The Better Season: Jordan Clarkson or Marcus Smart?
Prior to the NBA Draft, Marcus Smart found himself at the Lakers training facility for a pre-draft work out. Quickly, he separated himself from his peers by the constant aggression and tenacity he displayed in scrimmages, even as character questions from on-court incidents at Oklahoma State followed him. But talent always trumps immaturity and everyone set his past behavior aside, for the short term. Besides, the Lakers had bigger concerns. They were searching for a player with point guard skills and mental toughness.
Jordan Clarkson was not a lottery pick. He was not invited to the splashiest workouts among the NBA’s worst teams. An explosive combo guard out of Missouri, Jordan worked out for the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors. His baggage coming into the draft was his inconsistent shooting in a league filled with scoring combo guards. He also wasn’t skilled at running a team. He was more suited for the shooting guard position. When Clarkson slid into the second round, the Lakers who didn’t have a pick, bought the pick from the Washington Wizards who drafted Clarkson.
Eight months later both players have created a body of work.
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Marcus Smart is the better pure point but we knew that on draft day. He has great court vision and the ability to get his teammates good shots. He’s not as explosive as Clarkson but in the offense he plays in that is hardly a factor. The Celtics are 6th in the NBA in assists. With a culture of ball sharing and ball movement and unselfishness, Smart will only get better as a distributor and ball facilitator.
The weakest part of Jordan Clarkson’s game is ball delivery. He misses reads when his teammates are open or he makes the right pass but to the wrong person. Every player has a set of strengths and flaws the point guard has to understand in order to make them better players. Jordan Clarkson is still learning the balancing act of when to be a point guard and when to be a shooting guard.
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Jordan Clarkson has shown an ability to score off the dribble until he gets between 3-10 feet, then he misses just about everything. But, his speed and talent off the dribble make him a threat when he uses that part of his game as a weapon. He doesn’t finish drives very well and is not a natural catch and shoot scorer. Repeated trips in the lane to distribute off the dribble will do wonders for his overall efficiency. He’ll be more effective and a weapon the Lakers can consistently use to their advantage.
Smart is a good catch and shoot player and stylistically fits in with Brad Stevens offense of ball movement and player movement. The irony that both players score the similar amount of points shows what a crapshoot the lottery is. Smart was the 6th player chosen in the draft while Clarkson was the 46th.
The starts to the careers of Marcus Smart and Jordan Clarkson have been typically up and down. Both have had good nights and terrible nights but by season’s end their experience will give both of their teams an idea on what their ceiling is and what is in their future: starters or bench players?
The Celtics are a more skilled team and excel in foundational areas such as ball movement and rebounding. Most of Smart’s teammates will return next year. The Celtics are building continuity unlike the Lakers whose roster is in flux. Smart will know exactly how to prepare and what to prepare for in the off-season. He’s had the better year.
(statistics courtesy of NBA.com Player Tracker)
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