New Houston Rockets guard Marcus Smart has delivered a stern warning to his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the rest of the Western Conference.
While addressing reporters on Media Day, Smart said the Rockets have assembled a “scary” unit that will be hard to beat this upcoming season.
The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year admittedly felt the same way when he was a member of the Lakers team that faced the Rockets
“My perception on the outside looking in was, ‘Damn, this team is scary,’” Smart said.
“That was me playing against them. Now, me playing with them, my perspective is still the same: ‘Damn, this team is scary.’ We’re gonna give some teams some problems.”
Marcus Smart Fuels Rockets
Smart is obviously in a unique position in assessing the Rockets. He was a key member of the Lakers team that beat Ime Udoka’s team in the playoffs. However, that team was missing him, Fred VanVleet, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Durant (for most of the series). Those veteran reinforcements will bolster the already established core of Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard.
On paper, the Rockets are deep and uber talented. Their defense projects to be super elite with Thompson, Smart and Eason on the wings, and their offense will get better with VanVleet running the show and playing alongside pro bucket-getter Durant.
“We’re not here to just make the first round,” Udoka said on Tuesday, via The Athletic. “We want to make some real noise.”
Smith Jr. echoed his coach’s sentiments, while admitting that a first-round loss to a Luka Doncic-less Lakers last season was unacceptable outcome.
“Everybody around the organization knows we’re better than what we put out during the playoffs last year,” he stressed.
“We’re better than what everybody thinks. Our expectation is always to win it all. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to just keep improving every year. … We definitely should be a better team. It’s just on us to put it together.”
Lakers Prepare for Rockets
The Rockets were elite defensively last year but could not put their offense together, especially in late-game scenarios. VanVleet is ready to fox those issues.
“I think everybody can slide back into their natural positions,” VanVleet said.
“This team was constructed to have me and Steven (Adams) on the floor, not on the bench. I think there are a lot of areas where things will just naturally slide back into the way they’re supposed to be and the way this team was designed. … Last year, we were just trying to figure it out, and it didn’t always look the greatest.”
The Lakers will face Marcus Smart and the Rockets in their first of four meetings on Nov. 30, followed by matchups on Dec. 29, Feb. 18 and March 28.
While the Rockets will open their season against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 21, the Lakers will kick off their campaign against the Golden State Warriors on the same day.
Lakers Get Bad News as Marcus Smart Delivers ‘Scary’ Warning