Another outstanding Luka Doncic performance and the return of Austin Reaves will get all of the headlines in the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Charlotte Hornets. But the player who really set the tone and was the spark to turn things around after a questionable start was veteran guard Marcus Smart.
After giving up 40 points in the first quarter, the Lakers locked in defensively and allowed just 38 total in the second and third combined as they would pull away for a 10-point win. And it was Smart who led the charge on that end as he totaled seven steals on the night, one off his career-high, to go along with 13 points and six assists.
The energy and focus on the defensive end is why the Lakers signed Smart this offseason and he has brought exactly what is needed to this team. And after the win, he spoke about how doing those little things on the defensive end aren’t always noticed but are essential to winning in this league, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“It’s part of it, just trying to make an impact any way you can, use my instincts to the best of my ability. Getting the steals or not getting the steals, putting myself in the position to be able to help my team. Whether that’s communicating, whether it’s guarding certain guys and things like that. Unfortunately, we’re in a league where things like that go a lot of times unnoticed, or it’s not as loud as scoring 40 [points] or stuff like that. But it takes those types of things to win games and to win championships.”
Smart has been crucial to the Lakers’ strong start to the season because of that mindset. But he also knows that the Lakers have to do a better job starting these games as they will continue to get the opposition’s best shot:
“Just trying to be aggressive. I came out in the second quarter and I picked up full and got steals that kind of led into the rest of what we saw tonight. We started off slow, we gotta expect that though. We gotta expect teams are gonna give us their best shot, especially early. We gotta do a better job of sustaining those runs and not letting it get out of control like we did tonight and when we were in Atlanta.”
The stars have to lead the way, but it is the performance of the role players that will determine whether the Lakers can be true championship contenders. Smart has been giving the Lakers exactly what they hoped and he will continue to set the tone on that end for this squad.
JJ Redick calls Marcus Smart the quarterback of the Lakers’ defense
What Marcus Smart brings to this Lakers team is not lost on head coach JJ Redick as he called the veteran guard the quarterback of this team’s defense, a role which he feels LeBron James held last season.
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