Marcus Smart Upgrades Lakers’ Hustle Grade to ‘B++’ Early in 2025 Season
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LOS ANGELES — Veteran guard Marcus Smart, brought in to strengthen the Los Angeles Lakers’ perimeter defense and inject extra toughness, says the club’s overall effort is trending upward just a few games into the 2025-26 campaign.
Smart, known league-wide for diving on loose balls and creating defensive chaos, said many players around the NBA show “fake hustle” to avoid criticism in film sessions. “It’s all for the cameras,” he explained. “But when you’re playing hard, you can feel it… your body can feel it.”
Asked to grade the Lakers’ hustle so far, Smart initially awarded the team a B+ following a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. After Monday night’s road win in Portland—where he came off the bench for 25 points—the 31-year-old bumped the mark to a B++.
Smart credited teammates Jarred Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia for matching his intensity, saying their collective energy has been a key factor in Los Angeles’ strong start. “When everyone is playing that hard all the time, we’re tough to beat,” he noted.
On the offensive front, Smart added that fellow guard Luka Doncic could maintain his current pace of 40 points per game throughout the season, calling the Slovenian star “more than capable” of shouldering that scoring load.
The Lakers continue their early-season schedule later this week at Crypto.com Arena.
Source: Lakers Nation
