“Starting the game with two guys who can’t score” Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo believes Marcus Smart and Ben Simmons’ pairing would be a huge FAIL in Brooklyn
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Russo talks about the similarities between Ben Simmons and Marcus Smart
It is hard to imagine Marcus Smart is any other jersey apart from white and green. However, Celtics could make this a vague reality in the coming weeks. After resistance to trade the former MVP, Boston Celtics have reignited the trade drama around the Nets megastar. Shams Charania reported Sunday that the Celtics offered a trade package including Jaylen Brown and picks for Durant. The Nets declined the proposal as they wanted the Celtics to ‘add’ Marcus Smart, another rotational player, and some more draft picks to their trade package. However, Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo doesn’t believe that Marcus Smart’s addition would help the Nets, having a similar player on their roster.
On the latest episode of First Take, Mad Dog discussed the deal for KD. Dissecting the similarities between the player in demand and the player on the roster, the 62-year-old analyst believes that it would be duplication rather than addition. Nets front office should consider the addition of players with different dynamics and attributes to help succeed with the “additions”
Brooklyn Nets already has their own Marcus Smart
Trade for 2-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant has been the talk of the NBA world for a month now, and very recently Boston Celtics dived in with their package and valuation for KD. But Nets wants Marcus Smart in the deal, which is confusing analyst Chris Russo.
Explaining his view on the addition of Marcus Smart, Russo said, “He’s gonna want the ball, he’s gonna pass the ball, lead the fast break and rebound, that’s his game. Off the glass, and off he goes. And then he got Smart sitting there, so you got two guys who basically want to do the same thing. I don’t know if that combination works, to be honest with you, so I am not a big believer in Smart on this Nets team.”
Commenting on their shooting abilities and offensive fairness, Mad Dog added, “You have a starting backcourt of two guys who can’t score. Smart is not a great shooter, and Simmons is not a great shooter.”
Russo shed light on the downside of the addition of Smart in the move, if it materializes – which s unlikely to happen. But analytically the Sports radio personality is very much on target. Marcus Smart and Ben Simmons are very much capable of playing a supporting role at the offensive end, mostly with their assists.
Celtics star won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022; while 3-time All-Star Ben Simmons is similar to Marcus. He is a fantastic perimeter defender and led the league in steals on multiple occasions. But his offensive game is almost non-existent, and this is what Russo pointed out.
At Philadelphia, Simmons has been criticized for not wanting to shoot the ball. And even his shooting percentages are not high enough to provide some scoring flair to the team. So, Brooklyn Nets might need to rethink their strategy going forward with the kind of roster they are willing to compete with.
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Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)