Getty Images Marcus Smart speaks with teammates
If you’re Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart, you have a lot to plenty to prove in 2021.
For the first time in four years, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens will begin the regular season without a healthy All-Star point guard in his starting lineup. Smart, Brad’s longest-tenured member of the Celtics, knows that to make up for the loss of Kemba Walker, it’s going to take a group effort and is confident that his teammates will rise to the occasion and contribute.
He addressed the media Tuesday for one final time as he and the Celtics prepare to host the Milwaukee Bucks in their regular-season home opener Wednesday night at TD Garden.
“I think last year was a good thing for us, for everybody,” Smart said. “Everybody stepped up in different roles, you know, to help the team. Guys were injured, guys were out. Like I said, certain guys stepped up; me in particular. Me coming into this year, for me, Kemba being out to start is definitely tough on our team because he’s such a great player – he means so much to this team.
“We have other guys out here who work just as hard, been working to grasp their moment and you know, step on the court and give this team some energy and some insight to what we can do, to bring to help the team. It definitely sucks having Kemba out but that just means everybody has to step up.”
Marcus Smart Says ‘When I Take Great Shots, I’m A Great Shooter’
Without Kemba, Smart says his focus is to zero-in on his shot selection and creating opportunities for his teammates on offense.
“For me, my shot selection – just, you know, really, really focusing more on if I’m open, I’m definitely shooting the ball,” Smart said. “My teammates, the coaching staff definitely told me to “catch-and-shoot, if you’re open” – if you’re open, shoot it.
“I averaged 4.8 assists in the bubble – one of the highest on the team, just continue to keep making plays for others and creating for myself but definitely running the show as a point guard and finding those guys.”
Why is that such a focus for Smart? How shot selection has topped the list, Marcus was asked.
“Because when I take great shots, I’m a great shooter,” Smart retorted.
A brief pause followed and the press conference concluded.
Marcus Smart’s 3-point Shooting In 2020 Playoffs
Historically, Smart has never been deemed a “great” shooter. His shot selection has certainly improved; Marcus was formerly notorious for forcing 3-pointers as opposed to stepping into a shot or scoring via catch-and-shoot.
But when Smart’s average of 3-pointers attempted spiked up to 7.2 per game while shooting at a 33.3% clip throughout the playoffs last year, it raised concerns that Marcus was going rogue with his shot selection. And when a shirtless Smart stormed out of the locker room after Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals and was seen screaming expletives at his teammates; it only added fuel to what everyone was already speculating:
Marcus’ teammates had had it with Smart’s ill-advised shooting.
But now, it sounds like Smart believes he’s learned from the experience in the bubble and is not going to let it limit his shooting altogether, but rather be more mindful of when it’s time to shoot and when it’s time to pass, hence Smart’s emphasis on never passing up open looks.
For Stevens, toeing the fine line between a player’s personal evolution and what’s best for the team, as a whole, is always a fine line.
“Just like with your kids, when you’re young, you want to balance the idea of, ‘Hey, this is what you can do to add value to winning but I don’t want to stop you from working toward your dreams of being as good as you can be,” Stevens said. “So, it’s a fine line. It takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of reflection.
It takes the experience of playing at this level, competing with other teammates, learning the strengths of your teammates before – guys will get it at different ages and stages. But certainly, it takes time for everyone.”
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