A flaw heading into this past season for the Los Angeles Lakers was their lack of intensity on defense. Marcus Smart was brought in off the buyout market to aid in those efforts and to his credit, he was a much-needed voice on the floor for L.A. throughout the season.
With a limited number of athletes and defensive-minded players on the Lakers, they needed to get by with stellar communication and hustle, which is exactly where Smart thrived. The former Defensive Player of the Year consistently brought scrappy two-way play to the team.
Despite being a pest on the defensive end, Smart pulled back the curtain and revealed he is a different person off the court, via Taylor Geas of Lakers.com:
“If somebody followed me for a day,” explained Marcus Smart, “I think what would surprise them the most is how chill of a guy I am. And how goofy I really am. I’m just a big kid, but you see me on the court, you see me in a whole different light.”
“You’re mean on the court,” he was told.
“I’m way meaner,” he replied with a laugh. “I’m way more intense. That’s my motto. If anyone really knows me, they understand when I step on the court in between the lines, it’s time to work. We’re going to work. And then afterwards we can have all the fun in the world. But when we’re on the court, we’re working.”
At the end of the day, these players are humans and have lives outside of basketball. On the other hand, they are the world’s top athletes competing for championships and Smart is one of those players who can impact winning without filling up the statsheet because of his intensity and IQ.
After being traded from the Boston Celtics, Smart struggled to stay healthy and was not a part of contending teams. Now coming to L.A., he was back on that stage and his winning plays were felt on a night-to-night basis.
To Smart’s credit, he has shown he can flip that switch on and off, which not everyone can do. There’s no denying it is healthier to be able to step away from a competitive atmosphere and enjoy life outside of basketball, which he seems to have found a nice balance between the two.
JJ Redick compares Marcus Smart joining Lakers to when he signed with Clippers
Following his departure from Boston, Smart struggled to re-establish himself as a valuable role player. By not playing on winning basketball team , his value was put into question.
However, JJ Redick believes Smart needed to be part of a relevant team, comparing it to when he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers back in 2013.
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