Philadelphia 76ers: Marcus Smart should be a free agency target

Have you considered the possibility of adding Marcus Smart to the Philadelphia 76ers’ core?

LeBron didn’t come to Philly—I wasn’t really on board for that anyway.

Kawhi isn’t trusting the process yet, either—and that hurts a little.

But what if we don’t get either of them? Did the Philadelphia 76ers just fail the offseason?

The additions of Zhaire Smith, a 2021 unprotected first round pick, Nemanja Bjelica, Wilson Chandler, and the return of J.J. Redick says no, the Sixers definitely did not fail thus far. But how can they make things even better?

Let me make a smart suggestion: making room to add Marcus Smart.

Currently, according to SPOTRAC, Smart, as a RFA, is set to make a base salary of just over $6 million next year. While there is clearly a lot of clutter on the roster to-date, let me clear the air a little bit, and give you something to think about.

Generational defense

Marcus Smart is an elite defender, who can guard all five positions—and guard them well. It shouldn’t take too long for you to have second round flashbacks of him boxing out Joel Embiid for rebounds, blocking shots in the paint, and being a general nuisance on defense. If you don’t remember, here’s a little something to jog and horrify your memory.

Smart has a career defensive rating of 104.8, averages 1.5 steals and 0.4 blocks per game. Here’s the best part: most of what he is about is intangible—you can’t track it in stats—but if you watch the game, you can sense his presence. He plays in ways that aren’t measurable but are surely felt.

Everyone’s argument for adding LeBron or Kawhi (no matter the price it seems), is that when you get a chance to add generational talent, you do it. Smart may not be generational on offense, but this is the kind of defense that wins series in the playoffs.

Would Boston have gone as far as they did without the intensity of the 24-year-old? If you don’t think so, you may not have watched Round 2 closely enough.

Something you might not think about

Here is the other thing: Marcus is a sneaky good on the other end of the floor. He has a career true shooting percentage of 48 percent and averaged 4.8 assists per game in 2018.

While that 30 percent-ish shooting from the three-point range seemed to hurt him, I believe a pace-and-space system that keeps the ball moving will allow him to use his strength and toughness to drive the lane and score.

While he drives and penetrates, Philly can play the mid-range and three-point shooting game to give the opposing defense fits.

The big picture

Consider the ability to put Markelle Fultz, Smart, Smith, Chandler, and Johnson/Bjelica on the floor together. This is a lineup I believe can slow the game down, which is the complete antithesis of the starting rotation. If you consider McConnell’s ability to put the ball on the floor and facilitate, swapping him out for Fultz, this rotation could grind with the best of them.

It doesn’t sound “sexy” as a lineup, but really think about it.

This is a rotation that can hustle, play physical, make an opposing team work. And after they beat them up a little? Bring in the starting lineup and let them run the floor on a tired opponent.

In world where maybe Philadelphia cannot secure the services of Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James is off the table, a world with Marcus Smart might not be a dumb idea.

Next: 3 reasons the Sixers won the offseason

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Sixers should consider targeting Marcus Smart

By Christopher Croom | Jul 7, 2018

Have you considered the possibility of adding Marcus Smart to the Philadelphia 76ers’ core?

Generational defense

Something you might not think about

The big picture