Why Marcus Smart should start at SG

[shawn unkempt]

I'm sorry but I have to still call BS on these lame excuses. If you can get to the rim and dunk with authority - no coach can stop you. If you are shooting 19% from the field you don't pass on a chance to explode to the basket. Pressey is a terrible shooter and jacks up a lot of 3s too - but he gets to the rim a lot. Smart has played a dozen games in a Celtics uniform and he is strictly a jump shooter at NBA level right now. Unfortunately, the Derrick Rose and Westbrook comparisons before the draft simply have no merit. He just doesn't have that game.

Im not saying he never will - I mean the guy is 20, has a lot of heart and drive and is a heck of a talent. Looking at Avery Bradley as a rookie and seeing what he can do now is proof that guys with great character and talent can develop. Billups is a guy who showed more ability as a rookie but many teams gave up on him before he became a stud. Sometimes players don't develop - ie. Marcus Banks. So I suggest we hold off on plans of trading Rondo so we can hand the franchise over to a 19% jump shooter.

This is probably more spot on than the people on this board are willing to admit. I'm sure Brad and the staff want Smart working on his shooting, but I doubt they'd tell him to completely abandon every other aspect of his game at the same time. That's just dumb. Until I see otherwise, I'll have to assume that he just can't drive to the rim and score yet.

Well if you believe the report LarryBird'sFinger came back with over the weekend yeah I do. He was driving and scoring at will with the USA Select Team against the best in the World. Are we suggesting that somehow in the last 3 months he's forgotten how to do that. Where Kyrie Irving and Chris Paul couldn't keep this kid from going right at them in practices, from getting to the rim against them, that somehow Tony Wroten and Deron Williams figured out the proper defense to keep him on the perimeter?? Does THAT make any sense? No. It doesn't. Smart is not an idiot. He knows how to get to the rim. LBF's report said that Stevens was having Smart specifically work on his 3 because he needed to become more comfortable with that shot if he wanted to be effective with the rest of his drive game. So they told him to pull every single time an opponent goes under the pick. This is PRESEASON. I cannot stress this fact enough. In baseball, when a pitcher throws 10 fastballs in a row during a Spring Training game and gets whacked because he's "trying to get the feel" do you say he can't pitch??

And BTW, Smart hasn't abandoned every other aspect of his game. He's shown to be more than solid running the offense, penetrating and finding the open man. His defense has been nothing short of a revelation. All those things are parts of his game. It's clear Stevens is not really all that concerned with winning these games. Sully has spent most of his time out on the perimeter. So has KO. AB has been gunning like crazy. Stevens wants the WHOLE team getting comfortable with the 3 point shot, even if they may not take 30+ 3's a game because right now you work on things that you're not good at, not so much on stuff you already know how to do. Anyone making aalysis "based on what they see out there" from this team during preseason is not seeing thewhole picture at all.

No offense to LBF, he seems like a good dude, but I don't believe anybody on any forum when they say they have insider information.

[KJandHondo35]

Well if you believe the report LarryBird'sFinger came back with over the weekend yeah I do. He was driving and scoring at will with the USA Select Team against the best in the World. Are we suggesting that somehow in the last 3 months he's forgotten how to do that. Where Kyrie Irving and Chris Paul couldn't keep this kid from going right at them in practices, from getting to the rim against them, that somehow Tony Wroten and Deron Williams figured out the proper defense to keep him on the perimeter?? Does THAT make any sense? No. It doesn't. Smart is not an idiot. He knows how to get to the rim. LBF's report said that Stevens was having Smart specifically work on his 3 because he needed to become more comfortable with that shot if he wanted to be effective with the rest of his drive game. So they told him to pull every single time an opponent goes under the pick. This is PRESEASON. I cannot stress this fact enough. In baseball, when a pitcher throws 10 fastballs in a row during a Spring Training game and gets whacked because he's "trying to get the feel" do you say he can't pitch??

And BTW, Smart hasn't abandoned every other aspect of his game. He's shown to be more than solid running the offense, penetrating and finding the open man. His defense has been nothing short of a revelation. All those things are parts of his game. It's clear Stevens is not really all that concerned with winning these games. Sully has spent most of his time out on the perimeter. So has KO. AB has been gunning like crazy. Stevens wants the WHOLE team getting comfortable with the 3 point shot, even if they may not take 30+ 3's a game because right now you work on things that you're not good at, not so much on stuff you already know how to do. Anyone making aalysis "based on what they see out there" from this team during preseason is not seeing thewhole picture at all.

