Scouting Marcus Smart: Update 03/10/2013

[NittanyBuc 757]

McLemore shooting 94% on FTs? Damn...

[CTMagicUK 1,488]

Allen Iverson is proof that a low FG% in your freshman season isn't cause for too much concern.

[LaVar 108]

Allen Iverson is proof that a low FG% in your freshman season isn't cause for too much concern.

 

 

even at the nba level, Allen's percent was not great.

[DanA_TBDP 12]

McLemore's 50-40-90 looks really really really good.

[TreyMachine 398]

even at the nba level, Allen's percent was not great.

 

I wouldn't want Allen Iverson as the core player of my team. It's like having Brandon Jennings on your team. Small, quick player who loves to chuck up shots and has a low FG%. I know he was an MVP one season, but he was never a player anyone WANTED to have on their team. He didn't make the guys around him better IMO.

 

Also - I'm on Oladipo or Smart. I just think Oladipo has too much of a motor, work ethic, and athleticism to not be something special in this league.

[LaVar 108]

I wouldn't want Allen Iverson as the core player of my team. It's like having Brandon Jennings on your team. Small, quick player who loves to chuck up shots and has a low FG%. I know he was an MVP one season, but he was never a player anyone WANTED to have on their team. He didn't make the guys around him better IMO.

 

Also - I'm on Oladipo or Smart. I just think Oladipo has too much of a motor, work ethic, and athleticism to not be something special in this league.

I agree with Oladipo and smart. I would also add Otto.

 

Iverson was a great player. I would take him in a heart beat. He was a two way player, clutch, and unstoppable. His teammates were not scorers or shoots, so that hurt him in making them better and his shooting percentage.

[LaVar 108]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1563358-marcus-smart-nba-draft-2013-pro-player-comparison

 

I was also comparing smart to M. Westbrook.

Smart is bigger, stronger, and a better leader, but westbrook is much faster and explosive.

I think smart will become a better passer than westbrook; mostly because he is a lot less selfish.

 

I cant wait to see how we select this year.

[TreyMachine 398]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1563358-marcus-smart-nba-draft-2013-pro-player-comparison

 

I was also comparing smart to M. Westbrook.

Smart is bigger, stronger, and a better leader, but westbrook is much faster and explosive.

I think smart will become a better passer than westbrook; mostly because he is a lot less selfish.

 

I cant wait to see how we select this year.

 

See, while their numbers may be similar, I think Westbrook and Smart are COMPLETELY different players. One is an explosive, head-strong ball-hog. The other is a slower power player with unselfish intangibles.

 

While I love Smart, he's no Westbrook. I've even seen comparisons to James Harden (link). The reason Westbrook and Harden dominate is because they're both very explosive, Westbrook more than Harden. I don't see that explosiveness at all in Smart.

 

Smart has a high basketball IQ and has a great motor & leadership intangibles. He works harder than anyone else apparently. Nonetheless, dominant PG's in the NBA have to be extremely athletic these days (Wall, Rose, Rondo, Westbrook, Paul, etc).

 

The closest comparison I'm giving him is Deron Williams right now, but even then he seems to be a step below Deron in athleticism (though not as much of a head case).

 

Marcus Smart will be a great player, and maybe even a fringe All-Star who can orchestrate a very efficient offense - but mark my words, I am really sold that Victor Oladipo will be something special in this league. The guy is ultra-athletic and makes leaps and bounds each year with how much better he gets, equally the gym-rat that Marcus Smart is.

 

While I won't endorse the comparisons to Wade or MJ, if you watch video tape of both, you'll see that both were great finishers and incredible defenders who adequate jump shots while in College. No one saw MJ or Wade becoming as good as they were in the pros, but their motor made it so. Oladipo and Smart both have that motor, but Oladipo has the athleticism to become something really special.

[CTMagicUK 1,488]

Oladipo is still in my top 3 after yesterdays game but I'm certainly not sold on him being a star of any kind. He's going to be a solid starter who can guard 3 positions, make an open 3 and get some points in transition. If he had any Jordan or Wade in him I imagine he'd have taken more than 6 shots against Syracuse while his team was getting killed.

 

Smart doesn't have the athleticism I agree but I think a Harden comparison is about right (in terms of athleticism). Harden is not an elite athlete by any standard.

[TreyMachine 398]

Oladipo is still in my top 3 after yesterdays game but I'm certainly not sold on him being a star of any kind. He's going to be a solid starter who can guard 3 positions, make an open 3 and get some points in transition. If he had any Jordan or Wade in him I imagine he'd have taken more than 6 shots against Syracuse while his team was getting killed.

 

Smart doesn't have the athleticism I agree but I think a Harden comparison is about right (in terms of athleticism). Harden is not an elite athlete by any standard.

 

5-6 from the field is extremely efficient. I will agree with you that he should have shot more. My question is whether he has the same mentality that plagued LeBron when he originally came into the league - a guy who could be dominant but tended to trust his teammates more than he should.

 

There is a guy I know who has elite athleticism when playing basketball, but doesn't want to be seen as a ball hog and instead emphasizes getting good shots, even if not from him. Sometimes it feels like he needs to be given the green light from teammates to take over. I wonder if that is the same with Oladipo?

[CTMagicUK 1,488]

5-6 from the field is extremely efficient. I will agree with you that he should have shot more. My question is whether he has the same mentality that plagued LeBron when he originally came into the league - a guy who could be dominant but tended to trust his teammates more than he should.

 

There is a guy I know who has elite athleticism when playing basketball, but doesn't want to be seen as a ball hog and instead emphasizes getting good shots, even if not from him. Sometimes it feels like he needs to be given the green light from teammates to take over. I wonder if that is the same with Oladipo?

 

Lebron still averaged 20PPG in his rookie year. And he shot at a low % which might indicate why he tried to get his teammates involved more. To be honest I don't think Oladipo has the skill set to be a number 1 option.

[O_SteveO 102]

Lebron still averaged 20PPG in his rookie year. And he shot at a low % which might indicate why he tried to get his teammates involved more. To be honest I don't think Oladipo has the skill set to be a number 1 option.

If he does, he hasn't really shown it. He certainly doesn't have the handles to create his own shot. But with the lack of number 1 options in this draft, I like Oladipo's overall game as well as anyone's.