Rajon Rondo 2.0 will wear Celtic green next season.
The Boston Celtics too a big step in the right direction of helping their stuttering offence by drafting Marcus Smart with the sixth pick overall in the 2014 draft.
Thanks in large part to only being 26th in the NBA in scoring and 28th in field goal percentage, the Celtics were handed their highest first round pick since 2007.
With it those chose Smart, who grew to national attention playing for Oklahoma State for two seasons where he averaged 18 points a game as a sophomore.
In the short-term, Smart will be able to learn from starting point guard Rajon Rondo.
In the end the student could take the place of the teacher as the Celtics are reportedly continuing to look at ways of moving Rondo to build assets for their aggressive re-building period.
Smart can be summed up in one word: aggressive. He has an innate ability to get to the basket and he uses that skill to his advantage.
There were only 27 players in the country who attempted more free throws last season than Smart, who earned 250 attempts from the charity stripe. Had he not missed three games, it’s conceivable that he would have been in the top 10 in the nation in that category.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said he likes how hard Smart has worked on his outside shot to compliment his ability to slash and score.
“He’ll get good range on his shot,” Stevens said Thursday night. “He’s got good arc on his shot. He’s got pretty good mechanics. He’s worked hard on it.”
“In our last workout that we had with him, he reeled off about four or five in a row in live competition from 3 with the games on the line,” Stevens said. “So shooting is something I think he’ll improve and get better at.”
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