What the Celtics are missing without Marcus Smart

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/2015/12/23/what-the-celtics-are-missing-without-marcus-smart/WcmvR6C1syFbBmfO8fvMrL/story.html




What the Celtics are missing without Marcus Smart





Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) drives past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) in the third quarter of an NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015. Boston won 100-85. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
The Celtics have missed Marcus Smart on both ends of the floor.



By AdamKaufman @AdamMKaufman
Boston.com Correspondent | 12.23.15 | 11:51 AM




The Celtics snapped their three-game losing streak in a Kevin Garnett-celebrated win over the Timberwolves Monday night.

The C’s were desperate to shake things up and, due to injuries to Jared Sullinger, Amir Johnson and, of course, Marcus Smart, they had no choice. Still, even against an immensely athletic but inferior foe, it was refreshing to see Boston rediscover its tenacious effort and inspired cohesiveness.

Sullinger (back spasms) and Johnson (plantar fasciitis) will be back soon enough and, fortunately, it appears Smart will be too. Not a moment too soon.

Boston Celtics @celtics
Marcus Smart will travel to CHA as the next step of his rehab but will not play Wed. He'll be limited to light participation in shootaround.
12:01 PM - 22 Dec 2015
 59 59 Retweets   142 142 likes


This update should come as no surprise after listening to Danny Ainge last week.

“He was on the court for the first time [Wednesday], and he’s running around and felt good,” the Celts’ president of basketball operations said of Smart last Thursday on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher and Rich. “Barring any setbacks, [his return] is looking closer to the end of this month to the beginning of the new year. He looks good and we’re excited to get him back soon.”

Smart has missed 16 games since suffering a knee injury in a win over the Nets on Nov. 20, during which time the team has gone 8-8. The Celtics are 10-9 without him overall, including a minor three-game injury absence in early-November. Boston has four games remaining before turning the calendar to 2016, the next two on the road versus the Hornets and Pistons before closing the year at the Garden with the Knicks and Lakers.

Most notably, the defense and the team’s intensity on that end of the floor have suffered minus Smart.

In 19 games sans the elite sophomore guard, the C’s are outscoring their opponents 103.3-100.4, as compared to a 103.6-97.7 margin in nine contests with him. The point-differential is still positive, but drops by three full points. When Smart went down, the Celtics were tied for first in the NBA with a 95.0 defensive rating (number of points allowed per 100 possessions). They’ve since fallen into a third-place tie at 98.1 because of a ninth-place 100.3 rating without him.

Smart’s influence is palpable. The team’s defensive efficiency rating this season is 95.5 with the All-Defense-caliber defender on the floor, third-best behind Jonas Jerebko (94. and Evan Turner (95.3).

Absent the 21-year-old, Johnson has the club’s best rating at 95.6 and only six players have a positive net rating, as compared to 10 when Smart’s in uniform. Most everyone has taken a step back.

“Marcus just gives us the depth; you can always get by without any one of your players for a little bit of time but it does catch up,” Ainge admitted. “Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley’s minutes have increased in Marcus’ absence. Both have had great years, but we need Marcus’ defense and we need his versatility.”

As recently as Saturday, following the Celts’ discouraging effort and communication-lacking home loss to the Hawks, Evan Turner – another player who’s seen his playing time rise since Smart wound up in street clothes – echoed those sentiments.

“We’ve got to get the great Marcus Smart back. That’s what we’re really missing at the end of the day. Or Larry Bird,” joked the veteran.

“I have the utmost respect for Smart as a competitor,” Turner said, turning serious. “He’ll definitely help, because his intangibles are great. Certain games we needed something, defensively, somehow he ended up with a loose ball or a charge, or damn near a fight.”

Smart’s a bulldog, seemingly to his physical detriment, but it’s not just his aggressive defensive impact that’s been missed by the Green. There’s a measurable trickle-down effect throughout the line-up on offense.

Smart’s averaging 9.8 points, 3.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in his nine games; eight starts, whether alongside Avery Bradley or Isaiah Thomas.

While Smart’s obviously randomly capable of erupting for 26 points, the career-best total he scored at Oklahoma City back on Nov. 15 in his return near his old Stillwater stomping grounds, the guard isn’t known for tickling the twine. However, his presence lengthens out the line-up.

