Eastern Notes: Smart, Winslow, Heat, Jordan
As part of his new autobiography, “I’ll Show You”, former NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose praised Celtics guard Marcus Smart, lauding the tenacity, aggression and intensity he brings to the court every night with Boston.
Smart, who’s coming off a stint with Team USA in the FIBA World Cup, is expected to be one of the Celtics’ key leaders on the defensive end this season.
“I always said I’m a hooper, and hoopers can do anything, I feel,” Rose wrote in the autobiography, according to Taylor Snow of Celtics.com. “It don’t matter. Like, Marcus Smart is a hooper. Analytics, you would say no way you want him. But when you go out there and watch the game, you say, ‘Of course I want him on my team.’ Makes shots, period. That’s a guy I love playing with.”
Smart is coming off a season where he averaged 8.9 points, four assists and 1.8 steals in 27.5 minutes per game, shooting a career-high 42% from the floor and 36% from 3-point range in 80 contests. His scrappy play has helped him earn the respects of fellow players around the league, with the 25-year-old set to enter his sixth NBA season this fall.
There’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Justise Winslow is eager to play point guard for the Heat this season, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. “I’m looking forward to playing point guard this season,” Winslow said. “We’ll see how that works out, but that’s my plan, is to play point guard and be the point guard for this team.” Head coach Erik Spoelstra will be tasked with choosing between Winslow or Goran Dragic as starting point guard entering the campaign.
- With Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo likely locked in as starters for the 2019/20 season, the Heat must decide the other three-fifths of the starting group during training camp, Winderman writes in a separate piece for the Sun Sentinel. Among the options coach Spoelstra could consider: Dragic, Winslow, Dion Waiters, Kelly Olynyk and James Johnson.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer examines why Michael Jordan decided to sell part of the Hornets franchise at this stage of his life. Charlotte is expected to be one of the more under-performing teams in the league this season, losing cornerstone piece Kemba Walker in free agency and failing to replace his talents in the short term.
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JD Shaw, DMT.NEWS
