Soaring Down South
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Neither CJ McCollum nor Marcus Smart is the answer for the Atlanta Hawks

By Joshua Buckhalter

Dec 4, 2021; Portland, Oregon, USA; Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum (3) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 4, 2021; Portland, Oregon, USA; Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum (3) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /
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Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /

Pros and cons to trading for Marcus Smart

This is the hypothetical deal that has gained the most steam in the court of public opinion with Marcus Smart checking a lot of the boxes the Hawks appear to be looking to fill. First and foremost he is a physical, hardnosed defender capable of guarding three positions but, for the Hawks purposes, excelling at the point of attack.

He’s averaging 11.3 points per game; just a fraction of a point behind Kevin Huerter who is thought to be one of the Hawks key trade chips.

Smart is shooting just 30.7 percent from downtown compared to 37.7 percent for Huerter.

But the Celtics guard shot 36.4 percent a few years ago and still boasts a defensive rating 3.2 points better than Huerter’s. In fact, back when we talked about that graphic that showed how much De’Andre Hunter brings to the floor, Smart was near the top.

The former Oklahoma State Cowboy is also a fiery competitor who isn’t afraid to speak his mind a la Collins.

His three-point efficiency creeps up slightly to 32.8 percent on catch-and-shoot threes. But it’s just 14.3 percent on pull-up which Smart is shooting at a 25.0 percent clip overall and has always been all-too-willing to take even when it is not falling.

Like McCollum, and Huerter recently, Smart is mired in a bit of a scoring slump with three single-digit performances in the last five games and four in the last eight since he returned from a thigh contusion that preceded a stint in health and safety protocols. The Celtics went 4-3 without him but have gone 7-1 since he came back.

There is a chance that having a motivator on the floor won’t be enough to uplift this group.

Despite the Hawks offense being one of the NBA’s best, Smart lacks the offense to be what the Hawks need when Young has an off night figuratively or literally.