this is great experience for our young guys. can you imagine when we get Irving and Hayward back...with Rozier and maybe Brown coming off the bench. wow
Coming into this season, I considered both Smart and Rozier as liabilities. Smart with his putrid field goal % and Rozier's with his lack of NBA athleticism.
Today....I view both as indispensable.... as foundation pieces.
Smart.....As the regular season wound down, The C's were struggling as a team as the injury bug continued to decimate their once star roster. And with Smart in street clothes, the team lacked confidence and fight. Enter Marcus......the team dynamic INSTANTLY changed and his try-hard effort has become contagious. He is their emotional leader. Smart is a player the C's cannot let slip away in free agency. Ownership needs to cut a big check for Smart and to the league for exceeding the cap in order to retain Smart. I see this happening.
Rozier....his emergence forces to me to look beyond 2017-18, past 2018-19, and into the C's long term future. Both Rozier's and Irving's contracts expire after next year, though Irving has a player option for 2019-20 that he will likely pass on if healthy and able to lock in another long term deal at big money, be it with the C's or another team. Assuming Irving returns to complete health, Boston will be faced with two difficult point guard decisions a year from now after settling the Smart conundrum. There's only so many dollars to go around.
Irving...incredible scorer driving to the basket and from outside. His assist ability....nothing special. His defense, I view it as a liability. Great player but some issues. And......for me....there's something about his body language on defense that bothers me. He never appears committed on D.
Rozier.....quantum leap forward during his 3rd season.....athletically, offensively, defensively......he has seized this opportunity and thrived. The issue....a sustained track record. The dilemma....when Irving returns....Rozier's opportunities diminish.
Me....I'm thinking the C's let Irving walk after 2019 and hitch their wagon to Rozier. Going forward, Boston will have to remove talent given how the team will no doubt exceed the cap going forward. Brown and/or Tatum will replace Hayward's cap slot in a couple years...I have no doubt in my mind.
Brown is an enigma to me. Body language is beyond bizarre.....scuffs his feet when he runs. Has difficulty maintaining control of the ball. But his jumper has evolved and his explosion to the basket is legit. Right now, he doesn't seem to have full grasp of the game...but he is getting there.
Tatum is freakin legit. Love his alpha male desire to be the scorer and demoralize defenders as he throws down.
The future is the C's draft picks IMHO....Smart, Rozier, Tatum....and maybe Brown.
Irving and Hayward might just be place holders. We'll see how Hayward looks in a year.
All they need is a legit big to replace the clunky Aussie.
My greatest fear....Ainge might pull off a Kendrick Perkins type trade upsetting the apple cart all over again.
Regarding Philly....the Simmon's PG experiment is farcical. Their lack of depth is glaring....and man o man did the Fultz trade backfire exponentially. This makes me very happy.
PS....Brad is the man. And Danny is doing alright as well. His depth creation is about to make it back to the Eastern Finals........no jinx....just W's