Marcus Smart is the latest addition for the Los Angeles Lakers and he will presumably play a massive role in head coach JJ Redick’s defensive system.
As a former Defensive Player of the Year, Smart is looking to get back to that caliber of defender again. After dealing with nagging hand and feet injuries, the 31-year-old is looking to regain his previous form in L.A.
Redick showed in his first season as a coach his ability to communicate with players, and that will be important with a guy like Smart that acts as a coach on the floor. Redick earned the respect of his players right away and Smart believes the Lakers coach doesn’t get enough credit for his IQ, via Lakers’ official YouTube account:
“That he’s the same as he played. I don’t think JJ [Redick] gets a lot of credit his IQ and ability of reading the game. Not only as a player, but as a coach and I think being a player that played the way that he played in those many years helps him now as a coach.”
Head coaches in today’s NBA have a short leash, so having buy-in from every player is crucial. For Redick, that helped him greatly as he detailed each player’s role, which resulted in a 50-win debut season.
The Lakers’ roster seemingly had four different versions, including needing to incorporate a new superstar in Luka Doncic, but Redick took it all in stride. Despite road bumps in his first playoff appearance as a coach, he is expected to learn from those mistakes heading into next season.
By adding a legitimate starting center in Deandre Ayton and a vocal and tenacious defender in Smart, L.A.’s roster clearly improved. But, the Western Conference got better as well, so the Lakers have their work cut out for them.
Redick is known to be an extreme competitor and not afraid of the challenges ahead of him. Additionally, his players will have his back fully and Smart is already demonstrating that despite recently signing with L.A.
Marcus Smart learned patience through past two injury-riddled seasons
General manager Rob Pelinka has opted to keep his trade assets this summer and with that, got rewarded by signing players off the buy-out market. Bringing in players of the caliber of Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart on heavily discounted prices is a massive win, even with the lack of other upgrades.
Particularly with Smart, he only played 54 games in the past two seasons, which is difficult for a competitor of his caliber. But, the veteran guard learned patience through these past two years while dealing with lingering injuries and believes he is now healthy and ready to roll.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
