Marcus Smart exit interview: true point guard

true point guard troo-POYnt-gaard
noun

1.) a skilled ballhandler and passer who dribbles the ball up the court, sets up teammates for scoring opportunities, and serves as the coach on the floor
2.) a relic of 20th century basketball that’s incompatible to the modern game and unnecessary for an effective offense
3.) see also: floor general

synonyms: Mark Jackson, John Stockton, Andre Miller, Avery Johnson, Chris Paul

antonyms: Steph Curry, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard, post-2010 point guards et al.

Every few weeks for the past nine months, someone in the media would declare that “the Celtics need a true point guard,” or pose the question, “would the Celtics be better off with a true point guard?” It didn’t matter whether they were the early-season underachievers struggling to reach .500 or the defensive juggernaut that took the Warriors to six games in the NBA Finals — the “true point guard” hypothetical was a storyline that wouldn’t die.

Marcus Smart is the perfect point guard for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Correction: the best version of Marcus is perfect for Tatum/Brown — the guy that shoots 35 percent from three, posts up smaller defenders, guards 1-through-3 (and oftentimes 4 and 5), turns 50-50 balls into 75-25 balls, and (cliché alert) makes winning plays.

Smart’s 2021-2022 stats don’t scream “outstanding season.” In 71 games, he averaged 12.1 points, 5.9 assists, 1.7 steals, 2.3 turnovers, shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from three. Nonetheless, he was the catalyst for their historic mid-season turnaround.

On January 23rd, Smart returned after missing six games in health and safety protocols. He only missed two games the rest of the regular season and the Celtics finished 28-7, boasting the league’s top defense (104.9 defensive rating) and offense (120.2 offensive rating).

Early in the season, he struggled with ballhandling and command, but Marcus eventually became comfortable in the full-time point guard role. In those final 35 games, Boston’s 28.7 assists per game would rank 4th while their 12.3 turnovers would rank 2nd.

Smart’s never been a consistent starter during his eight-year career. As a rookie, he slid into the starting spot after Rajon Rondo got traded, remained a starter into his second year, but understandably lost it to Isaiah Thomas. During the 2018-2019 debacle, he started alongside Kyrie Irving after the 20-game mark. Last season was the…