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Later that month, Smart caught Austin Ainge’s attention at the McDonald’s All-American Game.
“Even as a 17- or 18-year-old, he was a man,” Ainge said. “And his toughness and competitiveness just leapt off the page.”
Celtics executives kept tabs on Smart when he played for USA Basketball’s U18 national team that summer. There was no way to know what he would become, or if Boston would ever be in position to draft him. But Smart had piqued the franchise’s interest, and those feelings swelled when he began playing for Oklahoma State.
“He had stretches in games that I thought were just spectacular from a competitive standpoint,” Danny Ainge said. “He was an unpolished product, but I liked his spirit and just how he approached each game. I liked that fire.”
Years Before Drafting Him Celtics Eyed Marcus Smart-Adam Himmelsbach
“Competitive fire”. Two words that Boston Celtics fans love to hear when it comes to the players on their team. Even casual fans of the Celts know that if you give that 110% every night, and do the little things that it takes to win ballgames, the folks in the stands will love you. Well when Celtics scout Dave Lewin went to watch Marcus Smart play in 2012, competitive fire is what he witnessed.
When Smart was attending high school in Flower Mound, Texas, Lewin was a scout for the Cavaliers. He’d heard glowing reviews about Smart, particularly from Dave Telep, who was then a national recruiting analyst and is now the scouting coordinator for the Spurs.
So in early April 2012, Lewin traveled to Louisville, Ky., where Smart was playing in the Derby Festival Classic, a second-tier national all-star game for high school seniors. The game included future stars such as Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker and eventual Oklahoma City Thunder lottery pick Steven Adams. But Smart stood out.
“He was the most exciting player there,” Lewin said. “Just how hard he played, how quick he was getting to loose balls, how physical he was.”
Since coming into the NBA, Smart has been called a “pit bull”. A fitting description for a guy who absolutely terrorizes opponents on defense. Smart goes at every possession with an intense focus. His eyes on the midsection of his man, hands active, ready to capitalize on any mistake. That intensity led to Smart being 3rd among all rookies with 99 steals last year. And we all know that number would’ve been higher had Smart not missed 15 games with an ankle injury.
I posted Smart’s “lockdown” video a while back, but in case you missed it, it’s a great example of the havoc Smart causes on the defensive end. Check out the rest of Himmelsbach’s piece for some video of Smart during his high school/under 21 days.
On Page 2, Dell Curry Recognizes Greatness
Nice story from Rick Bonnell on the Currys, and how Bill Russell helped father Dell realize just how far his son Steph had come:
Dell, the former Hornets star, and his wife Sonya glanced at their watches at about 1:30 a.m. Son Stephen had finally completed his media obligations about two hours after the Golden State Warriors clinched a 4-2 series victory over the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
The NBA set up what’s called the “picture room” in Quicken Loans Arena in case the Warriors clinched in Game 6. The professional photographers had cleared out and the families of the players were led in, where anyone could snap pictures with the Larry O’Brien Trophy the championship team receives.
Among those in the room: Hall of Famer Bill Russell. He won 11 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics, but is also iconic in the Bay Area, having played his college ball with the University of San Francisco.
When the Currys crowded around Russell for more picture-taking, it registered on Dell, still the Charlotte Hornets’ all-time scoring leader, what his son, the reigning league Most Valuable Player, had accomplished.
” ‘You’re standing there with Bill Russell – Bill Russell!’ – and it sunk in just what he had to do to get here,” Dell said of son Stephen, the former Davidson star.
The rest of the links:
Herald: Sunday Basketball Notes/No Italian Vacation For These Celts|CSNNE: Draft Prospect Breakdown: Virginia’s Justin Anderson
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