Marcus Smart (PG/SG, BOS) - NBA Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add for Steals

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ANALYSIS:This is mostly a pick up from an opportunity standpoint. Marcus Smart hasn’t necessarily shown his full potential as a consistent fantasy player yet in his young career, but Brad Stevens seems to have full trust in him, which is enough for me to consider rostering him.

Aside from a blessing from Stevens, I really like Smart’s ability to get consistent steals, which might be the scarcest and most volatile category week to week.

Unfortunately, Smart doesn’t normally contribute to the standard categories you are looking for in a guard -- AST and PTS. Smart has looked good passing the ball in the preseason, but I don’t anticipate any more than around 5.0 AST per game, and he could be somewhere closer to 3.5 if David Lee and Evan Turner end up taking on more of the secondary facilitator roles.

He will struggle the most in points night to night, and you will definitely have to live with some 1 for 7 games, but they should be balanced out by the nights he gets hot from downtown, of which he definitely showed he was capable last season.

Again, this pick up might be more of a long term investment, but have faith in his development, and more importantly Coach Stevens's ability to make average basketball players play at a borderline all star level.

Side note: Marcus Smart is shooting guard eligible, which is probably the thinnest position fantasy-wise, so that should boost his value a little more.