Marcus Smart is getting tougher and tougher to leave out of the starting lineup
Every year with the Boston Celtics, Marcus Smart has been one of the most fascinating players to follow. It is impossible for people to agree on him, but everyone notices him when he is on the court, for good or bad. Smart is one of the best sixth men in the NBA, but after this shooting stretch, his claim to the starting lineup is going to intensify.
We already know that Smart is good enough to play on the starting lineup, because he plays a lot of his minutes with the top lineup. There is not much debate to the fact that Kyrie Irving, Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford is the most talented lineup the Celtics can put together. On top of that, Smart’s shooting percentage sky rockets when he is playing with that kind of talent.
There are, however, two major issues with regards to Smart starting. First of all, the size really does not add up. The Celtics are already small in their front court with Marcus Morris there, so putting Smart in his place would put even more strain on Horford, and push the versatility to the absolute limits.
The argument against the size issue is that Smart is the most versatile defender in the league. He literally guards every single position, and if the Celtics are really embracing position less basketball, then this is something they should really consider.
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The problem, however, is not just Smart’s versatility. We know that we can trust Smart to handle himself in those situations, but it is the strain it puts on everyone else. Brown and Tatum will also be putting more strain on their versatility, and that is where the problems can come from.
Horford has been at his best on defense when playing with more traditional size like Aron Baynes. We know that Horford can be trusted in smaller situations, but the extra size helps get him at his very best.
It may be complicated, but the Celtics can make a starting lineup with Smart work. the bigger problem, however, may be what would happen to the second unit.
The second unit offense is already bad enough, and taking Smart out could lead to a disaster. Obviously he is not doing a lot of things for their shooting, but he is the best at instigating for his teammates. That second unit needs the ball handler, and if you take Smart away the already bad offense could bring down this team too far.
There are some other options. Terry Rozier is the one that would have to step up. Rozier has shown flashes, but he needs to bring consistency first. If he is going to instigate the second unit offense, then he is going to have to do more as a playmaker, and there really is no one else that could pick up that slack with Smart playing with the starters.
The other difference is that moving Morris to the second unit could be that difference on offense. He may not be a great instigator for others, but he can create and hit his own shot. Right now, no one else on the second until can really do that. The offense may not function as well as when Smart is there, but Morris could bring the scoring that will make sure Smart is not missed too much.
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The biggest issue right now is that putting Smart in the starting lineup will cause even more chaos. The team is finally starting to settle, and Smart is one of the stabilizing figures, especially for that second unit. It is hard to argue against Smart being one of the five best players on this team, but his impact off that bench is too valuable to change around, especially as they have to figure out a lot of other things.