Yes, Phil Pressey Noticed Marcus Smart Can Play His Position

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2014/07/phil_pressey_noticed_that_bost.html



Yes, Phil Pressey noticed that Boston Celtics draft pick Marcus Smart can play his position





Boston Celtics guard Phil Pressey (26) passes the ball against the defense of Washington Wizards center Kevin Seraphin (13) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, April 16, 2014. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)


Print Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com
on July 01, 2014 at 10:00 PM, updated July 01, 2014 at 10:14 PM




WALTHAM – Phil Pressey went undrafted. His contract is not guaranteed for next season. He has always known the tentative nature of his NBA life. Yet when he saw the Boston Celtics draft fellow point guard Marcus Smart, Pressey's eyes initially opened wide.

"Whenever you have someone at your position, you feel like: 'What's going on?'" Pressey admitted Tuesday after the first summer league practice. “But in my eyes it’s competition. And the more you compete, the more the team gets better and guys (are) really getting after it. Every year in, somebody else is going to come in your position or somebody else's positions; you just have to keep working, keep trying to get better, and hopefully the best will come out of it.”

Pressey showed elite court vision, disruptive defense and a fun unselfishness during his rookie season, but it’s really tough to stay in the NBA as an undersized point guard who can’t shoot a lick. To address his weaknesses, he has spent much of the offseason working out with the coaching staff in Waltham, saying, “I really dedicated this whole summer to the game of basketball." Obviously, a major focus was extending his range and presumably becoming more of a threat to score off the bounce.

If Pressey can knock down open jump shots, he already does a lot of things teams want from a backup point guard. But it’s not lost on him that the Celtics now have two other primary ball-handlers in Smart and four-time All-Star Rajon Rondo.

“Competition, that just makes you better,” Pressey said. “When you got guys on the same level, trying to reach one thing; we're trying to win. Competition is no problem for me. Everybody is just trying to get better. It doesn't matter who is on the court. We're all basketball players and the most important thing is winning."

He added: “I feel great (about the contract status). I just have to keep proving myself. I’ve had a chip on my shoulder since Day One. That's not gonna change. I just have to keep working on my game and try to win as much as possible. That's all I can control.

“My whole life, that’s my biggest thing is winning. I have never been a loser so I’m just trying to get back on the winning ways.”




bob
MY NOTE:  Yeah, I know all about our need for a center, but focusing on this could be fun too.  Man oh man, between Phil at PG and Avery at SG I think Marcus is going to make both of them crazy.


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It's hard to think that Phil could have done more to impress the Celtics this past season, given that he's not a naturally gifted shooter.

Now he has to complete the job and become an artificially gifted shooter.

Sam