Drops Mic... [PERSON RAISING BOTH HANDS IN CELEBRATION]




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[Slartibartfast]

That's what I'm trying to get at. They're murdering this kid and his shot during his 1st preseason !

It's not logical.

They don't like the idea that anyone could replace Rondo. So Pressey is the guy for them - a **** Rondo.

What are you talking about?

I don't understand all the outrage/agenda-sniffing over pointing out how bad Smart has been offensively this preseason.

You don't have to be pathetically insecure about Rondo's future to have a problem with Smart shooting and scoring at Phil Pressey's historibad rates all preseason.

[BannersOnly]

I can't believe people in here are actually passing judgement on Smart's NBA career in the middle of preseason of his rookie year. The kid hasn't even played an actual NBA game yet. Some of you guys are ridiculous.

I analyze what I see. No different than any GM analyzing what they see from college tapes and pre-draft workouts before they decide who they want to draft. Nobody is saying the kid will be a BUST over his entire career, however I personally believe the kid is much likelier to be a role player over his NBA career than be a legit all star. In other words, he's far more likelier to be an Avery Bradley role player type than he is a Rondo all star type. I said this last year when he was at Oklahoma State too on these boards so it's not like I'm only ragging on the guy this preseason.......he's always been overrated to me.

On the flipside, I am BUYING STOCK big time in James Young's potential. That kid just oozes talent and if he ever fulfills his potential, than now we have a PLAYER. That is the kid I would be keeping out of future trade talks if I was Ainge before Smart. Young has the potential to be lethal offensively.

Didn't young play just 1 preseason game and then get injured? On what basis do you proclaim Young the future and Smart a bust? What if Smart had gotten injured after the first preseason game. Would he be the future star and Young be the bust?

Talent is talent. You don't have to watch a player 100 times to see his god given ability. I'm not saying Young is ready to contribute on a nightly basis in the NBA but you can see the talent the kid possesses. I have watched Smart play a bunch of times at Okla St and in the preseason. If you look up my post history you will clearly see I ripped this kid last year when we were trying to "tank" clearly saying a bunch of times that we needed a Top 5 pick because the drop off from the Top 5 to 6-8 was a big drop and I didn't like Marcus Smart's game at all. The kid can play defense.............guess what? So can Shumpert in New York. You need to play more tha defense to be a top flight PG or SG in this league. Frankly, I hate the kid's game and I will go on record RIGHT NOW and say he will nothing special and someone that will be regretting we drafted in a couple years. I thought that last year when he was in college and I see NOTHING to change my view this preseason. Frankly, he sucks on offense and is very good(not great) on defense.

[DarkAzcura]

Talent is talent. You don't have to watch a player 100 times to see his god given ability. I'm not saying Young is ready to contribute on a nightly basis in the NBA but you can see the talent the kid possesses. I have watched Smart play a bunch of times at Okla St and in the preseason. If you look up my post history you will clearly see I ripped this kid last year when we were trying to "tank" clearly saying a bunch of times that we needed a Top 5 pick because the drop off from the Top 5 to 6-8 was a big drop and I didn't like Marcus Smart's game at all. The kid can play defense.............guess what? So can Shumpert in New York. You need to play more tha defense to be a top flight PG or SG in this league. Frankly, I hate the kid's game and I will go on record RIGHT NOW and say he will nothing special and someone that will be regretting we drafted in a couple years. I thought that last year when he was in college and I see NOTHING to change my view this preseason. Frankly, he sucks on offense and is very good(not great) on defense.

This is your problem I guess. You are apparently a poor judge of defensive play.

You were saying in another thread that we should wait till we see Smart play Paul and Westbrook before annoiting him on defense, but here you are hyping of James Young saying "you don't have to watch a player 100 times.." Sounds pretty contradicting.

[sam_I_am]

I'm sorry but I have to still call BS on these lame excuses. If you can get to the rim and dunk with authority - no coach can stop you. If you are shooting 19% from the field you don't pass on a chance to explode to the basket. Pressey is a terrible shooter and jacks up a lot of 3s too - but he gets to the rim a lot. Smart has played a dozen games in a Celtics uniform and he is strictly a jump shooter at NBA level right now. Unfortunately, the Derrick Rose and Westbrook comparisons before the draft simply have no merit. He just doesn't have that game.

