Impressive Marcus Smart Stat Illustrates His Positive Impact on Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart has never been one to concern himself with stats. Celtics fans know from Smart’s time in Boston that his impact doesn’t always show up in the box score. Smart’s consistent effort on defense and willingness to sacrifice his body have always made him a winning player whenever he steps on the floor. He also has a knack for hitting massive shots in the clutch, even though his shot selection and shot-making capability can look pretty ugly during less important stretches.
Smart’s now a Laker, of course, and he’s proving to be a good fit on Luka Dončić’s squad so far. Smart’s 8.8 points, 2.5 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game through four games (27.3 minutes per game) won’t wow anyone, but his plus/minus rating is another story, entirely.
Smart is +45 through his first four games played with the purple and gold.
Los Angeles was really smart to sign Marcus in the offseason. He’s a perfect fit alongside a player like Dončić who needs defensive support around him. And while it feels like Smart’s been around forever, he’s still only 31 years old, which means that he should be able to provide awesome value for the Lakers over the complete duration of his two-year deal (player option for next season), provided he can stay healthy.
Durability issues have sometimes plagued Smart, not due to any mental or physical fragility, but due to the reckless abandon he plays with every night.
The Lakers are 4-2 to start the season, and you have to be happy that Smart has found a new team that he’s a good fit with. It was sad for Celtics fans to see Smart miss out on a title in 2024. He’s the kind of player that deserves a ring, and it’ll be interesting to see how long he stays with the Lakers.