LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers' signing of Marcus Smart may not have been the biggest move in free agency during the offseason, but with the final stretch of the regular season approaching, it has certainly been one of the most impressive. Just ask Lakers teammate Jake Laravia. Laravia first played with Smart at running back with the Memphis Grizzlies, and as a rookie, he could immediately tell Smart's value to a team.
On a team with Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, it can be claimed that Marcus Smart has been the Lakers' fourth-best player. According to Jake Laravia, the way Smart goes about playing basketball rubs off on the rest of the team.
"I've talked a lot about Smart's impact on me and my journey with defense. He was a very vocal leader when I was at Memphis, so that helped me jump into that defensive role," Laravia said during a recent Lakers practice. “When I first came into the league, I wasn't really good at it. He helped me a lot in getting better at defense and being very vocal with it.
"And then obviously, he brings it here, and whatever team he's on. How vocal he is, how much energy he brings and then it's kind of an impact. It rubs off on all the other players. When he does that we all want to play harder."
Smart has made an impact in some big recent wins for the Lakers. In a win against the New York Knicks on March 8, Smart shot only 1 of 10 from the field. But after the game, head coach JJ Redick benched him due to defensive interference and intensity throughout the game. He was plus-27 despite making only one shot.
Shortly thereafter, in a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Smart held Anthony Edwards to 0-of-5 shooting from the field where he had guarded Edwards. Edwards made 2 of 15 shots overall. Smart was only 1 of 4 from 3-point range in that game, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who believes he had no impact on the game.
One area where Smart has had a big impact is drawing offensive fouls. According to Basketball Reference, he currently leads the Lakers in offensive fouls with 36. As Laravia says, this has had a widespread impact, with players like Austin Reeves (34) and Luka Doncic (18) also getting in on the action.
Smart brings something that the Lakers lacked last season; This is a true point of attack defender who can impact the game without scoring a single point. While no one thought the Lakers were getting the player who won the 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year award, he has had the same impact. With the NBA playoffs approaching, it will be interesting to see how important a role Smart plays.
