Marcus Smart is preparing for a ‘big’ battle with Anthony Edwards

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers welcome a familiar face Friday in the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team that eliminated them from the playoffs last season. One of the Lakers’ main problems during that series was the lack of a real defensive option for the Timberwolves star Anthony Edwardsbut they believe they can they have the answer this season in Marcus Smart.

Marcus Smart figures to be one of the Lakers’ primary options on defense against Anthony Edwards in their playoff rematch with the Timberwolves, and after the team’s practice Thursday, Smart talked about getting ready to battle defensively against one of the NBA’s brightest stars.

“He’s a big guard, it’s going to take a complete team effort. But my job when I’m on him is just to try to make everything as difficult as possible,” Smart said. “It’s going to be a big battle. It’s going to be physical. He’s a great player, I’m a great defender. Like I said, my job is to make it as difficult as possible for him.”

The The Lakers acquired Smart in the offseason after he reached a buyout agreement with the Washington Wizards. He signed a two-year contract with the Lakers and figures to play a major role in the rotation. The The Timberwolves played a physical style of basketball in the playoffs and the Lakers couldn’t match that.

Enter Smart. The 11-year veteran has built his career playing a physical brand of basketball. He is one of the only running backs to win the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award in the last 30 years since Gary Payton did it in 1995-96. It’s that physicality he hopes to instill in the rest of the team this season.

“You lead by example. It’s kind of hard to put that fight in your guys if you’re not doing it there,” Smart said. “So for me it’s all about whether I’m going to suffer, I have to suffer or I have to keep quiet. I have to do it. If I want someone else to follow my example, I have to lead by example.”

Last season, Smart appeared in a total of 34 games, including seven starts, between the Wizards and the Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 39.3 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from the three-point line and 76.1 percent from the free throw line.

In the Lakers’ season opener against the Warriors, Smart finished with nine points in 23 minutes, shooting 3 of 6 from the field. Overall, his minutes were solid and he showed glimpses of the defensive intensity he can bring.