Why Marcus Smart should start at SG

[grandpa surfer]

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.

You should post a lot less.

[SMTBSI]

Not even pretending he's someone else.

How can you crow if no one knows you're the one who was right?

NL41/GS/etc.: If I were you, I probably would have waited a little longer, just to be sure Smart's progress doesn't stall. That being said, congrats, you got your laugh/troll in.


See you on the next account.

[grandpa surfer]

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.

We can't all be elite talent evaluators. Otherwise "elite" wouldn't mean anything. So don't feel too bad for this embarrassing post.

[grandpa surfer]

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.

The great ones are always ignored (and banned) at first.

[grandpa surfer]

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.

R.I.P.

[grandpa surfer]

NL41 got banned?

A glorious day for the Celtics RealGM forum.

Good riddance. NL41 had the sort of shrill anger that hijacks many threads, and does so with quite nasty overtones.

It is possible -- or even easy -- to be pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli, yet not antisemitic. (Indeed -- which is a bit awkward -- that characterizes the people closest to me.) But NL41 didn't pull it off. He may not even have tried.

hey there sport!

[grandpa surfer]

Anyone who's played ball knows it doesn't take great explosiveness or quickness to get in the lane. It's the ability to change speeds and directions which matters. Strength will help you keep the step or half step you gain and strength plus technique/touch will make you a great finisher.

Smart has good speed (as evidenced by his ability to push the tempo but he doesn't have a great first step. So it's going to take some savvy and understanding for him to consistently get in the lane off the bounce or in PnR situations. If he wasn't already such a savvy team defender I'd be more hesitant in proclaiming that he'll learn the things that made and guys like Chauncey and Andre successful in that regard, but such as it is I'm very confident we are looking at a player who'll soon be doing great things inside and outside.

He'll never be Steph Curry but I think he can be a Mr. Big Shot type of shooter.

I think part of the problem around here is not many posters actually play ball. Which is fine, but it makes for a lot of turd droppings on otherwise Smart threads.

[165bows]

Celtics/Stevens came out and said they see Marcus as a PG going forward. I think this topic has run it's course.