Boston Celtics offseason: Making the Smart decision
By Kane Pitman
Defense and fearless tenacity on either end of the floor
Smart is certainly a polarizing figure when it comes to NBA fans across the league, but it comes as no surprise that he is a fan favorite in Boston.
Defensively, Smart is elite and was an absolutely integral part of the league’s best defense. Though Smart was only able to suit up for 54 games during the regular season, per NBA.com, he posted a 99.4 defensive rating, ranking him third on the Celtics’ roster behind only Aron Baynes (97.0) and Shane Larkin (99.0).
League-wide, those numbers stack up exceptionally well, with Smart ranking fourth across the league for defensive rating among guards that suited up for at least 50 contests. Only Larkin, Langston Galloway and All-Defensive Second Team guard Dejounte Murray top Smart in that statistic.
Smart’s ability to impact the game in unrecordable ways may just be his greatest attribute, however, whether that be by poking the ball away defensively, physicality leading to a turnover, or throwing his body on the floor to save a loose ball. He is all energy, all the time.
The play above is the perfect description of what we’d call a “Marcus Smart play.” After Jeff Green is able to secure the rebound, Smart swipes the ball away. Nice hustle play and prevention of a transition opportunity, to be sure.
BUT, unlike most players, he’s not satisfied. He dives full length out of bounds to swat the ball back into the path of Jayson Tatum, who is able to get a wide open look. In the box score it’s simply a steal, but in reality, it’s much, much more. With this one play, we witness a perfect illustration of what Smart brings to the Celtics.