The Lakers give a first taste of what Marcus Smart brings to the court
Smart has been dealing with Achilles tendinopathy for much of training camp and has been limited in practice. But coach JJ Redick said after practice Tuesday that Smart “did the majority of practice, including some live performances.”
Redick said LeBron James and Luka Doncic — along with Maxi Kleber (quad) and Gabe Vincent — did “modified, mostly individual work.”
“Marcus participated in some live shows [practice] and it finally came out,” Redick said. “Yeah, it was great. It was fantastic. I think he, given the workload today, was impressed that he was able to sustain his intensity level all this time.
Redick said Doncic was out for “load management.” Then Redick laughed.
Smart has been one of the best defenders in the NBA throughout his career, winning Defensive Player of the Year honors for the 2021-22 season while playing for the Boston Celtics and being named to the All-Defensive first team three times: 2019, 2020 and 2022.
Read more: With the three big players eliminated, the Lakers work on “championship habits” against the Warriors
This will be a big part of his role with the Lakers, and they got a taste of his defensive tenacity during practice.
“Yeah, he protected me a little bit in the first practice,” Austin Reaves said. “You still feel that pressure. You feel the intensity that he brings on defense, and that’s going to be big for us. We need that. We need him to be the best version of himself. With that communication that he brings, especially on defense, he’s been in the league for a while. He knows how to win at the highest level. So, I’m very excited to have him.”
After the Washington Wizards purchased his contract, Smart received several calls from Doncic regarding joining the Lakers.
Smart ultimately signed with the Lakers for two years and $11 million.
During practice on Tuesday, Smart made his mark.
“He looked great. He moved great,” Jarred Vanderbilt said. “But like I said, his main power is being outspoken. So being able to help guys. Communicating, that’s a big part of defense too. Being physical is one of them, but also being outspoken, being able to communicate. I think he does both at a very high level. So, he can definitely help us on that end of the floor.”
Vanderbilt is the Lakers’ other best defender, his versatility allows him to defend multiple positions.
He was asked to imagine what the Lakers’ defense will look like with him and Smart on the court together.
“Aw, man, I’m just causing chaos,” Vanderbilt said. “Not just physically, but vocally. He’s also a vocal guy, so he’s the anchor of the defense, he flies around, sets that defensive tone. I’m excited. I can’t wait to share the court together.”
LeBron James advertisement
At one point after practice, the Lakers were asked if anyone had texted them about James’ cryptic “#TheSecondDecision” post on Monday.
Many wondered if James was talking about retiring.
It wasn’t. It was an ad for Hennessy posted on social media Tuesday morning.
“You guys are idiots,” Redick said when asked, laughing as he spoke. “We all knew it was an ad, right? No, I think most people who write to me are aware that it’s probably an ad, so it wasn’t. … Nobody was freaking out.
However, James is entering his NBA-record 23rd season.
“I just got a couple of calls, like, ‘What is this?’” Reaves said, laughing.
Rui Hachimura wanted to know what was going on.
So he contacted James to make sure.
“I intend, [I got] a couple of messages. But I texted him too,” Hachimura said. “But he was using a [weird] emoji. I don’t even know. I didn’t understand at all. But he likes to do that kind of thing. Surprises, right?”
Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.
This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.