Draft Match Up: Marcus Smart vs. Elfrid Payton
By Mike Garcia
Skill Level – Passing
Both Smart and Payton are adept at playmaking. Smart though, plays like a shooting guard converted into the point guard position. His natural ability is to attack the basket and score. Payton, on the other hand, is more of the natural playmaker. He isn’t as dynamic as Smart as a scorer, but is more dynamic within the skill of breaking down a defense. Both players do a great job hitting the roll-man off of pick-and-rolls and kicking out to the shooters once they draw in the defense, but it seems that Payton is the more creative passer than Smart.
This is not a discredit to Smart. Payton is simply a more natural point guard. Smart, on the other hand, has better passing abilities from the post. Great guards have court awareness, regardless of their position on the floor. But, Smart’s ability to pass from a post position in isolation, may make him more dynamic within the half-court set.
Post-up point guards are rare. Classic point guards are rare too.