Im not saying he never will - I mean the guy is 20, has a lot of heart and drive and is a heck of a talent. Looking at Avery Bradley as a rookie and seeing what he can do now is proof that guys with great character and talent can develop. Billups is a guy who showed more ability as a rookie but many teams gave up on him before he became a stud. Sometimes players don't develop - ie. Marcus Banks. So I suggest we hold off on plans of trading Rondo so we can hand the franchise over to a 19% jump shooter.

You realize he hasn't played a game that counts yet right?

Preseason is a time to work on specific aspects of the game. Have you ever heard of pitchers working on a curveball in spring training?

Look I think people just got caught up in the idea that Smart is this all world scorer, that he was going to slide seemlessly into the SG spot and that he would dominate from the jump. The reality is that this kid is a PG thru and thru and his weak pitch right now is his long ball. So he's working on that and he's focusing on facilitating ball movement.

Does that mean that he'll come out in game 1 of the reg season and be Tony Parker? Of course not. But this idea that we have enough of a sample to compare him to other great point guards is asinine. He didn't forget how to drive the lane or how to jump. Just a little hesitant right now but let's at least give him half a season before we declare he's a glorified spot up shooter who can't drive or finish FFS.

I do realize that. Do you? I didn't start a 14 page thread saying a 19% shooter should start at SG. I didn't start a single of the 20 threads saying we should start Smart at PG and trade Rondo.

Do you realize that in games that don't count he has been less than mediocre! I mean - stop acting like he is a great player when he has done absolutely nothing televised that is worthy of the praise he gets on this site. I will happily agree that this is preseason and doesn't matter if you agree this is preseason and stop pumping up his crappy 19% shooting because of a rumor from Team USA about him that not one of you saw in person or on film and frankly doesn't mean squat compared to the pile of garbage he has compiled in 5 summer league games and a half dozen preseason games.

[DarkAzcura]

I'm sorry but I have to still call BS on these lame excuses. If you can get to the rim and dunk with authority - no coach can stop you. If you are shooting 19% from the field you don't pass on a chance to explode to the basket. Pressey is a terrible shooter and jacks up a lot of 3s too - but he gets to the rim a lot. Smart has played a dozen games in a Celtics uniform and he is strictly a jump shooter at NBA level right now. Unfortunately, the Derrick Rose and Westbrook comparisons before the draft simply have no merit. He just doesn't have that game.

Im not saying he never will - I mean the guy is 20, has a lot of heart and drive and is a heck of a talent. Looking at Avery Bradley as a rookie and seeing what he can do now is proof that guys with great character and talent can develop. Billups is a guy who showed more ability as a rookie but many teams gave up on him before he became a stud. Sometimes players don't develop - ie. Marcus Banks. So I suggest we hold off on plans of trading Rondo so we can hand the franchise over to a 19% jump shooter.

You realize he hasn't played a game that counts yet right?

Preseason is a time to work on specific aspects of the game. Have you ever heard of pitchers working on a curveball in spring training?

Look I think people just got caught up in the idea that Smart is this all world scorer, that he was going to slide seemlessly into the SG spot and that he would dominate from the jump. The reality is that this kid is a PG thru and thru and his weak pitch right now is his long ball. So he's working on that and he's focusing on facilitating ball movement.

Does that mean that he'll come out in game 1 of the reg season and be Tony Parker? Of course not. But this idea that we have enough of a sample to compare him to other great point guards is asinine. He didn't forget how to drive the lane or how to jump. Just a little hesitant right now but let's at least give him half a season before we declare he's a glorified spot up shooter who can't drive or finish FFS.

I do realize that. Do you? I didn't start a 14 page thread saying a 19% shooter should start at SG. I didn't start a single of the 20 threads saying we should start Smart at PG and trade Rondo.

Do you realize that in games that don't count he has been less than mediocre! I mean - stop acting like he is a great player when he has done absolutely nothing televised that is worthy of the praise he gets on this site. I will happily agree that this is preseason and doesn't matter if you agree this is preseason and stop pumping up his crappy 19% shooting because of a rumor from Team USA about him that not one of you saw in person or on film and frankly doesn't mean squat compared to the pile of garbage he has compiled in 5 summer league games and a half dozen preseason games.

