The Heart and Soul of the Celtics
Photo by Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Boston, Massachusetts (PSF) - The Boston Celtics are one of the most storied franchises in NBA history. Every time you talk about the NBA and its history, you will most likely bring up either the Celtics or the Lakers. The franchise has a saying about them, and when players join that team, they know their only goal is to win a championship. That is what Boston is about, winning and playing with Boston pride.
Being a Celtics fan, I have lived through it all, from championship teams to rebuilding teams to overachieving and underachieving teams. Given how last year’s team reached the Finals, I would call this team a championship contender. Contending teams nowadays usually consist of one superstar and another All-Star player with solid role players around them. For this Celtics team, everyone knows the superstar player is Jayson Tatum, and the All-Star player is Jaylen Brown.
However, the glue of this championship-contending team is Marcus Smart and Robert Williams.
Obviously, NBA fans know how good of a defender Smart is, being the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, but I don’t think fans know how good of an overall point guard he is. This season smart is averaging 11 points and seven assists per game. Smart has evolved into a great floor general for this team and is pivotal for Tatum and Brown’s development.
Williams is another pivotal piece for this Celtics team. Williams emerged as a top rim protector in the league last year, earning an All-Defensive Second Team nod. Another part of Williams’ game is his floor spacing. This season he is being used in a Draymond Green-esque role by setting screens and setting up his teammates with easy buckets by making some great passes.
In my opinion, Smart and Williams still don’t get enough attention for how good they are, and if Boston makes another deep playoff run, both Smart and Rob’s play will be the reason why. Smart and Williams are the heart and soul of the Boston Celtics and will go down as fan favorites.