KD on Marcus Smart: ‘He can play in the league right now’

Kevin Durant was on hand for for “A Work of Smart” (copyright: @carsonc5 and a brilliantly-overlooked headline) Tuesday night in GIA and he was stunned by what he saw.

“Marcus can play in the league right now. Definitely,” said Durant.

“He was just unbelievable for them tonight,” Durant said. “He was doing it all for them, rebounding, blocking shots, passing, scoring. He led them.

“I knew he could do everything pretty well. But I like his demeanor. I like how he handles his teammates. A player like him, he always can burst out and get 30 or 40 points.”

KD should know. He’s right, though. Smart doesn’t care about putting up 40 a game in the same way KD doesn’t care about it. Not that it isn’t important but often that it’s not most important.

“He is poised,” Durant said. “And the extra year will help him out as far as knowing the game more. I wish him good luck.”

What would the state of Okahoma do if Presti could somehow draft him? Gleefully skinny dip in Lake Eufaula? Throw red dirt in the air like LeBron’s pregame ritual for months on end?

Smart responded to KD’s praise.

“That’s amazing,” Smart said. “That’s crazy. For someone of his talent, he’s one of the NBA’s greatest, for him to say that, it really means a lot. I am doing something right. What he told you, that is something that is going to stick with me.”

Also, the jump-over-a-dude block got all the love, but this was the better moment to me.