The Los Angeles Lakers passed on going after Bradley Beal this past summer, opting to pick up Marcus Smart instead. Many fans and analysts thought at the time that this was going to turn into a huge misstep. In the end, it couldn't have been more of the opposite.
Plenty of fans and analysts thought of the idea of pairing Luka Doncic with another strong isolation scorer like Beal would be a great move. Instead, the Lakers opted for the more disciplined route. Which, frankly, felt like a change considering some of the organization's other moves in the not-so-distant past. And now, that decision of bringing on [Smart instead looks positively brilliant](https://lakeshowlife.com/lakers-marcus-smart-quietly-becoming-most-important-signing-summer).
We don't have to shy away from the truth: it's been a pretty disastrous season for Beal thus far with the Los Angeles Clippers. He has repeatedly looked disengaged defensively, and not nearly as effective on the offensive side as the Clippers had been hoping. Now, they're sitting around missing the contributions of Norman Powell while the Beal decision looks to have been a mistake, for now at least.
Smart over Beal was 100% the correct decision
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The contrast between that and what Marcus Smart has been able to bring to the Lakers couldn't be sharper. His veteran leadership and defensive grit on the perimeter have been exactly what this team had been looking for. Smart may not be the DPOY version of himself anymore. Far from it, really. But his timely shot-making, basketball IQ, and energy have clearly stabilized this team and been an uplifting presence.
Where Beal is more of an isolation scorer that often needs the ball in his hands to be successful, Smart is basically the opposite. He's not taking a bunch of unnecessary shots, and more often than not he's playing well within the flow of the team's offense. He might get a little shot happy here and there, but [he clearly knows his role](https://lakeshowlife.com/only-november-but-marcus-smart-already-filling-massive-lakers-void). And at the end of the day, his value remains a positive even when he's having an off shooting night.
This has been such a welcome development for a Lakers team that desperately needed this kind of contributor on their team moving forward. Smart has proven that he's a perfect fit on this roster alongside Luka Doncic, and Bradley Beal's subpar play to begin this season is reminding the fanbase that acquiring Marcus was an even bigger win than it seemed like a few months ago.