen]

Anyone else think he put on some weight during his injury? Looked a little heavier last game.

I had a bad feeling he was promoting himself hard over the offseason for that extension. Deadline has passed and the guy looks like the exact same player. Good defensive specialist, bench guy who can make some big plays, but not a starter and a liability on offense.

[Shak_Celts]

He'll be fine. Just gotta give him time to get into a groove. I hope for the best even if he pisses me off at times.

[Green89]

He'll be fine. Just gotta give him time to get into a groove. I hope for the best even if he pisses me off at times.

I'm fine with Marcus as long as his shot attempts stay low, and he focuses on the stuff he's better at. Under double digit shot attempts for him every game is ideal.

[DaTruth34]

Every opinion is legit but... Stevens thinks smart make winning plays, smart impact game in so many ways. Better have smart on our team. You guys listened Horford about smart after Milwaukee game?

Inviato dal mio Moto G (4) utilizzando Tapatalk

[cloverleaf]

There are certain types of players Brad will never cut minutes from and Smart is basically the poster-child of that type.

Danny knows this - and trades guys like that if thinks Brad is over valuing them. Hate to say it but don't think we keep Smart. Never developed his offensive game and plays slower on O then he should..

You can get good offensive players to play some D. But its hard to get pure defenders to score.. That's always been Danny's mantra.. Make guys like Tatum, Brown and Kyrie D people up ..

Yep--and there was Smart a couple of weeks ago out there claiming the exact opposite--as if he could get 20 points a night anytime he wanted, but good D was the more rare skill.

I'll be shocked if the C's reup with him.

[cloverleaf]

He'll be fine. Just gotta give him time to get into a groove. I hope for the best even if he pisses me off at times.

I'm fine with Marcus as long as his shot attempts stay low, and he focuses on the stuff he's better at. Under double digit shot attempts for him every game is ideal.

Instead, he's got the second highest usage among the C's rotation players.