I Really Hope Marcus Smart Didn't Just Tell The Biggest Lie Ever Told

Advertisement

I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but laugh a little bit reading these tweets. What Brad said technically isn't a lie. We've seen Marcus improve his three point shooting in 3 of his last 4 seasons, and while he decreased last years to 34%, that was still right around league average. His three point shot is not as much as an issue as many will lead you to believe. He's a passable shooter, which is certainly not what he was early in his career. Honestly, Marcus Smart's three point shooting is the ultimate divider of Celts fans. No player on the roster makes you want to claw your eyes out at times while also giving you supreme confidence when he starts to get hot. It truly is remarkable. For me personally, you cannot pick and choose when it comes to the Marcus Smart Experience. You can't love him for his All NBA defense, winning plays, heart and soul, and then get mad when he shoots threes. It's all part of the package. It's a roller coaster of emotions every single night.

It's why I have no problem with Smart shooting threes. As long as they are good threes taken at the right times. Did you know he shot 40% on pull up threes last year? 40%! On 3.9 pull up attempts a night! That's legit. Now where he struggles is more catch and shoot situations. He only shot 31% in those. It should also be noted that for every one of these runs

There's also a 4-13 from three in GM6 vs Miami. I'm pretty sure NOBODY was complaining about his shooting when it basically won you the Toronto series, but then they do have a problem when the shots don't go in. Take a look around Celtics Twitter after his brutal shooting performance against the Nets in a preseason game. Again, you can't have it both ways.

That's why what Smart said is the only thing that matters. Shot selection is the most important part of his game. It's not that he shouldn't take any threes, it's that he needs to be better at recognizing WHEN to take them. For example, when the Celts have their classic start where they begin a game 1-11, that is not the time for Smart to unload 6 straight threes and the next thing you know the Celts are down 15 points. That does more harm than good. 

Advertisement

I also don't really need Marcus taking clutch time threes. In the regular season last year he shot just 25% from deep in "clutch" situations, and that number dipped to 20% in last year's playoffs during "clutch" situations. So as you can see, there are times Smart needs to be better about pulling the trigger. When the Celts have a slow start, I prefer Smart use his size to attack the rim. In the big pressure moments, let's have Tatum (35.7% clutch 3P) or Jaylen (41.2%) take those big pressure threes. 

So if he's telling us that he's going to pay more attention to his shot selection, my question mostly has to do with if there is anyone showing him what a good or bad shot actually. What's Brad doing in this regard. If nobody is going to teach Smart what a bad shot is, how do we know he'll be able to improve his shot selection?

Luckily for us, we'll all be able to tell if Smart improves his shot selection. That's easy to track. Then if he doesn't, now that he promised he would I expect him to be asked about it. Let's hold him accountable as a leader of this team. Don't tell me you're going to put a huge emphasis on your shot selection and then still take ill advised threes at the wrong moments on a consistent basis. Every now and then? I get it, that's just basketball. But there's a difference between that and not showing any signs of improvement. 

I sure hope he's not lying, because it really is the biggest thing he needs to improve.