Of all the names on the current Boston Celtics roster, Marcus Smart’s is hardly the one that catches the eye of the general consensus.
And this is understandable, as there are plenty of talented individuals that he shares colours with that are more talented than him.
There is of course the offensive superstar Isaiah Thomas, 2 time all NBA defender Avery Bradley, and last years free agent capture Al Horford.
However, regardless of the abilities of these players (as well as others in the squad) Smart is still a valuable piece to the Celtics roster.
And please, don’t misconstrue what I am saying here. Personally I would not opt for Smart over Thomas, Bradley or Horford, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a strong part of this Boston Celtics squad, with potential to strengthen his position in the roster.
First of all let’s look at the numbers. This season he was averaging 30 minutes a night for the Celtics, not bad for someone who was mostly a bench player. With these 30 minutes he put up 10.6 points and 4.6 assists.
His offensive abilities clearly aren’t awful, but the main burden to his attacking output has been his shooting. Smart shot 35% from the field and 28% from 3 point range. Hardly the numbers of an elite point guard option.
Smart’s less than ideal shooting stats aren’t the result of a bad run either. His career average in the NBA is 29% from the 3 point line, and his poor shot conversion can even be traced back to his college days in Oklahoma, where he also recorded a percentage of 29% on 3 point shots.
Evidently Marcus isn’t the most amazing shooter of the basketball, but there is another number that can counteract this stat: 23. The age of the man himself.
Many people see his numbers and think he will shoot this way for life, but Smart has plenty of time to develop his game and enhance his shooting capabilities. He has already been investing time during this off-season to sharpen his offensive skill set:
Aside from his shooting rates, Smart’s statistical showing isn’t bad at all. He is pulling close to 11 points and 5 assists whilst being a non starter, and is even a fairly good ball handler as he only gives up 2 turnovers a game.
And if you really dig into his shooting stats, you can see that he does have some good shooting moments in certain areas. From the left corner 3 point zone he makes a league average 39.1% of his shots, and from the opposite corner he is scoring with an above league average amount of 41.3% of his attempts.
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It’s clear Smart isn’t a top-level shooter, however, it is his defensive contributions where he earns his plaudits. Per game Marcus is managing 1.6 steals, which puts him 15th in the league ahead of James Harden and sixth man of the year Eric Gordon.
Marcus is also doing a decent job of not giving the other team opportunities at the free throw line, and he is doing so by only giving up 2.4 fouls per game.
And his skill set expands further than simply making steals and avoiding an excessive amounts of fouls. He appears to be a decent defender in the arc, as when matched up in the 2 point range, opposition players made only 2.5 out of 5.1 shots, or 49.8%.
Also, The Boston Celtics allow only 26.8 points in the paint with Smart on the floor, which is less than the Washington Wizards allow with John Wall in play.
The 23-year-old out of Flower Mound is also a reliable protector at the 3 point line and beyond. On average he happens to
be the closest defender almost 4 times, and the opposition only manage to score 1.3 times. This means his defensive 3 point percentage is 33.2%.
Overall if you were to add up his defensive field goal percentage across the court, the results would reveal that opponents score on only 42.6% of the shots they take against him. Not bad for a player who’s still cutting his metaphorical defensive teeth.
After looking at the stats it can be concluded that Marcus Smart is someone with very clear strengths and weaknesses. He isn’t a terrific shooter from all areas of the court, and this is something he can work on.
But apart from that he is a statistically consistent player. Defensively he is able to steal the ball and contest shots efficiently, and defensively he is a solid player for this Boston team.
Regardless of his shooting woes, he is blessed with great grit and determination. If he throws consistent shooting into the mix, he could be a real offensive weapon.
Next: Silver Lining if the Celtics Strike out in Free Agency
Currently, he is a useful tool to bring on off the bench. But as time goes on he has the stats and intangible factors to potentially upgrade himself into a starting option for Brad Stevens and the Boston Celtics.