I don't see anyone pumping up 19% shooting (other than NL41 I guess). All I see anyone doing is saying...it's just pre-season, why are you judging his ability to drive so early when it was one of his strengths? No one is pumping up anything. Generally, he's been driving and kicking at will. There's no reason to believe he couldn't have flipped up some shots if he wanted to. He just hasn't for whatever reason. Come back at the end of his second season before we start talking about whether he can adjust his driving game to the NBA. I'll be with you if he can't pull it off by then. It just makes no sense to talk about it in a negative way when it's clearly not the game plan. So again, why are you taking this as pumping up his poor shooting game? No one is doing that. You are misinterpreting realism for optimism.

I'm still shocked you are interpreting "wait a season or two before you judge his driving game" as "pumping up" his game. This should be common practice with rookies who haven't even played a regular season game.

The common thread I've noticed with some of the guys down on Smart is that they seem to diminish defense. You say he hasn't done anything worthy of praise, and I'm honestly wondering if we have been watching the same defensive player out there.

[bbd24]

I'm sorry but I have to still call BS on these lame excuses. If you can get to the rim and dunk with authority - no coach can stop you. If you are shooting 19% from the field you don't pass on a chance to explode to the basket. Pressey is a terrible shooter and jacks up a lot of 3s too - but he gets to the rim a lot. Smart has played a dozen games in a Celtics uniform and he is strictly a jump shooter at NBA level right now. Unfortunately, the Derrick Rose and Westbrook comparisons before the draft simply have no merit. He just doesn't have that game.

Im not saying he never will - I mean the guy is 20, has a lot of heart and drive and is a heck of a talent. Looking at Avery Bradley as a rookie and seeing what he can do now is proof that guys with great character and talent can develop. Billups is a guy who showed more ability as a rookie but many teams gave up on him before he became a stud. Sometimes players don't develop - ie. Marcus Banks. So I suggest we hold off on plans of trading Rondo so we can hand the franchise over to a 19% jump shooter.

You realize he hasn't played a game that counts yet right?

Preseason is a time to work on specific aspects of the game. Have you ever heard of pitchers working on a curveball in spring training?

Look I think people just got caught up in the idea that Smart is this all world scorer, that he was going to slide seemlessly into the SG spot and that he would dominate from the jump. The reality is that this kid is a PG thru and thru and his weak pitch right now is his long ball. So he's working on that and he's focusing on facilitating ball movement.

Does that mean that he'll come out in game 1 of the reg season and be Tony Parker? Of course not. But this idea that we have enough of a sample to compare him to other great point guards is asinine. He didn't forget how to drive the lane or how to jump. Just a little hesitant right now but let's at least give him half a season before we declare he's a glorified spot up shooter who can't drive or finish FFS.

I do realize that. Do you? I didn't start a 14 page thread saying a 19% shooter should start at SG. I didn't start a single of the 20 threads saying we should start Smart at PG and trade Rondo.

Do you realize that in games that don't count he has been less than mediocre! I mean - stop acting like he is a great player when he has done absolutely nothing televised that is worthy of the praise he gets on this site. I will happily agree that this is preseason and doesn't matter if you agree this is preseason and stop pumping up his crappy 19% shooting because of a rumor from Team USA about him that not one of you saw in person or on film and frankly doesn't mean squat compared to the pile of garbage he has compiled in 5 summer league games and a half dozen preseason games.

Is he a great player already on the defensive end ? A lot has been made about his shooting, scoring ability. Is he worthy of praise already to you on the defensive side of the ball ?

The game of basketball goes a bit further than a box score. I think Brad Stevens, who probably knows a bit more about the game than most on this board would disagree with your 'less than mediocre' comment. Just my guess.

[bucknersrevenge]

This is probably more spot on than the people on this board are willing to admit. I'm sure Brad and the staff want Smart working on his shooting, but I doubt they'd tell him to completely abandon every other aspect of his game at the same time. That's just dumb. Until I see otherwise, I'll have to assume that he just can't drive to the rim and score yet.

Well if you believe the report LarryBird'sFinger came back with over the weekend yeah I do. He was driving and scoring at will with the USA Select Team against the best in the World. Are we suggesting that somehow in the last 3 months he's forgotten how to do that. Where Kyrie Irving and Chris Paul couldn't keep this kid from going right at them in practices, from getting to the rim against them, that somehow Tony Wroten and Deron Williams figured out the proper defense to keep him on the perimeter?? Does THAT make any sense? No. It doesn't. Smart is not an idiot. He knows how to get to the rim. LBF's report said that Stevens was having Smart specifically work on his 3 because he needed to become more comfortable with that shot if he wanted to be effective with the rest of his drive game. So they told him to pull every single time an opponent goes under the pick. This is PRESEASON. I cannot stress this fact enough. In baseball, when a pitcher throws 10 fastballs in a row during a Spring Training game and gets whacked because he's "trying to get the feel" do you say he can't pitch??

