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ESPN Insider doesn’t think highly of Marcus Smart

Chuck - Red's Army March 2, 2015 Celtics News, Marcus Smart 19 Comments

ESPN Insider David Thorpe has ranked this year’s crop of rookies. Marcus Smart is ranked 12th behind the likes of Joe Ingles, Langston Galloway, Jordan Clarkson and Tarik Black and is classified as “Struggling:”

As a catch-and-shoot guy, Smart continues to play well. He has to be accounted for off the ball because he can make perimeter shots, including 3s, off the catch.

As a pick-and-roll player, however, Smart is still mostly clueless, constantly settling for long and/or bad jumpers with five or more seconds left on the shot clock. The good news is he’s getting a lot of minutes and opportunities in the ball-screen game, giving him many reference points to study come summer.

While Thorpe references the defensive prowess of other rookies on this list (Wiggins, Noel, Exum), he inexplicably omits Smart’s strongest skill. Yup, a guy almost universally renown as an elite defender gets ZERO credit in this analysis.

Thorpe does praise Smart’s shooting but considering this was Marcus’ biggest weakness coming out of college, you’d think it would get more than a ho-hum reference.

The criticism of Smart’s PNR game is accurate. No way to argue that. But Smart could have my PNR skills and he’d still deserve to be ranked higher on this list.

KGino

Another classic case of overvaluing offense/undervaluing defense. I’d be willing to bet Smart has drawn the most perimeter offensive fouls in the league (i.e. offensive fouls that occur outside the paint)
Andre

That’s alright they can keep undervaluing us all the way to another banner. Please do.
- Curt Hays
  
  ” I would like to thank all the haters.”
Alex Costa

Another ESPN Insider that doesn’t do his research, watches only ONE game of the rookie they are trying to write about, and goes with what they see.

Go figure.
swissflix

It does not really matter what Thorpe says, does it.

If Smart was truly struggling in Steven’s opinion-the only opinion that really matters, after all- he would not be playing 25 minutes a game and playing at the end of games as well.
M3Celtics

Smart is playing off the ball a lot and does seem to struggle at times with the ball in his hands. But he hasn’t even played a full NBA season yet, so hopefully he will eventually develop all the those PG skills he still lacks. On the bright side, he is way ahead of the curve on defense.
jrleftfoot

I`m not sure ” elite defender’ is an accurate description. Small , quick guards go by him with ease. I think his future is at the 2 and his ultimate value is up in the air. I`m rooting for him , though, because he is a Celtic and because I loved it when he shoved that racist fan when he was in college.
- Jake Gruber
  
  Finally someone I actually agree with. Though I WANT him to be as good as everyone says he is/will be, I just don’t necessarily see it yet.
- Suarez
  
  He is already an elite defender. Not just for his one-on-one defense, which is how backcourt players are so frequently judged, but his overall relentlessness. I think he should make second team all-defense this year.
  
  His defense on pick and rolls is unlike anything you see in the NBA. At first, I was getting frustrated with him; it seemed like he was absorbing the screen every time instead of breaking around it. Then I realized he’s doing it on purpose, and he isn’t absorbing the screen, he’s attacking the screener. With his 225 pound frame, he deals a blow to the screener, then recovers remarkably quickly.
- bill_nair
  
  Celtics fans are gonna hate you for that one. But ya, he’s a hell of a defender but so wasn’t AB when he needed to get on the floor. Give him a year or 2 before we call him elite. AB was “elite” about 18 months ago too.
  - jrleftfoot
    
    Some of them hate me already. I`ll stand by my statement. I think he is better suited to the 2 guard position than the 1, offensively and defensively and he is awfully raw for a guy picked that high. I hope he continues to improve.
zippittyay

Didn’t the ESPN Insiders unanimously pick the Lakers in the 08 Finals?
bill_nair

Well, he didnt say anything wrong.
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