Some people seem to be sleeping on the Los Angeles Lakers‘ signing of guard Marcus Smart earlier this summer. Smart is 31 years of age and has dealt with injuries over the last couple of years while seeing his production drop, but he’s only three years removed from being named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Smart probably won’t be the exact same player he was three years ago. But it is very possible he comes relatively close to that, as long as he avoids any significant injuries that cost him a lot of games.
Advertisement
In addition to being an excellent defender, he’s a very capable secondary ball-handler and facilitator, and overall, he’s an intelligent and resourceful player.
During an appearance on ESPN L.A. 710 radio, Lakers Hall of Famer James Worthy compared the Smart acquisition to that of Ron Harper in 1999.
“I remember when Phil Jackson brought Ron Harper here,” Worthy said. “Ron could still play but more importantly he was really good in the locker room. Now you bring in Smart, who can still play defense, [is] savvy.”
In his early years, Harper was a definite scoring threat who played above the rim. But injuries, as well as wear and tear, greatly slowed him down by his early 30s, and he reinvented himself as a defensive specialist and glue guy when he won three straight NBA championships with Jackson’s Chicago Bulls.
When he came to the Lakers in 1999, Harper helped the team learn the triangle offense, and he also served as something as a mentor to his younger teammates. The result was two championships back-to-back right away. Harper retired after the 2001 season, but L.A. was able to win a third straight world title right afterward.
Advertisement
Even if Smart isn’t quite what he used to be defensively, he can definitely make a similar impact on the Lakers, as he’s likely a better player now than Harper was in 1999.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: James Worthy compares Marcus Smart signing to that of Ron Harper