LOS ANGELES – During the Los Angeles Lakers’ 125-122 win against the LA Clippers on Friday, Marcus Smart did not take a single shot attempt until the fourth quarter. When he finally did get to shoot the ball, he knocked down a few clutch shots to hold the Clippers off, going 3-of-4 in the final period. And for Smart, getting players to buy into their role is crucial for the Lakers to have success.
Following Lakers practice on Monday, Marcus Smart admitted that it isn’t always easy to get players to buy into roles, especially when shot attempts and playing time is involved.
“Just understanding the game. Understanding what the game calls for and just the way the game flows. Sometimes you might get a shot, you might not. You might get more shots than the night before, Smart said. “And minutes, you might get more minutes than the night before, you might not. It just depends on the game,”
“And it sucks sometimes because we are competitive,” Smart continued. “We want to win and we always want to be out there to help our team. But understanding whatever the game needs and what the game is giving you, you got to take advantage.”
The Lakers do not win that game against the Clippers without Smart’s contributions. And prior to the team’s game against the Boston Celtics on Sunday, Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke about the sacrifices that Smart has made as the fifth starter who isn’t necessarily going to get many shots playing alongside the other starters.
“I think how Smart, it’s important to sort of embrace that,” Redick said. “I think it’s down the line for all our guys, something that we’ve, in some ways, going to back to free agency stuff and just having a lot of guys with uncertain futures, I think something we’ve had to deal with all season. But it’s down the line, we just got to play the game. The game is going to dictate how many shots you get.”
Smart was one of the Lakers’ key free agent acquisitions in the offseason. He signed a two-year contract that contains a player option for next season. He’s appeared in 46 games, including 39 starts, at a little over 28 minutes per game.
He’s been averaging 9.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals with splits of 39.8 percent shooting from the field, 32.3 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 81.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Now that the Lakers have a fully heathy rotation, Redick appears to have settled on Smart as the final starter alongside LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton.
