It was a surprising decision when promising Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart decided to return to college rather than going pro after his freshman season. It’s even more rare he did so despite being projected as a Top 5 pick and the best floor general available among all prospects.
Many scouts and NBA General Managers rated Smart higher than NCAA POY and Michigan standout Trey Burke and Syracuse’s Michael Carter-Williams for last month’s draft, but he felt he wasn’t quite ready for the rigors of being a pro athlete, and returns alongside fellow NBA prospect LeBryan Nash.
Smart helped lead the Cowboys to a spectacular 24-9 season, behind averages of 15.4 ppg, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, but was upset in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament by the Oregon Ducks last March.
Despite a much more loaded field for next year’s draft that probably includes Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, and Jabari Parker, and with another good showing again this season, Smart could be viewed as a franchise player in waiting, and deserving of a Top 5-10 selection in the 2014 Draft.
What probably changed Smart’s mind with nearly 11 months until the 2014 Draft was his participation alongside fellow collegian Doug McDermott in this Summer’s Team USA Camp and on the U19 Team USA Gold medal winning squad in Prague.. Playing with and against pros like Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, and Anthony Davis obviously helped force Marcus’ early decision to go pro after his sophomore season.
At 6’4 and 220lbs, Smart has been compared favorably to Houston’s James Harden as an elite level scoring guard matched with an outstanding handle and exceptional leadership capabilities. In addition to being one of the college ranks’ best playmakers, Smart also takes pride in being a lock down defender.
At Team USA practice this week, Smart revealed:
“It’s safe to say that if, by the grace of God, I’m healthy and everything, this will be my last year at Oklahoma State. You can only go to college and be a college athlete once,………..College is a great experience. This is where you have fun. This is where you find yourself as a young man and grow up into an adult before you enter the real world. The NBA is the real world. Everyone just sees the entertainment part, but there is a business part to it also.”
Remember,taking time to earn your craft leading to a 15 year career has a chance to be much more lucrative than earning a couple of million more on your initial rookie contract but potentially bottoming out of the league in three years because one hasn’t developed the staying power to remain in the NBA.
Marcus Smart Ultimate Freshman Highlights:
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen has also provided content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, Cleveland.com, CSN Philly.com, Buckets Magazine, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
