The Los Angeles Lakers signed Marcus Smart this past offseason to bring the team some veteran leadership as well as an outstanding perimeter defender, which this roster sorely needed. And to this point, Smart has been everything the team could have asked for.
Smart is averaging 9.9 points, 3.2 assists and 2.2 steals so far this season and his impact is obvious. Smart has set the tone in numerous games this year with his energy and ability to create havoc on the court, but many questioned whether he still could play at his previous level after a couple of rough seasons since being traded away by the Boston Celtics.
But Lakers coach JJ Redick believes his struggles coincided with Smart being on winning and relevant teams, something he can relate to as a former player. And Redick believes that desire for Smart is now being fulfilled by being on the Lakers and the results show it, which is similar to one point in his own playing career, via Josue Pavon of Clutch Points:
“It was a similar conversation I had with Doc Rivers when I was pitching to join the Clippers. I told Doc I needed to be a part of a winning team. I needed to be a part of a relevant team — that’s really important to me. For Marcus, starting his career in Boston, being in the NBA Finals, and being on a bunch of playoff teams that made these runs, he craves that as well.
“We’ve discussed it early, it’s been discussed since; that environment creates an opportunity for him to use his voice, which is another thing we talked about in free agency. Another thing we’ve talked about since is how he can help on the leadership side,” Redick concluded.
Smart confirmed Redick’s thoughts as well, saying he has plenty left in the tank and is able to show that he can still make an impact on a winning team:
“I got a lot left in the tank, just wanted him to know that I had that,” Smart tells ClutchPoints. “Unfortunately, I’ve just been on teams that kind of got lost in the sauce—teams tanking, team not on TV, smaller markets. So, for me, it’s getting back to making an impact on a winning team.”
There are certain players throughout the league that just do certain things which really stand out on competitive teams with championship aspirations. It doesn’t always show up in the boxscore, but it greatly impacts winning and those things can often go overlooked on bad teams.
Smart is one of those players and being in the bright lights of L.A. on the NBA’s premier franchise has allowed for him to remind many across the league that he is still an important piece on a roster.
Marcus Smart leading the way for Lakers on the defensive end
As a former Defensive Player of the Year it should be expected that Marcus Smart’s primary role for the Lakers is on that end of the floor. And Smart takes pride in setting the tone for the Lakers on defense.
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