What if Marcus Smart Never Develops a Jump Shot?

Marcus Smart’s shot has been way off lately, does he need to develop a jump shot to be effective?

It’s well-known that Marcus Smart isn’t the guy you turn to when your offense needs a spark. He’s shooting 34.3 percent from the field this season and an even worse 25.7 percent from behind the arc, the worst mark in the NBA. Despite his poor shooting, Smart is not afraid to continue to shoot the ball – attempting 8.9 shots and 4.1 threes per game seems a little excessive for someone who can barely hit iron on a lot of them.

On one hand, it shows the confidence he has in his game, which a lot of young players lack. It also shows how much trust head coach Brad Stevens has in him, and also the type of defense Smart plays while on the floor. On the other hand, having him shoot 17 percent from behind the arc and 28.6 percent from the field this month doesn’t help the team at all, no matter what anyone says.

Smart’s 100 offensive rating is about as bad as you’ll find in the NBA, although, his 102 defensive rating is what makes him an asset to the team. Still, with Smart’s struggles shooting the ball through his first two NBA seasons, and specifically over the past month, it’s a valid concern to have about whether he will ever be able to develop a jump shot in the NBA.

The former sixth overall pick out of Oklahoma State came in with a lot of hype. He stayed for his sophomore season, which in turn gave NBA scouts a better idea of what type of player he is and could become. The general idea was that Smart would one day develop into the starting point guard for the team, however, that notion has since changed. The emergence of Isaiah Thomas over the past season and a half has switched the script and given a lot of lee-way towards Smart. Thomas, for good reason, is now seen as the franchise point guard, while Smart may be the shooting guard of their future plans, or a solid backup guard.

There is no doubt that Isaiah Thomas has allowed Smart to develop at his own pace and deflected a lot of criticism towards him, although Marcus Smart still sees a lot of it as it is. The criticism is well warranted though as Smart, offensively, has been unable to develop anything over his first two seasons.

His struggles have really come to life recently as Smart’s role has become bigger with the loss of Jae Crowder. Recently going 2-19 from the field over the past two games, Smart’s shot has gotten to an all-time low. In 11 games this month, he has one game in which he shot 50 percent, none higher. Six of those games he shot less than 25 percent from the field, and his worst shooting night came against the Indiana Pacers when he shot a dreaded 1-8 from the three-point line.

Mar 5, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) drives on Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) during the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 120-103. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

Smart is arguably the best defensive player on the team, but when does his offense start to become a liability for the Celtics? Especially when considering the amount of shots he attempts per game.

There’s no doubt that the team is better defensively when he’s on the floor, however, the three worst shooting lineups all contain Marcus Smart in them, as well as the worst three-point shooting lineup, and three worst effective field goal percentage lineups.

Chris Forsberg of ESPN noted that Smart didn’t take bad shots because he was open on most of his three-point attempts the other night. There is also a reason why he is so wide open and a reason why he’s still unable to connect. Teams are daring him to shoot now and Smart needs to continue to drive to the basket rather than taking the shot or pass up some shots from deep.

Smart is quickly becoming one of the best defensive guards in the entire league, and it seemed that he was starting to find some sort of shooting stroke leading up to the all-star break. The fact of the matter is, Smart may and probably will never be an effective mid-range or three-point shooter. He has shown the ability to get to the basket but it’s clear he doesn’t know what to do when he gets there. He shoots 51.2 percent from inside of three feet, not as high as you’d want from someone who is able to get to the basket fairly often.

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In a way the Celtics lucked out. They drafted Smart thinking he would be a franchise corner piece but instead struck gold in trading for Thomas and still came away with a great defensive prospect. The fact that Stevens continues to give him heavy minutes, especially late in games, while he shoots so poorly is a true testament to the type of player he is. There are few players in the NBA nowadays that will be up in your face every possession on defense like Smart is.

Smart is a perfect compliment to an under-sized Isaiah Thomas. At 6’4″, 220 pounds, Smart has a big build which helps on defense and on the boards. Boston didn’t come away with the franchise guard they were hoping for, but they came away with a solid bench piece for the long-term future. Every good team needs someone like Smart and with Stevens trusting him, he should continue to develop his jump shot.

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If he’s ever able to put his offensive game together then he’ll take the league by storm, there’s no doubt about that. The bigger picture for Smart is there, and the Celtics hit gold drafting him. He’ll continue to be a defensive specialist who has the ability to get hot and right now that’s all the Celtics need out of him.

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