Marcus Smart Finding Groove From 3-Point Range
BOSTON (CBS) -- Perimeter shooting was supposed to be a weak part of Marcus Smart's game when the Celtics drafted him at the No. 6 spot in the 2014 NBA Draft. In his rookie season though, he surprised many by shooting a respectable 33 percent from 3-point range, albeit in a streaky fashion.
That number led to plenty of optimism that the 21-year-old guard would show more growth with his outside range in year two of his pro career. However, his early season shooting numbers indicated that Smart's rookie performance may have been a fluke. Up until Jan. 24, the Oklahoma State product had hit just 19.9 percent of his shots from beyond the arc, despite taking 3.8 attempts per game (fourth on the team). Those ugly numbers ranked among the worst in the NBA out of qualified guards and put Boston's offense at a major disadvantage when Smart was on the floor most nights.
Despite the slow start, Brad Stevens was not overly alarmed about all the misfires by Smart. A knee injury that kept the hybrid guard out of action for most of December led to some shooting rust for January in the head coach's mind. Stevens preached patience with the youngster on the offensive end while watching him do so many other things well on the floor.
"I'm not sure from a shooting standpoint it's fair [to judge him yet)," ]Stevens said a couple weeks back. "I think that we'll be able to better gauge that down the road."
Smart himself believed he needed more reps in the gym as he battled the slump and he got some of those last weekend as the Celtics game in Philadelphia was snowed out on Saturday. The postponement resulted in an unexpected day of practice and Smart spent the time getting up extra shots.
That extra work has produced immediate dividends for the guard over the team's past five games. Smart is shooting 13-for-27 from 3-point range over that stretch, including 5-for-9 Sunday night as he scored a season-high 26 points in Boston's 119-114 setback to the Orlando Magic.
Smart credits the improvement to his extra time spent in the gym.
"I've been able to get in the gym and get my shots up and get my repetition," Smart said Wednesday.
The increased firepower from long distance has produced a more dangerous all-around Smart for Boston in the past week. The 6-foot-4 guard is averaging 15 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.8 steals in those last five games, production that has given him the team's second best net rating (+11.5) over that span.
"He's clearly in a better rhythm than when he first came back," Stevens said last week. "Probably more importantly, the guys that are playing with him, I think they've adjusted nicely to each other, but it took them a while to. Especially that [bench] group. Marcus is a guy that adds value to the group, defensively, for sure. And then, the way we like to play, I like having multiple ball handlers on the floor at once. And he can play off the ball, post a little, or play with it."
While there have been plenty of positive developments amidst the Celtics' switch to small-ball in the past few weeks, Smart's offensive play may be the most promising one, if he can improve upon last year's perimeter showing.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter@CelticsHub.
