What does the NBA draft lottery mean for Marcus Smart

The ping pong balls have fallen and the teams have received their respective fates based on how inept they were in the last calendar year. Cleveland got the first pick for the 39th straight year and wow, the Celtics and Lakers are both picking in the top 10.

What does the way all of this panned out mean for Marcus Smart?

Here are a bunch of people and all of their opinions.

Gary Parrish — CBS Sports

Lakers (No. 7): Smart’s stock took a hit in his sophomore season, thanks to a suspension and his continued inability to make jumpers. But scouts still love his intangibles, for the most part, and the combo guard probably won’t slip much farther than this.

Zach Harper — CBS Sports

Kings (No. 8): The Kings probably aren’t keeping this pick, but if they don’t find a deal that works for them in acquiring a veteran, and they’re truly worried about the restricted free agency market for Isaiah Thomas, Smart would be a good insurance policy. He can score, he can run the point some, and a backcourt of Smart and Ben McLemore could be explosive.

Matt Moore — CBS Sports

Celtics (No. 6): A scoring guard to pair with the non-scoring Rondo, and a leader for a team that needs them. 

Chad Ford — ESPN

Kings (No. 8): The Kings are obsessed with analytics, and by just about every metric out there, Smart is one of the top three players in this draft. Smart fits a need on multiple levels for the Kings. Isaiah Thomas was good for the Kings this season, but ultimately they think he’s a backup. Smart’s size and basketball IQ are major upgrades at the position. But it’s Smart’s toughness, leadership, competitiveness and a desire to win at any cost that could transform the culture in Sacramento.

Chris Mannix — Sports Illustrated

Celtics (No. 6): As noted above, the last time the Celtics had a top-10 pick they traded it. This selection could be trade bait, too, especially with Love reportedly willing to sign an extension with Boston. If the Celtics keep the pick, Smart is appealing as a physical point guard who can complement Rajon Rondo now and potentially replace him down the road.

Marc Spears — Yahoo

Lakers (No. 7): Scout’s take: “He had a lot of distractive factors this past season. He has such a strong track record that his [incident with the fan] is viewed as an anomaly.”

Ricky O’Donnell — SB Nation

Lakers (No. 7): The Lakers were hoping to land higher than No. 7, but they’ll benefit from a deep draft that has options at multiple positions of need. This pick will likely come down to either Vonleh, Smart or Randle. After a year of watching Kendall Marshall and Jordan Farmar run point, the Lakers would be wise to add a player as physically gifted as Smart.

Smart needs to improve his three-point shooting (he only shot 29.9 percent last season), but he has a good looking stroke and never stops driving to the rim. He could have gone higher in the weaker draft last season, but the opportunity to become a star in L.A. will be an even bigger boon to his career.

Draft Express

Jazz (No. 5)

NBADraft.net

Lakers (No. 7)

It’s interesting to me that Orlando would have definitely taken him last year at No. 2 and now won’t at No. 4 because of an unproven (but 6’6″) Australian.

Are we sure the Lakers are a good fit for him. Can you imagine the fury Kobe will have for a doesn’t-know-when-not-to-shoot rookie point guard like Smart? He might be in traction by the All-Star break.

The Celtics don’t make a ton of sense either. Is he going to play off the ball? Back up Rondo? Actually, what is he going to do in the NBA?

We know he’s going to be an above-average defender and he can (or should) be able to post up most point guards he goes against but is he going to be effective offensively without a jump shot? Will his drive-and-get-fouled on every play routine work in the NBA? Maybe, but maybe not.

Smart was great in high school and college because he was bigger and stronger than everybody else. That changes as of this summer and he’ll have to adapt as a result. I think he’ll be able to but it’s not a foregone conclusion the way everybody thinks it is.

For his sake I hope he falls and falls and falls to Chicago at No. 16. He and D-Rose would have absolute wars in practice and Thibodeau would lust over his defensive intensity. The Bulls could send DJ Augustin packing (he’s a free agent) and get some pricey insurance for the oft-injured Rose. Smart wins because he could be a backup on a really good team for a while while he figures out what pro hoops is all about.

Trade up if you need to, Chicago. Let’s make this happen.