Marcus Smart has slotted in nicely with the Los Angeles Lakers’ core rotation, but as fans are learning quickly, the good of Smart has to come with the risks. Boston Celtics fans understand that truth better than anyone. Most of the plays he makes are high-impact, hustle moves that will help win games. But every once in a while, his heart and IQ get ahead of him.
Against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, that almost cost the Lakers a win. As he tried to inbound the ball to Rui Hachimura to seal the game, he stepped on the out-of-bounds line, [resulting in a violation](https://lakeshowlife.com/marcus-smart-dishes-brutally-honest-assessment-late-game-lakers-blunder), giving San Antonio the ball back.
Yet all of the great plays he made leading up to that point in the game were exactly what LA needed.
**The Lakers are learning the Marcus Smart experience**
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Though Smart almost cost the Lakers the game against the Spurs, which he didn’t, because Julian Champagnie missed a free throw, he also helped put them in a position to win the contest.
His defensive presence was part of the reason the Lakers were able to get Victor Wembanyama to foul out, leaving the Spurs in a position where they were forced to play small-ball lineups in crunch time.
He also made a huge play at the end of the game, covering a Keldon Johnson cut and earning the Lakers possession when the Spurs could have gotten another bucket to get them back into the game.
As Celtics fans know well, most of the impactful plays Smart makes won’t end up in the box score. He’ll rack up some steals and blocks, but his defense often shines through drawing offensive fouls, diving on the floor, and anticipating plays before they happen.
He can lock up point guards, switch onto forwards, and battle against the league’s best bigs. Smart just knows how to make an impact on the defensive end of the court.
And on offense, while he’s not the best three-point shooter, his ball-handling, basketball IQ, cutting, and screening are all very useful commodities, especially when playing next to Luka Doncic.
Again, Smart is far from perfect. He’s going to make a few bad plays per game just because he’s moving at 100 miles per hour at all times. But that’s also the same reason why he’s such an impactful player.
Having a guy who never turns off his motor is perfect for the Lakers, and fans in LA are quickly learning about the full Smart experience.