Marcus Smart Wise Beyond His Years On Defense

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4714898/smart-wise-beyond-his-years-on-defense



Marcus Smart wise beyond his years on defense
October, 7, 2014
OCT 7 11:04 PM ET
By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com



http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:11656061




WALTHAM, Mass. -- By the end of Monday night, the Philadelphia 76ers’ ball handlers seemed sick of seeing Boston Celtics rookie Marcus Smart in front of them, and the team’s big men appeared resigned to the fact that there was little they could do to steer him in another direction.

A cursory glance at the box score would leave most assuming Smart had a rather lackluster preseason debut -- missing all eight shots he took over 27 minutes -- but the stat line ignores his influence at the opposite end of the floor. Of Smart’s defense, Celtics coach Brad Stevens raved, “He’s one of these guys that I think will get stronger as the game goes along defensively, and that’s hard to play against for the whole time.”

Stevens credited Smart’s gritty defense for helping the Celtics erase an early 10-point deficit and run away with a 98-78 triumph in the team’s exhibition opener at TD Garden. Stevens had said on the second day of training camp last week that Smart had the potential to be a game-changer on the defensive end, and early returns suggest the rookie is capable of living up to that lofty hype.

Smart didn't have a lockdown night -- Synergy Sports data suggests he allowed eight points on 10 total plays finished by the man he was defending for a good-but-not-great 0.80 points per play -- but that can’t quantify the way Smart disrupted Philadelphia’s offense with his pressure on and off the ball.

So we decided to seek out Boston’s Dean of Defense, Avery Bradley, to get his take on Smart’s debut and what he’s shown to this point in training camp. Bradley, from his perch alongside Smart in the starting lineup, confirmed the glowing review from Stevens.



David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports
Marcus Smart's gritty defense keyed the Celtics' comeback win in their exhibition opener.


“I think he’s capable of helping us a lot,” Bradley said. “He puts pressure on the offensive player every single time down the floor, and he doesn’t gamble. That’s crazy because he’s young, and a lot of young guys like to gamble. He just plays great, solid defense.”

Watching the game film, it’s hard not to notice just how active Smart is. There was a sequence early in the first quarter when 76ers center Henry Sims twice tried to set a high screen on Smart, hoping to give point guard Tony Wroten a bit of breathing room. The first time, Smart beat Sims to the spot and actually muscled him back on his heels while forcing his way to Wroten. Sims pivoted to try again, and Smart slipped right past him to prevent Wroten from driving directly at the basket.

Dribble penetration was a major issue for the Celtics last season, but Smart’s ability to move through screens should allow Boston’s often-undersized back line to stay at home instead of scrambling with help. And Smart is active with his hands, which helped him generate three steals Monday while disrupting passing lanes.

“I’ve coached a lot of really bright guys at a lot of different ages. Very, very, very few at 20 years old can see the game and react to the game defensively like that,” Stevens said of Smart. “He has the ability to react athletically, too. He can really move. He’s very physical. I’ve said this before, he was really well coached, and combine that with the fact that he’s got a good savvy for the game.”

As Monday’s game proved, Smart’s offensive game is a work in progress. His shooting has been scrutinized coming out of college, and he’s still learning how to run an offense from the point guard spot. But his ability to impact the game on the defensive end is going to ensure his featured spot in Boston’s rotation and give him every opportunity to learn by experience.

Stevens believes Smart needs to slow himself down a bit -- advice that most rookies hear this time of year. The second-year Celtics coach noted that Smart must make his reads and calls earlier but believes that will come in time. The eight-game exhibition schedule is critically important to getting both Smart and newcomer Evan Turner comfortable running the offense while Rajon Rondo recovers from the hand injury that is expected to sideline him for the start of the regular season.

Stevens also was adamant that Smart’s shots eventually would fall.

“He’s going to shoot it fine,” Stevens said. “I may end up sounding like a broken record on that; it’s very much the least of my concerns right now with him.”

It gave us flashbacks to when former Celtics coach Doc Rivers would utter the same sentiment about Bradley. With Bradley coming off the best offensive season of his career, it’s easy to forget there was a time during his rookie season when many wondered if Bradley would ever make a shot. Rivers was indeed a broken record, as he repeatedly told reporters Bradley made everything in practice and promised it would eventually translate to games. By the end of his sophomore season, Bradley had replaced Ray Allen as the team’s starting shooting guard.

Bradley doesn’t want Smart worrying about any negatives.

“It’s just confidence,” Bradley said. “You have to have confidence that you’re going to make the next one. It’s preseason, you’re going to make mistakes, you’re going to miss shots. You just have to continue to keep putting that work in during practice and continue to keep having confidence. That’s what we all told [Smart]. He was getting down on himself a few times, because he’d turn it over and not make the next pass. We told him, 'You’re going to make those mistakes.’”

Bradley is only 23, but he’s one of the most tenured players on the roster, entering his fifth NBA season. He laughs at the mention of his early struggles and recalls how veteran players would pull him aside every single practice to encourage him.

Now he’s doing the same with Smart. And Stevens joins the chorus.

“If [Smart] goes into a shell, that’s when I’ll get mad at him,” Stevens said. “It’s about growing, learning, believing in yourself, shooting the next one with confidence. He’s in here all the time. We practice once, and he’ll come back at 5 or 5:30 and shoot. When we were in the [offseason] and he’d come in during the morning, he always came back at night and shot. He is a guy that is putting in the work.”

Bradley agreed.

“If they see you putting that work in every single day and you come into the game and you miss some shots, it’s like, ‘All right, he puts the work in,’” he said. “Those shots are going to fall eventually.”

Until they do, the Celtics are content that Smart will create enough misses with his defense to make up for any shortcomings on the offensive end.




bob
MY NOTE:  I'm already starting to get tired of the "Smart is wise" and "Smart and Young" and "Smart is smart" gimmes we're getting from the sportswriters.  Got it.  His name, and James Young's, has common meaning and is in the dictionary.  There comes a point where beating the horse doesn't improve its work output anymore because you've killed it and, from that point on, you're merely tenderizing it.  

Forsberg isn't my favorite Boston sportswriter but he does get great access, as you'd expect from ESPN, and he's not total farina like Blakely (who also gets great access, as you'd expect from Comcast Sportsnet New England).  I thought this was a better than usual effort from him since he referenced some stuff that actually happened (as opposed to just reporting what was spoken).  I should thank him for reminding me of Avery Bradley's first couple of years in the league, offensively.  Doc and Danny swore by his shooting, we just didn't see it on the court until his nervousness were completely gone.  His calling card was his defense and so that's what he focused on.  Once he learned the league he put the time and effort into his shooting confidence and it has paid off for him (and us).  Marcus Smart will be the same.  I didn't give him enough credit for his defense in my post game post.  Watching the various .gifs and film from the game over the past 2 days pointed out what I missed.  He was actually everywhere on defense.




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Bradley's full court pressure - to me, reminiscent of Tony Allen's - is great the watch. That said, however, I think opposing coaches may fear Smart more this year. He's never been hurt, that I know of, and so may have to worry less about shoulders and ankles, let alone knees. And he's much bigger.
If Danny can us a center with the same proportions, we're off the races. Hawk

Bradley's full court pressure WAS great to watch when he used to do it frequently. In the first exhibition game, I saw him go three-quarters court exactly once, and I've commented many times on what I believe to be the fact that he's been far less disruptive in the past couple of seasons—perhaps because he's devoted more of his energies to offense.

I think we all "get" the fact that Marcus Smart is a very good defensive player. Let us delight in that fact while focusing on the areas where he most needs substantial improvement—namely just about every phase of offense.

Sam