Getty Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
When the Boston Celtics traded Kemba Walker during the offseason, there were concerns about the team’s depth at the point guard position, but Marcus Smart’s reliable presence has gone some way to quelling those fears.
However, it would seem that despite Smart’s willingness to be one of the team’s primary offensive initiators, head coach Ime Udoka is yet to be won over.
“I’ve been challenged from Ime, everybody else, that I’m not the person, the right person in this position to do it, even though every time I go out there, I do it and it shows.
“He didn’t say it directly, he didn’t say it indirectly. I just took it as that. Because I didn’t hear him say that (the role) was for me. And anybody’s going to take it that way. It’s just more fuel for you to go out there and just continue to prove everybody wrong,” Smart told The Athletic’s Jay King in a recent interview.
@bucknersrevenge It’s like people are hating on Marcus Smart for absolutely no reason…
you want a pass first point guard but complain when Smart records 7 assists, only takes 3 shots, and is +70 over the last two games?
Am I missing something???
According to Cleaning The Glass, Smart is among the top-30 percent of guards for his assist rate, and the top-25 percent of guards when you factor in his assists and usage rate. So, for all the talk of the Celtics needing a pass-first point guard, Smart has been quietly fulfilling that role this season, while also bringing his usual defensive grit to the rotation.
Smart Discusses Udoka’s First Season as Head Coach
Even though there’s a potential rift between player and coach, Smart spoke glowingly of Udoka, praising him for the job he’s done throughout the first half of the season.
“You tip your hat off to him for everything that he’s doing in his first year with all the BS around with this team not winning and stuff like that,” Smart said, “Being in Boston and coaching for Boston, it’s not easy, especially for your first year. So we just have to continue to help him. I’ve gotta continue to help him. I’ve been here the longest. I know the guys more than he does. And I’ve gotta be that quarterback out there for him.”
Udoka has come under increasing scrutiny this season, particularly for his reluctance to develop Boston’s younger contingent of players, and for his perceived poor game management. Strutting out closing lineups that consist of both Smart and Schroder hasn’t gone down well with the fanbase, nor has witnessing the regression of Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard.
Yet, the former Philadelphia 76ers assistant has done a good job in turning the Celtics into a top-5 defense and is slowly developing an offensive philosophy that’s heavily predicated on ball movement and smart cutting. Shockingly, those are two areas of the game Smart has excelled at this season, along with dictating the pace of the offense.
It makes you wonder how a player and coach who seem to be on the same page in terms of basketball outlook have come to a point where many are postulating a potential rift between the pair.
Smart Has Made an Impact as Boston’s Starting Guard
Whenever people discuss Smart’s impact, the discussion goes one of two ways, either you point towards his defense or his lack of shooting ability. There’s a case to be made for both sides, but we’re also learning that the Texas native is a talented passer whose ability to read the defense has vastly improved this season.
“I understand trying to get guys hot, trying to get players’ confidence up and trying to get them going early. So confidence is a big key in this game. And if you don’t have it, it’s tough to go out there and play. So for me, it’s just constantly trying to build up the confidence of my guys regardless of what that means for me sacrificially,” Smart said during the interview.
The numbers back up Smart’s claim. The Celtics have sped through multiple iterations of a five-man rotation this season, some of which have played sparingly together, others which have become a staple of Udoka’s game strategy. Smart is present in all of Boston’s top-5 rotations for minutes played, and the only one to register a negative plus/minus is where he’s sharing the floor with fellow non-shooter Dennis Schroder.
I’d get Langford back in there for Schroder. It’s impossible to close games with Schroder and Smart and Schroder hasn’t done enough to be out there tonight.
“First coming out of college, I was a point guard. It’s what I played. So it’s kind of funny to hear people say I’m not a point guard. In high school, point guard, led my team to two state championships. It’s funny hearing people say I’m not a point guard,” Smart told King.
Smart, who signed a four-year $76.5 million contract extension during the summer, is used to being linked with trade rumors, and it would seem his new contract hasn’t deterred potential suitors. However, with his current level of performance, and commitment to helping the Celtics return to championship level, it’s unlikely we see him leave in the near future.