Marcus Smart’s NBA debut was pretty much perfect

Marcus Smart drives to the bucket. (Getty Images)

Marcus Smart debuted in the NBA on Wednesday night (against none other than Markel Brown) and had about as perfect a stat line as you can expect from Marcus Smart.

Here’s a look:

Not too many shots (although that four three-pointers taken is still far too high) but a +/- of 20, two assists, four steals, and two boards? That’s as Smart as it gets.

Brad Stevens was pleased too.

Stevens: "Marcus Smart is an impactful guy defensively. He got his hands on a bunch of balls… What separates him are the intangibles."

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 30, 2014

“Got his hands on a bunch of balls.”

He wasn’t the only one. Kevin Garnett told Boston.com that Smart impressed him.

“The [Smart] kid is very impressive,” Garnett noted. “This is my first time seeing him live, playing against him and stuff. He and Rondo and Avery, that’s going to be a tandem. I can’t wait to watch some of the games. They played great tonight. They seemed to have a nice chemistry together. I hope they can be consistent with that.”

Smart was always going to be a great defender in the NBA — I’m just slightly concerned that he and Rondo are both “can’t shoot” point guards. One of those on a team seems like enough.

Still, I’m fascinated to see how this plays out for Smart. What position will he play? Can he and Rondo co-exist? Will this record fall?

So are there odds on if @smart_MS3 can beat Dudley Bradley's rookie record of 211 steals in a season? #okstate #celtics

— Brian Gittings (@BrianHD79) October 30, 2014

Oh, and of course a flopping GIF for old times’ sake!