Early returns on Javonte Smart are promising for Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks have spent the past week or so tweaking their roster, bringing in a few new faces to help in their quest to repeat as champions. DeMarcus Cousins and Wesley Matthews both came in as free agents to give the team some much-needed depth at positions of need, while the Bucks also brought in Javonte Smart on a two-way deal. While all three have made an impact for the champs early on, Smart has specifically turned some heads.

Looking at Javonte Smart’s high energy play for the Milwaukee Bucks

With George Hill, Milwaukee’s typical backup point guard, missing consecutive games with injury, Smart has received an opportunity to play some extended minutes. In 38 minutes over those two matchups, the 22-year-old guard has tallied 14 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Without Hill available, Smart has given Milwaukee quality minutes in back-to-back victories.

Sure, Smart’s totals might not jump off the page, but the guard has shown glimpses of potential, particularly as a scorer. Most of his damage offensively has come right at the basket, as Smart is shooting 3-of-4 in the restricted area and 1-of-2 from the paint, per NBA.com/stats. The young guard has displayed a nice touch finishing around the basket, with the euro-step in the clip below standing out as an early highlight to add to the reel.

Another interesting aspect of Smart early has been his ability to capitalize on second-chance opportunities. The rookie has eight second-chance points in his 38 minutes, which is something to behold when looking across other players on this roster. Semi Ojeleye has eight second-chance points in 218 minutes, Sandro Mamukelashvili has eight in114 minutes, and Rodney Hood has just two in 267 minutes played, for reference. Smart has shown the ability to make plays when given a second chance early, and his aforementioned scoring inside has helped him do just that.

The biggest thing for Smart moving forward will be finding a groove from 3-point range. He is just 1-of-4 from the outside in these two games, and he is getting good looks. Shooting just 1-of-3 on triples when the closest defender is not within four to six feet and 0-of-1 on shots when given six or more feet of space, Smart just has not managed to knock down some great looks. Given how prolific of a scorer he is, that is bound to change for Smart, especially when playing for a team like the Bucks that relies so heavily on outside shooting.

Overall, while two games is certainly a small sample size, the move to sign Smart looks like a solid one already. The Bucks have shown in the past that they have an eye for hidden talent, and they may have found another diamond in the rough with Smart, who was playing down in the G-League before being signed by Milwaukee. Time will tell how much playing time the guard gets moving forward, particularly when Hill returns, but it is nice to know that the team has a young backup point guard available.

The 22-year-old has some untapped potential waiting to be unearthed.