And BTW, Smart hasn't abandoned every other aspect of his game. He's shown to be more than solid running the offense, penetrating and finding the open man. His defense has been nothing short of a revelation. All those things are parts of his game. It's clear Stevens is not really all that concerned with winning these games. Sully has spent most of his time out on the perimeter. So has KO. AB has been gunning like crazy. Stevens wants the WHOLE team getting comfortable with the 3 point shot, even if they may not take 30+ 3's a game because right now you work on things that you're not good at, not so much on stuff you already know how to do. Anyone making aalysis "based on what they see out there" from this team during preseason is not seeing thewhole picture at all.

No offense to LBF, he seems like a good dude, but I don't believe anybody on any forum when they say they have insider information.

Even if you don't believe in insider information. Do you believe Smart forgot how to play his own game in a span of 3 months? One day he can score, drive, shoot penetrate against the best in the league. The next day he somehow can't drive against the Philadelphia 76ers. That is what you're suggesting. Let's just throw out 2 and a half years of evidence over 6 preseason games. Brilliant. I suppose Jared Sullinger just started hitting shots over night too. I mean he sucked one day, and now he's better. Just strange.



shawn, you're smarter than this.

[StojkoVrankovic]

Even if you don't believe in insider information. Do you believe Smart forgot how to play his own game in a span of 3 months? One day he can score, drive, shoot penetrate against the best in the league. The next day he somehow can't drive against the Philadelphia 76ers. That is what you're suggesting. Let's just throw out 2 and a half years of evidence over 6 preseason games. Brilliant. I suppose Jared Sullinger just started hitting shots over night too. I mean he sucked one day, and now he's better. Just strange.



shawn, you're smarter than this.

Outside of his lack of aggression, he is playing exactly like he did in college. He is taking the same questionable 3 point shots that he did in college, you don't have to tell him to focus on that aspect. That is his game.

My issue if that the team doesn't seem to know what to do with him. He can't shoot to save his life and isn't a PG regardless of how desperate people want that to be true.

[bucknersrevenge]

I'm sorry but I have to still call BS on these lame excuses. If you can get to the rim and dunk with authority - no coach can stop you. If you are shooting 19% from the field you don't pass on a chance to explode to the basket. Pressey is a terrible shooter and jacks up a lot of 3s too - but he gets to the rim a lot. Smart has played a dozen games in a Celtics uniform and he is strictly a jump shooter at NBA level right now. Unfortunately, the Derrick Rose and Westbrook comparisons before the draft simply have no merit. He just doesn't have that game.

Im not saying he never will - I mean the guy is 20, has a lot of heart and drive and is a heck of a talent. Looking at Avery Bradley as a rookie and seeing what he can do now is proof that guys with great character and talent can develop. Billups is a guy who showed more ability as a rookie but many teams gave up on him before he became a stud. Sometimes players don't develop - ie. Marcus Banks. So I suggest we hold off on plans of trading Rondo so we can hand the franchise over to a 19% jump shooter.

You realize he hasn't played a game that counts yet right?

Preseason is a time to work on specific aspects of the game. Have you ever heard of pitchers working on a curveball in spring training?

Look I think people just got caught up in the idea that Smart is this all world scorer, that he was going to slide seemlessly into the SG spot and that he would dominate from the jump. The reality is that this kid is a PG thru and thru and his weak pitch right now is his long ball. So he's working on that and he's focusing on facilitating ball movement.

Does that mean that he'll come out in game 1 of the reg season and be Tony Parker? Of course not. But this idea that we have enough of a sample to compare him to other great point guards is asinine. He didn't forget how to drive the lane or how to jump. Just a little hesitant right now but let's at least give him half a season before we declare he's a glorified spot up shooter who can't drive or finish FFS.

I do realize that. Do you? I didn't start a 14 page thread saying a 19% shooter should start at SG. I didn't start a single of the 20 threads saying we should start Smart at PG and trade Rondo.

