One thing that goes unsaid about having Marcus is that he is literally the perfect mentor for Bronny to model his game after.
Funny how these things go. If we drafted 1 spot higher and took Marcus instead of Randle, we wouldn't draft Zo and probably would take like, Tatum or something. The we wouldn't trade for Brick. Probably would have traded BI + Marcus to NOLA for AD though.
Absolutely loved what he did this series. Need scoring for a few games? He delivered. Need the defense ratcheted up? No problem- he always delivers.
It did not go unsaid. I harped on it before the season ever started. And it's part of why, in spite of the obvious improvements (hello OX and the rest of his un-merry band of haters ) he has made, I was getting frustrated until he at last recently started to fix it, with his hands not up defense. Where the H were you on that Marcus, Pops, teammates and the entire coaching staff ??
He pretty much won the game for us only on defensive actions. Unbelievable He got at least 3 offensive fouls from the Rockets More interesting is that his first bucket is with 6 minutes left to play in Q4. Incredible how he impacts the game, we need more guys like him
Smart is going to be really important in the next series, if he can have the same defensive impact, it'll help alot. Can't wait to see how he goes, guys a real competitor.
Offense was rough, but considering the team wide no show, he was our 3rd best offensive player. But I want to bring props to the defensive end. I thought he was DPOY elite against SGA. He and JJ held the fraud to 8 makes, 18 points and only 3 FTAs. 2nd best Laker on the floor tonight. Gotta bring him back no matter what.
Played atrociously bad offense after game 4 against Rockets. Too reliant on him being a defender that he can't do it himself and his offense suffered. Not knocking him but his offense wasn't there at all vs OKC. Not really seeing the overall market for Smart around the league. Realistically, only a contender would want him and which contender has the funds to spend $8-10 million on Smart? An aging player instead of developing a younger player doesn't make sense for too many teams. I would like to see the Lakers offer him a two year $16 million deal, no player option. We can't be playing these back-and-forth deals every year being unsure on what the offseason plans are because you have too many player option deals. Somehow Rob always added those deals in even when not necessary. Either you want to play for the Lakers or we move on. Anything above that, I'm not sure he's worth keeping. The problem with a guy like Smart is he's good enough to get minutes but he's at the age where those minutes could go to a younger player who can develop into something rather than just being on the bench getting no opportunity. So unless you can snag Smart for a really good deal, Lakers have to weigh whether or not they want to go the younger route and try to develop some younger talent that they can build a 5-10 year career with instead. Smart is a mercenary at this point of his career. I love his game and his fit. I just don't think he's worth more than $8 million.
I don’t think he’s mercenary, not having orchestrated the two trades from C Bags and Memphis, while choosing to come play with Luka and LeBron, and in all his words since seems grateful to be here and playing meaningful minutes again. Pretty sure he’ll sign again to mutually advantageous deal.
I couldn't disagree more. Smart is the heart of the team. The enforcer. The grit. He impacts winning without shooting a ball. Just yesterday he gets a steal at the end of Q1 and an offensive foul during our run on the 3rd that just ignites the team. He absolutely needs to be re-signed and is a priority for me. I also believe there's MLE market for him he can just be plugged into any team effortlessly. I'm pretty he stays and we find a deal that works for both parties. You can't have such an impactful season in a team that is building his identity and walk away from it. Plus, defense will continue to be the area to improve the most next season and certainly Smart will be key on that. He's also very... smart and a vocal leader, that's priceless when you're planning to bring guys who will need to learn the defensive schemes and communication principles
His averages starting in game 4 against Houston to the end of the playoffs. So these are his 7 game out of ten games in the playoffs averages. 32 FG%, 27 3P%, 9 points, and as many turnovers as assists. I'm not saying the Lakers shouldn't try and re-sign him. But he's also not worth THAT much. I don't see priority. I see a guy who if you can get around $8-10 million, you do it. If not, you look elsewhere.
