Boston Celtics: The 5 most important players during a playoff series

Marcus Smart

Smart has been the “wild card” of the Boston Celtics and the NBA for a long time now. It’s become a well-known fact that the Celtics are more of a championship team when Smart is fully healthy and on the court than when he is not.

Smart is the X-factor and every opposing team knows it. He has a habit of making key, winning plays that overall impact the outcome of a game. More so on the defensive end, but Smart is showing that he can be a great two-way player for the Celtics.

Smart, in his sixth season, is having a career year by averaging 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game this season. He is also consistently shooting 38 percent from the field this season and 35 percent on his 3-point shot attempts.

He seems to be the only player in the league who can confidently and successfully defend all five positions on the floor. Smart takes tremendous pride in being a defensive standout for his team and it has truly benefited the Celtics as a whole.

For the Boston Celtics to have any success in a playoff series, it’s going to be on the heels of Smart needing to be active and healthy.