Do you realize that in games that don't count he has been less than mediocre! I mean - stop acting like he is a great player when he has done absolutely nothing televised that is worthy of the praise he gets on this site. I will happily agree that this is preseason and doesn't matter if you agree this is preseason and stop pumping up his crappy 19% shooting because of a rumor from Team USA about him that not one of you saw in person or on film and frankly doesn't mean squat compared to the pile of garbage he has compiled in 5 summer league games and a half dozen preseason games.

http://hoopshabit.com/2014/08/01/boston ... -usa-camp/

Even more so is the news that Smart has looked great on the offensive end of the floor, where he struggled shooting in Summer League. Smart has apparently been shooting with confidence right out to the three-point line and has been aggressive offensively in scrimmages.

So against Kyrie Irving, Derrick Rose and John Wall, aggressive offensively, confident. Probably not taking all 3 point shots in this scrimmage. This was 3 months ago. But because of 5 preseason games let's assume that this kid can't get to the hole because he chose to work on his jumpshot during preseason rather than take Tony Wroten off the dribble. Yeah that whole USA Basketball thing must've been a rumor.

[bucknersrevenge]

Even if you don't believe in insider information. Do you believe Smart forgot how to play his own game in a span of 3 months? One day he can score, drive, shoot penetrate against the best in the league. The next day he somehow can't drive against the Philadelphia 76ers. That is what you're suggesting. Let's just throw out 2 and a half years of evidence over 6 preseason games. Brilliant. I suppose Jared Sullinger just started hitting shots over night too. I mean he sucked one day, and now he's better. Just strange.



shawn, you're smarter than this.

Outside of his lack of aggression, he is playing exactly like he did in college. He is taking the same questionable 3 point shots that he did in college, you don't have to tell him to focus on that aspect. That is his game.

My issue if that the team doesn't seem to know what to do with him. He can't shoot to save his life and isn't a PG regardless of how desperate people want that to be true.

"Outside of his lack of aggression"? His whole game IS aggression. That's my point. That would be like me saying "Other than shooting the 3, Kyle Korver is doing everything he would normally do". What his game is lacking right now IS his game. And it is by design. Steven has asked him to focus on his shooting because improving on that shot will augment the rest of his game which he is not currently showcasing because he doesn't NEED to right now. I think Stevens' plan is pretty clear. Now you wanna argue that his shooting has been putrid, feel free. You won't find me disputing that fact at all. But he has run the team as a PG and he has been making plays as a PG throughout the preseason. He just hasn't been going to the hole aggressively. I just dispute the silly notion that it is because he doesn't know how to anymore.

[StojkoVrankovic]

"Outside of his lack of aggression"? His whole game IS aggression. That's my point. That would be like me saying "Other than shooting the 3, Kyle Korver is doing everything he would normally do". What his game is lacking right now IS his game. And it is by design. Steven has asked him to focus on his shooting because improving on that shot will augment the rest of his game which he is not currently showcasing because he doesn't NEED to right now. I think Stevens' plan is pretty clear. Now you wanna argue that his shooting has been putrid, feel free. You won't find me disputing that fact at all. But he has run the team as a PG and he has been making plays as a PG throughout the preseason. He just hasn't been going to the hole aggressively. I just dispute the silly notion that it is because he doesn't know how to anymore.

The insider info of what our coach wants just comes across as odd to me.

I don't see it as focusing on shooting because he is taking the same type of shots he did in college, not really sure how that would be trying to improve anything. Heck, at the end of the day he is taking less shots from the perimeter.

The abandonment of cutting/attacking and resulting layups is perplexing.

[DarkAzcura]

"Outside of his lack of aggression"? His whole game IS aggression. That's my point. That would be like me saying "Other than shooting the 3, Kyle Korver is doing everything he would normally do". What his game is lacking right now IS his game. And it is by design. Steven has asked him to focus on his shooting because improving on that shot will augment the rest of his game which he is not currently showcasing because he doesn't NEED to right now. I think Stevens' plan is pretty clear. Now you wanna argue that his shooting has been putrid, feel free. You won't find me disputing that fact at all. But he has run the team as a PG and he has been making plays as a PG throughout the preseason. He just hasn't been going to the hole aggressively. I just dispute the silly notion that it is because he doesn't know how to anymore.

The insider info of what our coach wants just comes across as odd to me.

I don't see it as focusing on shooting because he is taking the same type of shots he did in college, not really sure how that would be trying to improve anything. Heck, at the end of the day he is taking less shots from the perimeter.

The abandonment of cutting/attacking and resulting layups is perplexing.

