Boston Celtics: Is Marcus Smart underappreciated around the NBA?

Marcus Smart has continuously been a fierce competitor in every game he plays for the Boston Celtics, and people around the league underestimate his talent.

When the Boston Celtics drafted Marcus Smart with their sixth pick in 2014, they knew exactly what they were getting.

While his offensive game left a lot to be desired in Oklahoma State, he displayed a high level of energy, as well as dominant defense, on a nightly basis. He had skills that are not teachable in the NBA.

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Names that were still available at that pick include Elfrid Payton, Zach LaVine, Gary Harris, and even Bogdan Bogdanovic. Even Spencer Dinwiddie was drafted in the second round.

Despite some of the names available, the Celtics made the right choice when drafting Marcus Smart.

In his first season with the Celtics, he saw about 27 minutes per contest. He didn’t wow anybody in any category, but it was clear he had heart and played at an extremely intense level every time he stepped on the court.

The main knock on him was his shooting percentages, though. In that first season, he shot a poor 36.7 percent from the field, as well as 33 percent from the 3-point line.

For the next few seasons, aside from his sophomore year, he saw his shooting percentages and minutes per game increase.

With those increased minutes came more injuries, though. For the most part, he played through injuries. He’s been doing that since he came into the league.

2017-18 saw his lowest games played in his career. He played a grand total of 50 games that season, ultimately missing 32 contests.

Despite missing nearly half of the season, he was still second on the team in defensive rating, and was among the team leaders in +/-. If he had played more games, there’s a good chance he could have surpassed a few more of his teammates.

In that same season, he displayed more glimpses of being the heart and soul of the Celtics. Just to illustrate that point, here’s a clip of what may be the best moment in his career so far:

In that clip, he got into James Harden‘s head twice in a row, getting the charge called both times and essentially winning the game for Boston.

When Marcus Smart was drafted, that is the kind of moment he envisioned Marcus being a part of.

Skipping past the dysfunctional season for the team last year, and we arrive at the present day.

For the Boston Celtics this season, Marcus Smart has been a starter for 34 out of his 48 games played. That number is already third in his career, and it could very well move up to second by the end of the season.

He is averaging a career-high in points (12.9), assists (4.9), defensive rebounds (3.0), and his best shooting percentage from the free throw line (81 percent).

His shooting percentages from the floor have not been great, but if the season ended today, they’d rank second out of all his seasons in the league. He is also shooting the most he’s ever shot before, attempting a career-high 11.4 shots per game (NBA.com).

The thing with Marcus Smart is, he does things that are not going to show up on the box score. A prime example of this is his effort against the LA Clippers back in November.

This play came when the Celtics were down by three with under 30 seconds left. He gave the Celtics another chance to tie the game, and while they did miss, it’s the effort that counts for something.

Therefore, a fan that only checks box scores would fail to see noticeable numbers from Marcus Smart. Yet, Smart proves it isn’t the numbers that matter. There are things a player can do to be successful that don’t require a box score.

Watching a single Boston Celtics game would change one’s opinion on Morris. He always switches onto centers, can guard positions 1-5 on his best nights, and always leaves it all out on the floor.

Six years ago, the Boston Celtics drafted Marcus Smart as a high energy developmental project.

Today, he’s the heart and soul of the team, and is a player that not enough people mention when discussing their defensive player of the year. He has a serviceable shot, and any points he generates are almost a bonus to the intangibles that he provides.

More people need to start tuning in to Marcus Smart. Once the playoffs roll around and every game is on national television, the entirety of the NBA will see what they’ve been missing.