Marcus Smart needs to control his anger better as a Rockets veteran leader

The Rockets rely on Marcus Smart to be a leader for the team and set their defensive tone, but he couldn't do either when he got ejected Wednesday night against the Warriors. Fortunately, the Rockets were able to pull out the win in spite of his mistake but Smart needs to be better about controlling his outbursts in the future and avoiding such mistakes in big games, especially come playoff time.

Smart can't be making dumb mistakes

Heading into the game, it seemed like Smart might have to play an essential role guarding Stephen Curry for stretches. Curry had been on a heater and the Warriors were bringing a win streak into Houston. But unfortunately Curry suffered an early injury and only played 6 minutes in the game.

Even with Curry's early exit, the Rockets were still in danger of losing when Smart got ejected at the end of the third. The score was 84-76 at that time, advantage Houston. The Warriors were still very much in striking distance, and the Rockets needed their usual strong defense to close out the contest. Smart should be a big part of that defense, but he took himself out of the game with a silly swing at Charles Bassey.

The sequence leading up to Smart's ejection was an embarassing one for the veteran. He got tangled up with Bassey after a Warriors miss, and was unable to control himself when Bassey hooked his elbow. It's understandable that Smart is sensitive about that elbow, since he had an injury to it earlier this season.

But there's no reason for a 13-year veteran to resort to throwing punches after a minor brush-up. The Rockets already have some unreliable veteran help in their centers, due to their injury concerns. Now they'll also miss Smart for the next three games because he was suspended for this incident. For now, the Rockets can probably weather that senseless absence but the playoffs will be another story.

The Rockets need Smart to wisen up before it's too late

If similar issues arise closer to the playoffs, the Rockets could miss Smart for some actually consequential games. Any absence in the playoffs hurts, especially in the loaded West. But one stemming from a simple lack of emotional control is especially frustrating.

Usually, you would expect a young hotheaded player (perhaps Amen Thompson) to make such a poor decision. A veteran in Smart's position should be the one calming down the violent Rocket and providing guidance to avoid that situation in the future. The Rockets might have a completely different problem on their hands with Smart's history of questionable decisions and picking fights throughout his career. Hopefully that won't be the case and Bassey will be the last opponent to get this reaction all season long.

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