Somehow, after all he has done for the Boston Celtics, point guard Marcus Smart still has detractors. It could be his tendency to sell contact in ways a subset of Celtics fans call “flopping,” it might be his habit of launching shots early in the clock or too often despite bad shooting nights.
And while those outings are increasingly rare and his gamesmanship admired as much as it is disliked, the fact is the Texan floor general consistently contributes to winning plays on both ends of the court. That is particularly true on the defensive end — to a degree that he earned the Defensive Player of the Year award last season. In a recent article, Heavy’s Jack Simone highlighted fellow Heavy alumnus Steve Bulpett sharing some perspective on the Celtics veteran.
“It’s funny how some fans in Boston, they see Marcus Smart take two bad shots and they want him out of town,” reflected Bulpett. “There are even some people close to the team that have similar feelings at times.”
“I think those people would be amazed, the anti-Marcus people would be amazed at what his value is, how much he is coveted around the league as a guy who can come in and be a culture-changer,” added the Heavy reporter.
“Marcus Smart is hugely important, as a physical defender Marcus Smart is hugely important. As a guy that can guard multiple positions, he’s hugely important. Offensively, Marcus Smart plays very, very well when the team is playing well.”
“That seems like a “duh” kind of statement. But when the ball moves, when guys are passing and cutting, you see far fewer questionable shots from Marcus Smart,” noted Bulpett.
“Frankly, you wouldn’t want his scoring numbers to be high because you’d like to see the ball moving and getting to guys closer to the hoop in finishing positions,” he suggested.
This may well be why the Celtics have continued to add connectors to the team despite how well the Flower Mound native has played of late at the point.
Rather than to take away those floor generalship duties, keeping that ball in motion makes Smart a better player as it does the rest of the team — but also brings out the very best in the one-time Oklahoma State star.
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