Marcus Smart has built his reputation on defense, taking on the league’s elite night after night. But heading into the Los Angeles Lakers’ second-round matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, even he admits there’s one player who stands above the rest.
That player? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“Number one,” he said of Gilgeous-Alexander. “I think we all know that. He does a really good job of getting to the free throw line and he’s mastered it. That’s gonna be a challenge for me. Not just me, but everybody on this team, just making sure we stay out of foul trouble and keep him off the line as much as possible. And then just continue to show your hands. It’s tough, but it can be done. It’s just gonna take a lot of effort from everybody and we gotta stay together.”
The reigning MVP has turned himself into one of the most complete offensive players in the game, and Smart knows slowing him down won’t come from any one defender alone.
“You just go out there and play,” Smart added. “When you’ve got two competitors like that, one on the offensive side and one of the defensive side, it definitely makes for a great matchup. But yeah, there’s nothing you really can do. Just got out there and look at the film and try to give up one thing for two things, nothing everything that he’s gonna get, you’re not gonna stop it all. But just do you best to make every bucket and every possession for him as tough as possible.”
Part of the challenge lies in SGA’s versatility.
“He’s an MVP, right? We know it. He’s been doing this for a while now. We know what he’s capable of and it makes his very dangerous to be that type of three-level scorer,” Smart said. “It definitely brings its own challenges but like I said, you’re not gonna be able to win every battle, you’re not gonna stop everything or slow everything down. You gotta be willing to give up something and you gotta pick your poison.”
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