LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers welcome a familiar face on Friday in the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team that eliminated them from the playoffs last season. One of the Lakers’ major issues during that series was their lack of a true defensive option on Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, but they believe they may have an answer this season in Marcus Smart.
Marcus Smart figures to be one of the Lakers’ primary options on defense against Anthony Edwards during their playoff rematch against the Timberwolves, and after team practice on Thursday Smart spoke about getting ready to match up defensively against one of the NBA’s brightest stars.
“He’s a big guard, it’s gonna take a full team effort. But my job when I’m on him is just try to make everything as tough as possible,” Smart said. “It’s gonna be a great battle. It’s gonna be physical He’s a great player, I’m a great defender. Like I said, my job is to make it as hard as possible for him.”
The Lakers acquired Smart in the offseason after he reached a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards. He signed a two-year deal with the Lakers and figures to play a major role in the rotation. The Timberwolves played a physical style of basketball in the playoffs and the Lakers were unable to match that.
Enter Smart. The 11-year veteran has built his career off of playing a physical brand of basketball. He is one of only guard to have won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year Award in the last 30 years since Gary Payton did so in 1995-96. It’s that physicality that he’s hoping to instill in the rest of the team this season.
“Lead by example. It’s kind of hard to put that fight in your guys if you’re not out there doing it,” Smart said. “So for me it’s all about if I’m gonna put up, I got to put up or shut up. I got to do it. If I want somebody else to follow my lead, I have to lead by example.”
Last season, Smart appeared in a total of 34 games, including seven starts, between the Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals with splits of 39.3 percent shooting from the field, 34.8 percent shooting from the three-point line and 76.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
In the Lakers’ season opener against the Warriors, Smart finished with nine points in 23 minutes while shooting 3-of-6 from the field. Overall, his minutes were solid and he showed glimpses of the defensive intensity he can bring.
