Getty Boston Celtics guards Marcus Smart and Kyrie Irving
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart wants in on some of Kyrie Irving’s haircut magic. Irving made headlines in the team’s last game against the Detroit Pistons by breaking out of a mini-slump on the same day he opted to cut his hair. After scoring 31 points on 10-16 shooting and 4-7 from beyond the arc, it seems Smart has followed suit.
Potentially with the hope of getting his own scoring going, Smart has changed up his haircut ahead of Thursday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, as The Athletic’s Jay King revealed.
Here is a supremely fantastic picture, not at all blurry or amateur, of Marcus Smart’s new braids.
Prior to the 31-point performance from Irving, he had scored no more than 22 in any other game. The 26-year-old had also fallen below the 20-point mark four times and had games with seven and three points. Even with Irving’s performance last game, he’s averaging just 16.4 points per game, a far cry from the 24.4 he posted in 60 games last season.
Marcus Smart’s Tough Start to Season
Smart hasn’t been a high-volume scorer to this point in his NBA career, but his numbers are down across the board this season. After back-to-back seasons with averages of 10-plus points, 4.6 assists or more and at least 3.5 rebounds per game, the 24-year-old is figuring out his role on the Celtics.
Through seven games, he’s averaged 5.1 points, 4.0 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game. He’s also seen his shots attempts nearly cut in half compared to the past two seasons (4.6 compared to 9.5) and is shooting 34.4 percent from the field. Smart’s shooting percentage, as well as his mark from 3-point range (17.6 percent), are both career lows.
We’ll find out soon whether or not Smart’s new look helps him pull off an Irving-esque turnaround. Unfortunately, his minutes have taken a hit compared to previous seasons as well. Currently, he’s averaging 22.6 minutes per game after playing 29.9 and 30.4 the two seasons prior.
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