He's taking the same kind of 3PT shots, but the rate has increased from 40% to 80%..so in a way, it's not the same kind of shot. I know what you mean, but at the same time, he is playing much differently than he did in college, even though he took a ton of 3s back then also.

[StojkoVrankovic]

He's taking the same kind of 3PT shots, but the rate has increased from 40% to 80%..so in a way, it's not the same kind of shot. I know what you mean, but at the same time, he is playing much differently than he did in college, even though he took a ton of 3s back then also.

It's funny how he is taking a similar amount of 3 point shots to his college output, but has almost abandoned the 2 point shot entirely

I think the lack of Rondo and play of Turner has changed what Smart can/is being asked to do somewhat. His ability to attack, simply because of his strength, can open up our offense a bunch. I just want to see it.

[bucknersrevenge]

"Outside of his lack of aggression"? His whole game IS aggression. That's my point. That would be like me saying "Other than shooting the 3, Kyle Korver is doing everything he would normally do". What his game is lacking right now IS his game. And it is by design. Steven has asked him to focus on his shooting because improving on that shot will augment the rest of his game which he is not currently showcasing because he doesn't NEED to right now. I think Stevens' plan is pretty clear. Now you wanna argue that his shooting has been putrid, feel free. You won't find me disputing that fact at all. But he has run the team as a PG and he has been making plays as a PG throughout the preseason. He just hasn't been going to the hole aggressively. I just dispute the silly notion that it is because he doesn't know how to anymore.

The insider info of what our coach wants just comes across as odd to me.

I don't see it as focusing on shooting because he is taking the same type of shots he did in college, not really sure how that would be trying to improve anything. Heck, at the end of the day he is taking less shots from the perimeter.

The abandonment of cutting/attacking and resulting layups is perplexing.

I don't think shot selection is their concern right now. I think it is more form and mechanics that he is spending so much time working on. For example, in college Smart had such a "long gather". The ball would drop below his knees and would end up over his head before he shot. Too much was going wrong in that time. He also drifts too. He's still not going up and coming down in the same place. Sometimes he's left. Sometimes he's right. His release is still not consistent either. I think they are trying to use the preseason to help him try to tighten up his mechanics under game speed. It's one thing to be consistent during practice. It's another thing altogether to maintain your mechanics with a defender in front of you. Every jumper he takes is an opportunity to work on his form. I believe that is the reason why right now we are seeing so many jumpers from him. Going to the hole and attacking the defense simply does nothing to help him find a consistent release. Taking the right shot is easier to fix with knowledge in the right system. Bad mechanics is something completely different.

[165bows]

He's taking the same kind of 3PT shots, but the rate has increased from 40% to 80%..so in a way, it's not the same kind of shot. I know what you mean, but at the same time, he is playing much differently than he did in college, even though he took a ton of 3s back then also.

It's funny how he is taking a similar amount of 3 point shots to his college output, but has almost abandoned the 2 point shot entirely

I think the lack of Rondo and play of Turner has changed what Smart can/is being asked to do somewhat. His ability to attack, simply because of his strength, can open up our offense a bunch. I just want to see it.

I think it's a good point since he was primarily a three point shot/attack the rim guy in college anyway, he never favored 2PT jumpers.

Worth mentioning they may want him to be able to see a few minutes alongside Rondo, in which case he will need to be able to shoot the three.

And I think we should change the thread title to Why Marcus Thornton etc etc etc.

[sam_I_am]

You realize he hasn't played a game that counts yet right?

Preseason is a time to work on specific aspects of the game. Have you ever heard of pitchers working on a curveball in spring training?

Look I think people just got caught up in the idea that Smart is this all world scorer, that he was going to slide seemlessly into the SG spot and that he would dominate from the jump. The reality is that this kid is a PG thru and thru and his weak pitch right now is his long ball. So he's working on that and he's focusing on facilitating ball movement.

Does that mean that he'll come out in game 1 of the reg season and be Tony Parker? Of course not. But this idea that we have enough of a sample to compare him to other great point guards is asinine. He didn't forget how to drive the lane or how to jump. Just a little hesitant right now but let's at least give him half a season before we declare he's a glorified spot up shooter who can't drive or finish FFS.

I do realize that. Do you? I didn't start a 14 page thread saying a 19% shooter should start at SG. I didn't start a single of the 20 threads saying we should start Smart at PG and trade Rondo.

