NBA Draft Rumors 2014: Marcus Smart fighting his reputation

Former Oklahoma State Cowboys’ point guard Marcus Smart may have been the top pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, but instead returned to school and saw hit stock fall for a couple of reason.

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First of all, Smart is joining several talented draft picks in the 2014 NBA Draft in former Kansas Jayhawks’ teammates, center Joel Embiid and forward Andrew Wiggins, former Duke Blue Devils’ forward Jabari Parker, Australian point guard Dante Exum and former Kentucky Wildcats’ power forward Julius Randle, among others.

Smart is now known for going after a fan and shoving him because he was supposedly called a racial slur. Smart was suspended and likely lost a lot of fans in the process.

Of course, as Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune points out, there are plenty of on-the-court positives and negatives in Smart’s game.

"He’s also a tenacious defender, who could provide a much needed toughness to a Jazz team that ranked last in stopping opponents last season.But Smart, who met with Jazz officials in Chicago, still has plenty to prove.Some question whether he’s a good enough playmaker to run the point at the NBA level. He hit less than 30 percent of his 3-pointers during his two seasons at Oklahoma State. And, after starting out his sophomore campaign with blistering performances (39 points against Memphis, 25 at South Florida, 30 against Purdue), Smart seemed to taper off, causing concerns about his consistency."

Smart is ranked as the sixth-best prospect in the draft by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express. He averaged 18.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game last season.

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