Let’s get this right out of the way: Marcus Smart is not especially good at shooting a basketball. In fact, you could say he’s among the worst long-range shooters in the NBA.
There is a “however” here, however.
Smart long has frustrated Boston Celtics fans by firing up brick after brick from beyond the arc. But this season, at least, the Celtics guard actually has been as good as one of the NBA’s premier marksmen.
Check out this wild stat from MassLive’s Tom Westerholm:
Here’s a fun stat: If Marcus Smart made one more 3-pointer this season, he would have a better 3-point percentage so far than … Klay Thompson.
— Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) December 3, 2018
That’s right: Smart basically has been as good as Klay Thompson from 3-point range this season.
Through 23 games, Smart has made 25 of 75 shots from long distance, good for 33.3 percent. He’d be shooting 34.6 percent if he was 26 of 75, though. As for Thompson, the Golden State Warriors guard is 66-for-192 from 3-point range, good for 34.4 percent.
Thompson, however, is a career 41.8 percent 3-point shooter, so fans should expect him to turn things around. Smart, believe it or not, is shooting well above his career mark of 29.6 percent.
Now, that was a fun exercise, but ultimately it was pointless. Thompson is one of the deadliest 3-point shooters in the world, while Smart probably could rebuild TD Garden with all the bricks he’s left on Causeway Street.