When the Celtics have Smart starting in order to emphasize their backcourt and perimeter defense, it forces the more offensively potent Thomas or Bradley back to the bench, thereby providing a spark from the second unit against opponents’ second and third options. It could be argued the most productive combination we saw came just prior to Smart’s injury, when he started beside Thomas while Bradley spent four games thriving off the pine with an average of 18.5 points in just 25.5 minutes. That’s 3.2 points more than Bradley’s season average in 6.1 fewer minutes.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that, with Smart, Boston’s bench is averaging 47.3 points a game this year. Without him, that total drops to 36.3. A lack of the same personnel distribution has not only removed a quality scorer from the bench, raising each guard’s minutes from his season average has limited the ability to have some fresher legs late in games.

In all likelihood, the Celtics’ No. 6 pick in the 2014 NBA draft won’t start immediately upon his return. Once any minute’s restrictions have been lifted, though, you can expect Smart will quickly slide back into that role, thereby giving coach Brad Stevens more options both offensively and defensively.

Hopefully some more consistency from the C’s will follow.



bob
MY NOTE: With his return, our defense will improve and our offense will suffer.


.

There is no question that the Cs have really missed this kid. He may be one of their most valuable players even with some offensive inefficiencies.

Bob, I agree with your brief assessment about the defense improving and the offense possibly suffering, but this guy rallies the troops when he is on the court to the point that having him back will still benefit the team in many ways.

Also, he is going to get his offensive game improved a little bit more each season and will become even more valuable as time goes on. He is improved this year on offense already (when not injured) over his rookie season.

Bob

I don't see our offense suffering at all when Smart is playing. How much more suffering can there be when we go 8 minutes without a made FG like last evening.

He is not a turnover machine. He has decent handle and can get to the rim and make his foul shots.

I buy in that he is not a good shooter, but neither was Havlicek. Like him he is an energy source. When our defense is hounding people it makes out offense that much better. We get some easy hoops.

One play last eve vs the Hornets Turner go a deflection and started up court. David Lee how was near the midcourt line should have turned an ran down the right wing but all he did was stand a half court. I don't recall how the possession ended but when we struggle shooting the ball we need to get better easier shots and not filling a lane on a fast brake when you're right there is a SIN in my book.

My view is we play better on both ends when Smart is in the game.

beat

Maybe a little like Dennis Johnson. I always wondered what his shooting % was in the last few minutes of the game. Always seemed higher to me when it was on the line.

Pete

another thought

so he averages 10 PPG

if he keeps a 20 PPG scorer under his average say 15 points, isn't that just as important as Smart getting 15 himself?

If the opponents best scorer is struggling because of our defense and because of Smart doesn't that have a sort of trickledown affect on the other players on that team?

I refer it as a boa constrictor defense. At first it just wraps you up..............then it squeezes the life out of you. And we need Smart to make it work the best.

beat

I agree with Pete.

Smart reminds me of Dennis Johnson in a lot of ways. never was a good pct shooter, but he'd make that key shot in the end. was a bulldog on the defensive end and seemed to make other players better around him , somehow.

Thanks kdp, there will be something extra under the tree for you this year!

Happy holidays everyone!

Pete

For what its worth! 2015-16 Celtic plus/minus stats

Celtics guards with at least 25 minutes played per game and their teams plus/minus while they were on the floor.
Thomas - 32.3 minutes per game - plus 4.9
per 36 min - plus 5.4

Bradley - 31.8 minutes per game - plus 4.3
per 36 min - plus 4.9


Smart - 29.1 minutes per game - plus 2.8
per 36 min - plus 3.4

swish

Swish,

Stats are a big part of basketball evaluation, but some of the things that a (any?) player can bring to his team often go beyond basic stats of any kind.

I believe that Smart, although just a second year guy) fits in completely with his contributions not totally measured with stats.  He is a leader in many ways on this team, and they play much better when he plays.

And, on top of that, he is going to continue to get better and better as an individual player for at least the next five seasons.

wideclyde

I sure hope that you are right about his future improvement but until his numbers catch up to the level of many of his peers I'll continue to view him as a young player with severe limitations in his offensive game.

swish