One of the more polarizing players in the NBA draft is Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart. A likely top-three pick last year had he decided to come out, Smart returned to Stillwater to improve his game.
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Unfortunately, there were mixed results for Smart and an incident with a fan marred the season. Nonetheless, the Lakers are still in need of a point guard for the future, and according to the LA Daily News’ Mark Medina, they are looking at Smart:
Marcus Smart says Lakers are one of the teams who interviewed him. He believes he will do individual workout with them, but unclear when
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) May 15, 2014
Smart reminds many people of a young Russell Westbrook. His size, athleticism, defensive ability, and passion are all similar to the Oklahoma City Thunder star. Smart is also still learning the point guard position and is more of a scorer than a distributor.
The Lakers do already have a couple of options at the point guard position. Kendall Marshall can be brought back for cheap, and Jordan Farmar has spoken numerous times about wanting to remain in Los Angeles. Neither of them, however, offer the upside of Smart.
Smart needs to improve his shooting as he is very inconsistent at this time, but if the Lakers end up staying at the sixth pick or move back, Smart would be an excellent addition.
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The team will be looking at a number of options, as evidenced by their interview of Rodney Hood yesterday, and who they end up taking will have a lot to do with where they end up after the lottery takes place.
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