Smart gives best shot
Versatile Celts star continues to adapt
It was the unveiling before the unveiling, an open scrimmage in the Garden for season ticket-holders on the fourth day of training camp.
The night offered an extremely rudimentary look. Marcus Smart pulled up early with a 3-point attempt that slapped the backboard like wet mud and lined off the front of the rim.
Shooting was Smart’s offseason focus, and members of the Celtics coaching staff constantly talk about his work and improvement in that area. But for now his offense remains a sweetand-sour blend of big shots and the occasional ill-advised, low-percentage miss.
Smart is as hard to peg as ever heading into his third season. He’s a point guard with a football build and an iffy-shooting wing with occasional shot-selection issues. He can be the best defender on the floor, however, his offense is always hard to quantify, and yet there he is making lategame plays.
Asked about the shot, Danny Ainge laughed.
“Marcus doesn’t seem to be affected by too many things like that,” said the Celtics president of basketball operations. “He has good confidence in his ability. He’s not intimidated by the great players of the league. The greater the challenge, the more excited he is to play.”
All of his other talents considered, there’s another way of looking at Smart’s shooting.
“Scoring is like the cherry on top with him,” said teammate Isaiah Thomas. “Everything else he does is at a high level. He does all of the other things that you can’t teach. If you want to win, he’s the guy you want on your team. If you ask him to run through a wall, then he’s going to try it.”
Or maybe he doesn’t have to be pegged. Smart plays for a coach who values versatility above all else. He defends point guards, power forwards, and everything in between. As the Celtic who needs scoring the least to impact a game, Smart’s roles may now be limitless.
Most sixth men bring scoring. Smart brings everything else.
“The reason he’s a good sixth, or a good fifth man or fourth man, for that matter, is that he can come in for anybody,” said Ainge. “He can come in for Isaiah, he can come in for Avery (Bradley), for Jae Crowder. He can come in for Amir Johnson or Al Horford. He can fit in anywhere.”
A certain clutch
There’s no denying Smart’s big shot capability, even though the argument is anecdotal. The analytical view of scoring and shooting has long held that the concept of “clutch” is fleeting. That it doesn’t exist.
“I think that’s starting to crack a little bit in the clutch analytics, but I know that’s been the position in analytics for quite a while,” said Ainge. “But I will say about Marcus, whatever the numbers show of how many shots he makes, he’s completely unafraid of those moments. That’s why he seems to make timely shots. It doesn’t bother him at all. He loves those moments.”
Smart doesn’t sound like he’s sold, even a bit, on statistical philosophy.
“I’m definitely clutch,” he said. “I do everything that a team needs to win, and I consider that clutch. Clutch is when Brad Stevens trusts me enough to be out there at the end of the game. He knows I’m going to make the right play. That’s clutch. Most people would probably give you a different definition, but it really don’t matter what they think. I don’t want to get caught up in that, because then you start psyching yourself out, instead of just going out there and letting the game come to you.”
Smart also knows how it looks when he takes a bad shot, or misses something he should make.
“When the pressure is on I definitely shoot better,” he said. “I think my problem with shooting is that I rush a lot. I’ll be too indecisive. I don’t know whether to shoot it or drive it, because I try to focus on getting into the paint. I get paint touches, and instead of trying to dunk it my teammates tell me all the time just shoot the ball. Take the shot. Stop trying to get a better shot and just shoot. That’s my biggest problem, but I’ve been working on it.”
So what gives with his ability to rise in the fourth quarter, then?
“I don’t know. I guess I’m warmed up a little bit, and I kind of let the game take over instead of trying to rush it,” he said. “I really don’t think about it, I just shoot it. . . . I really just have to get to the point when I get in where I just let it fly.”
Lets get physical
Smart’s oft-errant shooting is a source of frustration for those who feel a No. 6 draft pick, especially a guard, should have a more consistent offensive presence. But his value shines through in another way. He changes games with sheer physical presence and an instinct for getting his hands on the ball. He’s a 6-foot-4, 220-pound wing player who looks more like Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower than an NBA point guard.
“You could easily see him playing (in the NFL) on Sundays, with his physicality and his build and his grit. His intensity,” said Stevens. “His ability to move laterally and not be screened are two really critical elements in being able to defend different positions.”
Only Smart’s consistent scoring role is slow in coming. When the Celtics drafted him, Stevens predicted he could be developed into a good, if not great, shooter.
“I think he’s really figured out his spots pretty well. The bottom line is that will continue to grow and improve, because that’s what happens when you’re more experienced,” said Stevens. “You’ve seen more and have more years of work under your belt. But at the end of the day, he’s always going to impact regardless. He’s a better finisher. He’s been great at getting into the paint and hitting pull-ups. He’s made his catchand-shoot very simple. There are going to be nights when he doesn’t, but he can still have impact.” And no matter what the night, Smart at least believes he will hit whatever he hoists.
“Yeah, so shot selection is a challenge for Marcus at this stage, so it’s give and take, it’s good and bad,” said Ainge. “Sometimes he’ll take shots that his percentages wouldn’t say are good. They’d say it’s better not to take that shot so early.
“But he believes he can make them.”
Ultimately, Smart is one of the most unique players in the NBA, someone who can impact a game regardless of his offensive contributions. Ainge is hardpressed to come up with many comparisons.
“I can think of a lot of big men, but as far as small guys, obviously Kawhi Leonard and Draymond Green come to mind. Kawhi has become a good shooter. But they could still have a big impact without scoring,” said the Celtics president. “I think Marcus is unique, a little Tony Allen-like in that regard. Tony had great impact for us and wasn’t an outside shooter.
“The thing about Marcus is, he knows how to play offensively. He’s worked extremely hard on his shooting, and I have no doubts he’ll become a good shooter.”
‘The bottom line is (Marcus) will continue to grow and improve.’ — BRAD STEVENS On Smart's potential