EArl wrote:kblo247 wrote:ak7 wrote:
More impactful by making the playoffs in the east with a sub .500 record? Well I mean.. sure. Clarkson put up better numbers across the board. Boston would have likely won 25-30 games in the West this year and had nearly as equally bad of a season as the Lakers had. Boston was 12-18 against the West this year. The only way you can justify Smart over Clarkson is if you are nitpicking and value a 7th seed playoff berth and 1st round sweep over being statistically better than the other individual for the entirety of the season. There is no doubt in my mind that Clarkson could have "led" Boston to that 40-42 record in the same way Smart did.
Boston won 66% of their regular season games to close the year with Smart starting, 50% tie with the west in those said games, so they werent sub 500 with him starting either vs the west coast Gs. They doubled their loss column ... I mean I don't care how you slice that, he played crazy. In fact his defensive numbers were the elite of all pgs defensively in the damn league. HE was playing lockdown D that was better than most wings including the likes of Jimmy Butler and Tony Allen at his position. HE was that fn good on that end of the court and thats why they went on that run. He and Bradley were getting in guys asses. And by the way Smart out shot Clarkson from 3pt range as well in that stretch.
I stick by what I said, there was only one rookie G in the league who impacted the win column for his team to the tune of 24-12 in the last 36 games. That was Smart. Be it Clarkson or PAyton, one doesnt belong on the first team over him.
Clarkson couldn't lead Boston to what Smart did because Clarkson is no where close to Smart defensively. IT's not even remiotely close. Clarkson scored more, and he assisted more in out offense because Boston has 4 play makers in Smart, Thomas, Bradley, and Turner. Clarkson could have went there and likely scored 12-15 a night, I wont doubt that, but hid assist number would be similar, and they would not be winning 2/3 of their games with him starting because he cant defend either spot that well as seen by him getting lost with screens last year routinely when he is hit, whereas Smart keeps shadowing and sees them coming. Their instincts are just way different on that end.
I'm not just singling out JC, I'm saying that Payton's case over him is hogwash as well. Smart just isn't pr friendly dating back to college and that hurt him. HE deserved it over one of them based on play and results since the main thing you want to to do is win,
That was all Isiah Thomas. Smart played like 10 minutes a game.
Add 22 mins bruh because he played 32mpg the last three months of the season and Thomas was his sub
