Getty Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
Nobody splits the fanbase like Marcus Smart does, even after he was the starting point guard on an NBA Finals team.
For some, Smart is not a true point guard, and because of that, he isn’t the guy to lead the Boston Celtics to banner 18. For others, the Texas native is the heart and soul of this Celtics team and holds just as much importance as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. There is no middle ground.
Chris Gasper of the Boston Globe has been a vocal member of the ‘trade Marcus Smart crowd. As he believes the veteran combo-guard needs to be traded at the earliest opportunity. And in a recent segment on NBC Sports Boston, Gasper aired his opinions again, noting how he believes Smart thinks he’s one of Boston’s star players.
.@cgasper & @MichaelSHolley got into quite a debate over Marcus Smart 👀
Whose side are you taking?
“Draymond Green has four rings. He talks like he’s Draymond Green, and this to me, speaks to how tone-deaf he (Smart) is, and how unaware he is, Draymond Green has four titles…That’s why they haven’t won, no player in the history of the Boston Celtics who have not won a title has played more games and more seasons than Marcus Smart. Don’t act like you’ve accomplished something when you haven’t,” Gasper said.
Smart, in his first year as the team’s starting point guard, helped lead his team to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games, he also averaged 15.4 points, 5.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game throughout his 21 post-season games this year.
Gasper Recently Wrote About Trading Smart
In a June 21 column for the Boston Globe, Chris Gasper wrote about the Celtics’ need to trade Smart, noting how his value is at an all-time high, and his leadership doesn’t benefit the team the way many believe it does.
“In the last five minutes, trailing or leading by 5 points or fewer, Smart shot 2 for 14 overall and 0 for 6 from three with two assists and two turnovers in the playoffs. His shooting percentage (14.3) was the worst of 19 players who played at least 20 clutch minutes. A championship team requires more stability, emotional equanimity, and personal accountability from its offensive conductor. Smart had mini-meltdowns over officiating in Games 5 and 6. The Celtics’ fateful Game 4 offensive collapse led Brown to say, “That’s on our veteran players to get us organized in those moments,” Gasper wrote.
Here’s my thought on the idea of trading Marcus Smart:
Boston is an elite defense. If you downgrade that (trading Smart guarantees that), you better upgrade the offense so much more to offset what you lose on defense.
Teams regularly try to improve and ruin what made them good.
It’s true, Smart has always been prone to episodes of poor shot selection or allowing his temper to boil over, but each year, the Texas native has improved in those areas, and this past season, those moments of madness were few and far between.
Sure, Smart isn’t an untouchable member of the Celtics roster, but his presence within it has been a proven commodity in terms of leadership, defense, and playmaking ability – and there aren’t too many available guards that could improve upon what Smart has brung the rotation this past season.
Stephen A Smith Weighs in on Marcus Smart
In a June 14 episode of ESPN’S First Take, Stephen A Smith joined the growing chorus of voices to claim that Boston needs a genuine point guard, which is indeed a subtle shot at the job Smart has done while operating in the role for Boston this season.
“The Boston Celtics don’t have a point guard, and that’s a big problem. They don’t have a floor general to settle them down, they don’t have a floor general to make them get into their sets, they don’t have a floor general that understands the responsibility that each and every individual on the floor has, and to maximize their potential. They don’t have that dude…Marcus Smart is a hell of a player…But he’s not a floor general, and look at how many times they turn over the damn ball, making one mistake after another,” Smith said on a June 14 episode of Espn’s First Take.
Being discussed in trade scenarios is nothing new to Smart, as he’s consistently found himself in the media rumor mill throughout his career. But, to be considered so dispensable just weeks after winning the Defensive Player of the Year award, and being the starting guard on a finals team, well that’s unchartered waters, even for him.
Regardless of what’s being said about Smart’s leadership and playmaking ability, all indications are currently pointing to the Celtics adding players around the fringes, rather than making sweeping changes to their core. But of course, if the right deal comes along, Smart could find himself in trade rumors once again once the off-season gets into full swing.
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