So I guess I have to grudgingly admit now that Marcus Smart is a good three-point shooter. He was shooting above 35% before this game happened, and then Smart went 6-of-8, which means that his percentages will probably go up. To me, 35% is roughly the line that separates “okay” three-point shooters from “good” ones. I could type out a full hierarchy of percentages that perfectly describes my attitudes towards the situation, but I’m not going to. Some things are better left a mystery.
Not only is Smart a good three-point shooter, he has managed to pull his overall field goal percentage above 40%, which is the minimum percentage a player can shoot and still be considered a competent (or at least not detrimental) offensive player in my eyes. After four years of being an absolute bricklayer aside from random hot streaks, to see Smart make real, quantifiable improvements is encouraging.
Encouraging for Celtics fans, that is. It’s not encouraging for me because I’ve spent four full years ragging on this guy’s poor shooting. My only hope is that his improved offensive talents have caused a corresponding drop in his defensive effort. Somebody please tell me this is the case.