There was a wave of concern washing over Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart and his play through a handful of games earlier in the season. I addressed those concerns and how I thought Udoka and Smart could come together and get the best out of him for the remainder of the season.
We are 21 games into the NBA season, and the last few weeks have proved Smart’s start was no more than a slow start.
In his first ten games, his averages were truly abysmal (8.6 points per game on 8.6 shots and four assists to 2.1 turnovers). His defense was the only thing that held throughout his slump. Even his free throw percentage plummeted to 70 percent.
In Smart’s latest eleven games, his averages have been much better.
His scoring is still somewhat subpar, averaging 13.3 points on 11.2 shots, but his assist count has ballooned to seven while his turnovers have gone down to 1.6 per game.
So what’s been the key for the Boston Celtics lead guard?
In my first article about Smart, I talked about a couple of things that attributed to his poor offensive play.
Pick and roll frequency, drive rate, shot diet, and an overall lack of clarity regarding his role were all touched upon. Udoka was putting Smart in the wrong positions, and those positions forced him into an uncomfortable style of play which he did not adjust kindly to.
Smart started the season with a pick and roll ball handler frequency of just 16 percent, which I pointed out was almost seven percent below his frequency from previous seasons.
Fast forward to now, and he’s up to 25 percent frequency, which is two percent above his last season averages. I also wasn’t happy with his 5.8 drives and 6.8 treys per game.
Those integers have both substantially improved, his drive count rising to 12.5 per game and his triples going down to 4.4 per game, both in his last 11 outings.
Marcus Smart’s offensive foundation is unique. He’s a slightly bigger guard with a robust frame and daunting +5 wingspan. His physical tools make him a beast on the defensive end, but they give him certain advantages on the offensive end as well, specifically around the rim and in the post.
He’s almost like a power forward in the half-court with point guard skills.
Going downhill, Smart can get what he wants, when he wants it, but only when he chooses to get downhill.
Earlier in the season, Smart was settling for jumpers and stunting the flow of the offense for the Boston Celtics, which led to poor efficiency and passing statistics for himself and poor offensive output for his squad.
Recently, Smart’s been much more content to put the ball on the floor, get to the rack, take on contact, or fling the ball out to the open man.
As simple as those two things may sound, it’s critical that Smart does it consistently.
The numbers support my hypothesis for, without Smart, the Cs generate a putrid 100 points per 100 possessions on the offensive end, but they generate 110 points per 100 possessions with him.
That second number will likely increase as the season goes along and the Celtics get guys back in the rotation and continue to make adjustments to their offensive gameplan. The point is, everyone benefits from Smart getting into the paint.
Moving forward, I’d like to see Udoka post-up Smart more often. I know that sounds weird, considering Jayson Tatum and Al Horford are thought to take precedence for post-up possessions.
However, neither of them have been particularly great passers out of the post and have often forced shots rather than continued to move the ball. If Udoka could get Smart up to two or three post-up touches from 1.4 post-up touches per game, I think the offense will be better off.
I’d also like to see more Smart, Dennis Schroder, and Robert Williams combinations. In the 174 minutes those three have played together, they have a +7 net rating and maintain a 100 defensive rating.
The Boston Celtics have tons of advantage scoring, play type diversification, defensive activity, rim pressure, passing, and pace between the three.
Add Tatum and J-Rich to those three, and you have a very dangerous five-man unit.
Let’s see it!
Note: In 34 minutes, Smart/Schroder/Richardson/Tatum/Rob-Will have put up 132 points and held their opponents to 95 points per 100 possessions. That’s a net rating of 37 points!