Do you realize that in games that don't count he has been less than mediocre! I mean - stop acting like he is a great player when he has done absolutely nothing televised that is worthy of the praise he gets on this site. I will happily agree that this is preseason and doesn't matter if you agree this is preseason and stop pumping up his crappy 19% shooting because of a rumor from Team USA about him that not one of you saw in person or on film and frankly doesn't mean squat compared to the pile of garbage he has compiled in 5 summer league games and a half dozen preseason games.

http://hoopshabit.com/2014/08/01/boston ... -usa-camp/

Even more so is the news that Smart has looked great on the offensive end of the floor, where he struggled shooting in Summer League. Smart has apparently been shooting with confidence right out to the three-point line and has been aggressive offensively in scrimmages.

So against Kyrie Irving, Derrick Rose and John Wall, aggressive offensively, confident. Probably not taking all 3 point shots in this scrimmage. This was 3 months ago. But because of 5 preseason games let's assume that this kid can't get to the hole because he chose to work on his jumpshot during preseason rather than take Tony Wroten off the dribble. Yeah that whole USA Basketball thing must've been a rumor.

I clicked on that link but couldn't find the video of him. Seems like more fanboy hot air based on a practice - not a real NBA game. I will continue to assume he can't get to the hole until he actually succeeds doing it. The latest example was on a steal and missed layup that Green collected and dunked in against Nets. Nice play by Smart defensively but looked slow and earthbound when the layup was altered and missed. A guy like Westbrook finishes that play with a dunk. I just watch and base my opinion on what I see or don't see. Not going by a fanboy fluff piece and a Sam Anico tweet.

[shawn unkempt]

Even if you don't believe in insider information. Do you believe Smart forgot how to play his own game in a span of 3 months? One day he can score, drive, shoot penetrate against the best in the league. The next day he somehow can't drive against the Philadelphia 76ers. That is what you're suggesting. Let's just throw out 2 and a half years of evidence over 6 preseason games. Brilliant. I suppose Jared Sullinger just started hitting shots over night too. I mean he sucked one day, and now he's better. Just strange.



shawn, you're smarter than this.

I just don't believe there's a coach in the league who would purposely limit his player's best attributes, even in preseason. Common sense tells me Brad would be working to incorporate Smart's driving ability into the game plan, and getting him comfortable with it at the pro level, if it's as good as we think it is right now. Yeah, Sullinger lived on the perimeter more than we expected last year but his overall game wasn't completely neutered. He still got quite a few post touches, crashed the boards and shot the occasional midranger.

I'm a believe it when I see it type of person and so far we haven't seen it. Hopefully I'm wrong because there's nothing I'd love more than Smart coming out and destroying the league this year.

[bucknersrevenge]

Even if you don't believe in insider information. Do you believe Smart forgot how to play his own game in a span of 3 months? One day he can score, drive, shoot penetrate against the best in the league. The next day he somehow can't drive against the Philadelphia 76ers. That is what you're suggesting. Let's just throw out 2 and a half years of evidence over 6 preseason games. Brilliant. I suppose Jared Sullinger just started hitting shots over night too. I mean he sucked one day, and now he's better. Just strange.



shawn, you're smarter than this.

I just don't believe there's a coach in the league who would purposely limit his player's best attributes, even in preseason. Common sense tells me Brad would be working to incorporate Smart's driving ability into the game plan, and getting him comfortable with it at the pro level, if it's as good as we think it is right now. Yeah, Sullinger lived on the perimeter more than we expected last year but his overall game wasn't completely neutered. He still got quite a few post touches, crashed the boards and shot the occasional midranger.

I'm a believe it when I see it type of person and so far we haven't seen it. Hopefully I'm wrong because there's nothing I'd love more than Smart coming out and destroying the league this year.

During the preseason is it really neutering if the games don't even count yet though? Is it possible that what you're suggesting could be happening in practice but not in games? I mean Stevens is a pretty smart guy. He's always talking about "the process". He's always talking about incremental improvements, getting better overall. That's always been my impression of Stevens anyway. The big talk about Smart before the draft was that his form needed a lot of work. Check the DraftExpress videos on him. They commented on it. I'll accept your "see it when I believe it" methodology for now. I still think you may be getting ahead of yourself though. But I'll make you a deal. If by the All-Star break if this is still the guy we're seeing out there; if he is not driving to the hoop with far more frequency, come back to me and say "buck, you can kiss my ass with all your bull theories!". I want you to say it just like that too.