Marcus Smart was a thorn in the Los Angeles Lakers’ side for nearly a decade as a member of the Boston Celtics. However, L.A. jumped on the opportunity of bringing in Smart when the Washington Wizards bought him out during this past offseason.
Injuries have hampered the former Defensive Player of the Year in recent years and he was looking to rehab his value with the Lakers. At 31-years-old, Smart has flaws as a player, but he slots in nicely to fill the void Dorian Finney-Smith left as a vocal leader.
Despite shooting poorly, 40.7% from the field and 23.3% from 3-point range, Smart’s defensive impact is felt tremendously. Admittedly, L.A. does not have upper-echelon defensive personnel, but having a player who takes pride in defense empowers others to follow his lead.
Head coach JJ Redick appreciates Smart incorporating a competitive and physical nature to the team. With LeBron James out, the veteran guard is assuming that quarterback role on defense and Redick is looking forward to both of them being on the floor together at some point.
“Yeah, we have to be a physical defense to be a good defense, just like most teams, and I like using the term like the quarterback of the defense out there,” Redick said. “And last year for us, that was LeBron, and we’re excited at some point to get LeBron back because then we’ll have two quarterbacks out there because Marcus has really embraced that for us, and it’s been very impactful for that side of the floor.”
Even as a ball-handler, Smart is a connective piece to relieve pressure off of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. If he is able to recapture an around league average 3-point percentage, it will be harder for him to get off the floor.
To begin this season, the Lakers’ schedule was not too difficult, but the injuries were already piling up. With that being the case, no one envisioned a strong early-season start for L.A.
A key reason for it though is Redick getting his team to compete every night, no matter who is on the floor. Smart is a prime reason behind this culture shift and hopefully it sustains for a full 82-game season.
Luka Doncic: Marcus Smart does some things defensively ‘I’ve never seen in my life’
JJ Redick needs his team to buy in on the defensive end due to a lack of true two-way players on the roster. But so far, Deandre Ayton has shown flashes as a rim protector, Jake LaRavia as an aggressive on-ball defender and Marcus Smart as a commanding presence.
Luka Doncic is taking notes of what Smart is doing for this team, saying he’s done some things defensively that he has never seen in his life.
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