Skip to main content

Why Marcus Smart is a must-keep, must-start Celtic

Image
By

Smart's value just got bigger with Kemba Walker's knee woes



I am amazed that Marcus Smart still has critics in Boston. He may come in second to Larry Bird as the Celtic who most-used the qualities that God or nature bestowed on him. So we need to change the photo wording "on the departure Kyrie Irving & Al Horford" to "on the worrisome knee issues of Kemba Walker".

Flash back to the 2020 post-season. Still not known as the second coming of Sam Jones, Marcus only hit 39.4% of his field goal attempts, but in the playoffs he averaged 38.1 MPG, 14.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.6 APG, and 1.2 SPG. He was vital to The Green's making it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

For those who weren't around, I see Smart as a hybrid combo of the Jones Boys, Sam and K. C. Sam attempted more than twice as many shots as his back-court partner, K. C., and for good reason. Sam's career FG% was .456, while K. C. hit .387 from the field.

Once Bob Cousy retired, K. C. Jones took over as point guard and was counted on to defend opponents like Jerry West and Oscar Robertson. Sam Jones was the "designated scorer". His points were much-needed in a lineup where Bill Russell, Satch Sanders and K. C. were not known as volume scorers.

For the younger fans, Marcus has some of the Dennis Johnson/Danny Ainge duo in him. He has some of DJ's locked-on defense in his game - and some of Danny's "I never saw a shot I didn't like" quality. Also kind of reminds us a bit of the late, great notorious gunner,Tommy Heinsohn.

Where Smart's points weren't counted on in the past, they are now. Kemba Walker's knee issues may not be going away soon. We may see more bench time for Kemba this regular season to keep him healthy for the playoffs.

Like him or not, Marcus Smart sticks in Boston. This hybrid of the Jones Boys can guard any opponent, supply energy right out of the gate as a starter, can be enough of a scorer to keep defenses honest, and earn the annual (and figurative) Floor Burn Award every year. He's staying and needs to start.

 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

By
 A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.)  Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube   Elm Street  surfaces on six (6) occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He  resided on Elm Street  in Townsend, Massachusetts  2.) He  kidnapped a woman  at gunpoint on  Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) That kidnapped woman fled to the Gillogly residence on Elm Street after escaping from the armed fugitive, Laplante. 4.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 5.) He was  tried, convicted   and sentenced for the murders at  Superior Court , corner of  Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. 6.) The author, Thomas Lane, lived on Elm Steet, Pepperell, Massachusetts while a police Sgt./Lt. for the t...
23 comments
Read more

A sorrowful farewell to Kitty's Restaurant (North Reading, MA) as a family tradition

By
  Time to say "Goodbye" to Kitty's Restaurant - my   family's destination and tradition for six generations and more than 80 years. My memories of Kitty's go back to the early-1950's . I would accompany my dad and grandfather on fishing trips to the Ipswich River in North Reading, Massachusetts - followed by a visit to the restaurant on Main Street. In later years, my wife, Linda, and I would eat there with our two kids, Marc and Lisa - and years later - with our two grand daughters - and still later - with our great grandson, Carson. Author and family at Kitty's approx. 10 years ago Kitty's never disappointed. The drinks were big and well-made . The food was terrific - as were the portions. The service was exceptional and we became well-acquainted with the waiters and waitresses. It all worked so very well for many decades. My grand daughter, Courtney , was particularly fond of the restaurant. She was born with cystic fibrosis , and during her fr...
15 comments
Read more

Wemby versus Kareem as rookies

By
 We already know that the Spurs Victor Wembanyama is going to be an NBA phenomenon, but will he surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by the end of his career. It is highly likely.  I did a "per-36-minutes" comparison between the two stars, mainly because Kareem logged 43.1 MPG in his rookie campaign - while Wemby has been held to only 29.4 MPG. Kareem: 24.1 PPG - 12.1 RPG - 3.4 APG - .518 FG - .653 FT Wemby:  25.9 PPG - 12.9 RPG - 4.5 APG - .463 FG - .796 FT No blocks, steals or 3-pointers were looked at since they were not tracked in Jabbar's first year in the NBA. It should also be noted that Kareem was 22 years old at the time, while Victor started at age 20. Two factors favoring Wembanyama ultimately surpassing Jabbar on any "Best-of-All-Time" charts are his point guard skills , shared by so many European players.  and the fact he is being mentored by Gregg Popovich. His potential seems astounding. But the question remains. Can he garner six Titles and six MVP ...
1 comment
Read more