Getty Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
Marcus Smart is officially the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, making him the first guard to win the award since Gary Payton in 1996, and the first Boston Celtics player to earn the award since Kevin Garnett.
Individual awards are often seen as a distraction at this time of year when the post-season is underway and teams are chasing glory. But, for Smart, winning the DPOY award is an indication of how the NBA is evolving.
No longer are supersized big men, or muscular forwards dominating the conversation of defensive upside – the NBA is a perimeter-based game now, and as such, perimeter-based defenders are incredibly important.
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart has won the 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.
Smart beat out competition from Rudy Gobert, Bam Adebayo, and Mikal Bridges to win the award, and the opinions have been split across the board. Some people believe the centers are the defensive fulcrum of an NBA defense, while others had Bridges winning the award after a fine season for the Phoenix Suns. However, Smart has been the best defender on the league’s best defensive team, so logic dictates that he be a front runner for the prestigious award.
Celtics Twitter Goes Wild for Smart’s Success
Smart has been the darling of Celtics fans for a while now, with his all-action style of play and willingness to put his body on the line for the sake of the team. So, as you can imagine, when Smart was announced as the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, Celtics’ Twitter went into meltdown.
“Can’t overstate how ginormous Marcus Smart winning DPOY is. Validates his career at the highest level. Joins the same list as some of the greatest defenders ever. Wow. We always knew he was great. Best in the league? What a feather in his cap,” @RealBobManning wrote.
“So happy for Marcus Smart! Incredibly well deserved honor to be named the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Just glad the fans/media that constantly wanted him traded never got their wish,” @DanKelley66 sounded off.
Congrats on winning DPOY Marcus Smart.
It’s been a pleasure to watch you come into this league and make a name for yourself.
Thanks for always repping the Celtics ☘️
@smart_MS3
“I can’t believe they actually let Marcus Smart win DPOY Maybe this world isn’t so corrupt after all,” @CelticsPost Tweeted.
Fans were out in their droves to celebrate Smart’s success, but there was also a large swath of resentment from around the league, with multiple prominent analysts blasting the decision to award the Texas native with the individual defensive honor.
Analysts Push Back on Smart’s DPOY Award
There’s never going to be a consensus when it comes to individual NBA awards. From Most Improved Player to Most Valuable Player – everybody has their own idea of who should receive recognition. However, the vitriol levied at Smart following the announcement of his DPOY success was wide-ranging, with fans and analysts taking the time to chime in.
“Absolutely nobody in the league believes Marcus Smart is as good a defensive player as Rudy Gobert. That’s why Rudy is on a supermax and Smart is making $19m a year,” @NateDuncanNBA wrote on Twitter. He then doubled down with a further tweet, accusing Smart’s success of being the byproduct of a PR run by the player and his agent.
I always laugh at these PR campaigns for awards from teams and agents, but Marcus Smart basically won DPOY with a PR campaign over the last month. Nobody was even discussing him before then.
“NBA awards are a joke if Marcus Smart is winning DPOY,” @spidahdoteth Tweeted.
But, as you would expect, Celtics fans were quick to jump to the defensive of their beloved guard, and were swift in challenging any negativity sent his way.
“Marcus Smart’s success broke Twitter. I see people who apparently get paid to cover the NBA for a living arguing that Marcus Smart doesn’t make enough money to be a DPOY. HUH? So they pay you THEN you get the accolades? Thought you were supposed to earn that $ by getting them,” @TwitchB51 sounded off after multiple analysts spoke out against Smart’s award.
Luckily, the voting is over and Smart has received his award, so anybody who disagrees with the outcome will be shouting into the abyss. And now, Smart and the Celtics can go into the second game of their playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets with some additional momentum – if they needed any following Jayson Tatum’s game-winning bucket on Sunday, April 17.