06-07-2021, 12:45 PM
(06-07-2021, 12:36 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: I am an admitted Smart hater, so this might be biased of me, but the above is kind of how I feel, too.
I think Smart's impact here would be very much chapter 3 of the book that starts with a Delon Wright chapter and then a Josh Richardson chapter. I foresee a lot of Smart trying to make things happen with the ball in his hands, just like he does in Boston to drive their fans crazy, and just like Richardson did here to drive most of us crazy.
Maybe he's so much better than Richardson that it wouldn't be an issue, idk. I'm just really skeptical.
Wright is a 3-4 assist guy who was just not aggressive enough in Dallas. J Rich is even worse, more like 2-3 assist. Smart was close to 6 apg and averages are more like 5. His defense is elite, 2 time all-NBA, great toughness. Makes a lot of plays that don't show up on the stat sheet. I just like having big-time competitors like. Luka, Smart, DFS all in the same lineup.
He will do some chucking on you but I think you will have to live with some of that and hope that Rick coaches it out of him. That being said Mavs need some aggressiveness in that backcourt. I also think Smart setting the tone on defense is going to be a big-time gamechanger.
Mavs can talk all they want in a 2 week preseason ab how they are going to "focus" on defense but of course it doesn't matter if they don't have the personnel. You get Smart, Batum, Mitchell Robinson then you have actual good to great defenders in the lineup around Luka.