Heading into his fifth season, with a brand new contract in tow, Marcus Smart will be counted on to play a key role for the 2018-19 Boston Celtics.
One of the deepest backcourts in the NBA will belong to the Boston Celtics this upcoming season.
Kyrie Irving will be back and Jaylen Brown is only getting better, likely meaning these two will be locked in for the starting guards.
Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart will be the ying and yang, the offense and the defense, of the second unit. Together, they will be expected to provide veteran leadership off of the bench.
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Smart was the big money winner of the team in the offseason, locking in a new four-year, 52 million dollar contract. Bringing Smart back was a wise choice for the Boston Celtics as he brings a unique talent to the team.
He is the glue guy and lockdown defender. Smart is the enforcer, the eccentric, and, when he gets hot, a player who can score in bunches.
Smart can be infuriating and appreciated by fans all in the same moment, but he has been a valuable player the past four seasons. In 2017-18, Smart averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game.
The bad? Struggling to shoot, hitting only 30.1 percent from 3-point range and 36.7 percent overall.
Staying healthy in ’18-19 will be the main goal as Smart played in only 54 games last season. Here are three other goals in which improvement would be nice.
1. Decision making
Smart is a good playmaker and a pretty decent passer. He was even better last season in this department, averaging a career-high in assists. This was also a result of head coach Brad Stevens decision to let Smart run the offense more.
Decision making in this instance can be boiled down to shot selection and knowing when to pick up the intensity. Smart’s intensity on the court is not usually a bad thing. You love to see that kind of passion on the court.
Except sometimes it gets the team in trouble, especially on the offensive side. “Heat check” is a familiar term to most fans and Smart has had his fair share of these. Except he keeps shooting long after a hot streak is over.
The three hasn’t been a strong suit in Smart’s career. If he can find a bit more consistency in it, I say keep shooting it. If not, perhaps it’s time to take a look at the next goal.
2. A mid-range jumper
The mid-range jumper is a lost art among today’s NBA players. There are still a few players who can still knock down this shot, but more often than not, players are shooting threes than taking a few steps in to take the two.
Smart might be wise to add the mid-range jumper to his game.
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Three-point shooting has not been a strong suit, with his highest percent coming as a rookie when he shot 33.5 percent. Twice he’s failed to even crack 30 percent in his short career.
Smart is adept at taking the ball to the rim and is a career 75.6 percent free throw shooter. Adding this jumper would add another dimension to his game. Coupled with Rozier, or while no doubt getting minutes with the first team, Smart’s mid-range jumper would provide to be an asset.
Or perhaps, with Rozier improving on offense each year, this might be the year Smart focuses solely on defense and rises to the cream of the crop of the NBA.
3. NBA all-defensive team
Defense has been a key to Smart’s play since arriving in the NBA. At 6-4, Smart has bodied up to opposing team’s point guards to the likes of LeBron James. And he’s been successful at, guarding everyone else in between in the process.
Smart has averaged 1.5 steals in his career and does a great job at help defense as well. Plus, he’s not afraid to get in there and mix things up by taking a charge.
This style of play might have contributed to a few more injuries last season, but there’s no reason to stop going all out. In fact, as long as the Boston Celtics stay healthy, Smart might even give more focus to defense this upcoming season.
All the more reason it should be a goal for Smart to join Al Horford on the NBA All-Defensive team. (Horford made the second-team last season.)
Versatility and physicality are two of the best traits to Smart’s game. Even if his scoring stays steady (or even drops slightly), reaching NBA all-defensive team levels will keep Smart valuable.
And if he becomes more efficient on offense, well, that’s just a cherry on top of the cake.