Marcus Smart cites confidence in improved three-point shooting

Marcus Smart has begun to silence the critics who have called him one of the worst shooters in the NBA.

Since Smart entered the NBA, he has become known as a guy who will do the “little things” to help a team win that don’t always show up in the boxscores. He has also been deservedly criticized for being a poor shooter.

Coming into this season, Smart was a career 36 percent shooter from the floor and 29 percent from behind the three-point line. So far this season, he has increased those numbers to 39 percent and 35 percent respectively. On the improvement, Smart cites an increase in confidence that stems from repetition.

Asked Marcus Smart yesterday if he’s changed anything about his 3-point shot to explain the uptick this season.

“Nope. Just more repetition, more confidence.”

Smart, a career 29.8% 3-point shooter, now up to 35.4% this season.

— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) January 8, 2019

Over the summer, the Boston Celtics signed Smart to a four-year, $52 million contract. They obviously like the other facets of his game enough that they were willing to commit to a long-term deal. If Smart can continue to improve his shooting, he will make the Celtics’ investment look that much better.