Marcus Smart Edged by Lakers’ Jordan Clarkson for 1st Team All-Rookie

Yesterday, the NBA announced its All-Rookie honors for the 2014-15 season. A panel of media members voted Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart — who averaged 27 minutes, 7.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game — to the All-Rookie 2nd Team.

The Celtics acquired the ball-hounding, crotch-punching Oklahoma State product, with the 6th overall pick in last June’s draft. By the midway point of the season, Smart was playing aggressive defense and had shown just enough on the offensive end to earn a spot in the starting lineup, replacing the beleaguered Rajon Rondo, who was traded away to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Brandan Wright, Jae Crowder, Jameer Nelson, the Mavericks’ conditional 2015 1st round pick, and a 2016 2nd round pick.

Apr 4, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) dribbles the ball during the second half against Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Celtics won 117-116 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Jordan Clarkson of the Los Angeles Lakers ultimately won the two-way battle for the last spot on the 1st Team, receiving 46 more 1st Team votes than Smart and edging the Celtics point guard by 60 points overall.

After riding the bench for much of the first half of the season, Clarkson began making splashes in late January, averaging 15.8 points, 5 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game in 32 minutes per contest from January 23 until the end of the season.

So who truly deserved that last slot on the All-Rookie 1st Team? Opponents scored at a steeper clip when Clarkson took the floor, but there is a good deal of noise there. Clarkson played most of his minutes against other teams’ starting units, and when your own starting quintet features such blue chippers as Tarik Black, Wayne Ellington, Jordan Hill, and Wesley Johnson, it’s hard to maintain the status quo.

Clarkson was asked to shoulder a fairly heavy load, posting a 23% usage percentage while he was on the floor, and he performed admirably for a vastly underqualified rookie in that role.

He posted a higher Player Efficiency Rating, true shooting percentage, and shooting percentage near the basket than Smart, though the Boston guard did achieve better numbers on the defensive end of the floor.

For instance, at 1.07, Smart had the 6th-best defensive real plus-minus among point guards this season, while Clarkson’s -3.01 ranks him the 4th-worst point guard in the league defensively. Even offensive real plus-minus looks more favorably on Smart, and, though ESPN’s super-stat isn’t the be-all and end-all, this does open the door for questions on each player’s true value.

Apr 13, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (6) goes up for the shot against Sacramento Kings forward Jason Thompson (34) during the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

So who’s the more valuable player, you might ask? That’s a pretty loaded question. Smart played on an unquestionably better team with a far superior coach, and his defensive presence helped the Celtics obtain the 8th seed in the East.

Clarkson — with a roster that makes you want to take a shower in glass shards — was given primary ball handling responsibilities, took care of the basketball (his TO% was lower than Chris Paul’s), and got asked to do much more on the offensive end; and you know what, he fared relatively well.

Some people knock a player for being on a losing team with hairy dog turds and soggy couch cushions as teammates. I’m not one of them. Clarkson’s a legit offensive piece, and it would be interesting to see how he would fit in on a solid team with a head coach who knows this isn’t 1982 anymore.

And the situation isn’t all bad for Celtics fans who wanted to see their young point guard get the recognition they feel he deserves. Smart delights in being told he can’t do something, so failing to make 1st Team All-Rookie might light a fire under his ass this offseason.

Clarkson and Smart are two interesting players with wildly different games, and I’m excited to see what each of them can do next season!

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