Boston Celtics: Prepared to have Marcus Smart as starting point guard

Considering the way this offseason has played out for the Boston Celtics, we cannot be too surprised if Marcus Smart is the starting point guard for Boston come the start of the season in October. Smart had a career-high 5.7 assists per game last season and proved to be a viable playmaker for the core group of players that he has chemistry with on the team.

Having Smart on the floor as Boston’s starting point guard isn’t the worst option for the Celtics heading into this upcoming season. The team has already expressed they want to avoid going over the luxury tax this season, which makes it much harder for the Celtics to land a top-level point guard in free agency.

The Boston Celtics would be prepared to have Marcus Smart as their starting point guard for the 2021-22 campaign.

To avoid going over the luxury tax, the Celtics can do two things: target lower-tier point guards in free agency or promote from within their own organization. With that, Yam Madar will be joining the Celtics for Summer League and there’s a possibility that he could earn a two-way contract or even make the roster (Madar is a point guard who was drafted last year and spent the season playing in Israel).

It’s worth mentioning that Smart is coming off the best season of his career last year, finishing with 13.1 points and 5.7 assists per game. He played more than 27 percent of his total minutes in the point guard position last season due to spotty availability from Kemba Walker, which is the most of his career, per Cleaning the Glass.

The main element that must happen here is Smart needs to buy into transitioning to be the full-time point guard with his current contract. It’s important to note that he is the only player on the team who can get the most out of the All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on both offense and defense. That comradery on the court would be gone without Smart bridging the gap between everybody.

The thing with the Celtics hitching their wagon to Smart as being their point guard is his overall future with the organization. The team needs to make a decision on if they are going to pay Smart his next deal of about $14.3 million this season, which is quite high for Smart’s services considering the team’s financial goals.

Although Smart fits the point guard model that the Boston Celtics are looking for, it’s believed that the team will pick up his deal sooner than later, but with the hopes of parting ways during the season if the offense is under-performing with him running the floor.

Smart is a momentous player who builds off of the energy from his teammates and the environment around him. If he can still play defense at an All-Star level with an increased workload of facilitating at the other end for his team, then the Boston Celtics will have to rethink parting ways with Smart this season.

As free agency is already officially underway, some of the top point guards have already landed their new deals and have all cashed in by doing so: Lonzo Ball inked with the Chicago Bulls, Kyle Lowry signed with the Miami Heat, Mike Conley re-signed with the Utah Jazz, Chris Paul re-signed with the Phoenix Suns, and Tim Hardaway Jr. re-signed with the Dallas Mavericks.