Can Marcus Smart keep up his breakout shooting night for the Boston Celtics?
It has finally happened. For the first time this season, Marcus Smart is looking like a good shooter for the Boston Celtics, and that could mean a lot of trouble for anyone who has hopes of taking them down this season. Shooting is literally the one thing Smart has never done well, but we have seen these flashes before.
Even in preseason, there were rumblings about Smart improving his shot after he transformed his body, but none of that translated into the regular season. At least not until the last two games.
Smart has shot 15-21 and 7-11from three point range over his last two games, to go along with his six and five assists. Smart has his struggles on offense, but he is always a prominent presence for the Celtics, and he is where they have the best chance to improve their shooting.
The Celtics have been a bit underwhelming on offense this season, and shooting has been a problem. Bench shooting has been Boston’s biggest weakness this season. We have seen Terry Rozier show some flashes, and now with Smart doing this, the Celtics could see some drastic improvements on the offensive end.
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The problem is that there is absolutely no reason right now to think Smart will keep this up. We have seen him get hot like this before, and every time he comes crashing down to earth. We know that Smart will keep shooting, so he will stretch this hot streak as long as he possibly can.
It is hard for fans to actually get excited about this, because all the evidence we have suggests Smart is going to follow this up with a putrid shooting stretch, and make sure that three point average of his stays under 30 percent, where it has been trapped most of his career.
It is also hard for fans to not get excited. Anyone who watches the Celtics see how many different thinks Smart can do. He makes the kind of winning plays that no one else in the league does, and he is quickly establishing himself as the most versatile defensive guard in the NBA. Smart already has everything else, and if he keeps up this shooting then he will be one of the most exciting players in the NBA, and fans have been waiting for that to happen each season of his career.
Right now, it is worse than foolish to expect Smart to keep this up, but he has been putting in the work, and maybe this is finally the time it will stick. Smart will not be a top shooter, but if he can balance out this streakiness, and avoid the miserable shooting nights, then he will be one of the most important offensive players for the Celtics.
He is going to keep on taking the shots, and the second unit needs him to be in control. If Smart did start shooting, it would be unbearable to continue to have him come off the bench, but that would fix the biggest issue this team has. There are not many candidates to start shooting well on the second unit, and chances are Smart is going to always be the most prolific shooter, even when they are not falling.
Smart has always been a rollercoaster ride for the Celtics, but this is a contract year for him now. How much money Smart could get on the open market will be directly tied to his shooting. The Celtics will also know that Smart is one of the most indispensable players in the league if he starts shooting, given everything else he does.
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The Celtics need Smart to keep up this shooting if their offense is going to be at its best, and Smart needs to keep shooting if he wants to get his big pay day. Smart’s shooting is truly game changing for the Celtics, but we are a long ways away from any kind of security that Smart can be a capable shooter.