A Royal Pain
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Sacramento Kings: 3 Reasons to Sign Marcus Smart

By Bobby Cummings

BOSTON, MA - MAY 27: Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (left) is guarded by the Celtics Marcus Smart (right) in the first half. The Boston Celtics hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers for Game Seven of their NBA Eastern Conference Finals playoff series at TD Garden in Boston on May 27, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 27: Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (left) is guarded by the Celtics Marcus Smart (right) in the first half. The Boston Celtics hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers for Game Seven of their NBA Eastern Conference Finals playoff series at TD Garden in Boston on May 27, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 21: Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics defends LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 21, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 21: Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics defends LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 21, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Defensive Versatility

In the Eastern Conference Finals, Smart guarded LeBron James better than anyone else did on his team. Smart is the best perimeter defender available in free-agency. On the Kings, he would guard the opposing team’s best wing player or lead guard.

He can match up against quicker guards like Chirs Paul, chase two-guards like Klay Thompson around screens, and check bigger wings like LeBron. Smart is 6’4″ and 220 pounds, so he is not the biggest, but he is very strong and he has a 6’9″ wingspan. There were multiple times in the playoffs he had to switch and guard opposing team’s power forwards and he held his own. His ability to guard multiple positions is extremely valuable for modern defenses who routinely switch on all screens.

It has been chronicled ad nauseam that the Kings’ biggest need is a small forward. The reasoning behind this is mostly defensive related. There is not an available player better at guarding small forwards than Smart. Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, who many consider being the best coach in the game, often closed games with Smart alongside one of his starting point guards—Kyrie Irving or Terry Rozier. Smart was tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best wing or lead guard.

Smart would bring a defensive skillset the Kings have been missing since Doug Christie retired–a lockdown defender.

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