Undervalued Mentality

Since being drafted with the sixth overall pick in 2014, Marcus Smart has become a fan favorite. For all of his chaos and shot selection problems, Smart has turned himself into a leader, and defensive catalyst.

While the offensive end of the floor is inconsistent most of the time, his effort and intensity in the brightest of lights to stop the opposition never waver. Some say the way he plays is dirty, but according to the city of Boston, it is exactly how the engine of a team should engage.

The French big man Rudy Gobert has won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in three out of the last four seasons. The last six winners have averaged at least one block per game over the regular season. The last time a guard has actually won the award was all the way back in the 1995-1996 NBA season when "The Glove", Gary Payton took home the silverware. Smart continued to do his own thing despite getting robbed of respect when it came to voting for this award.

His defense is his identity, but recently he has found his touch on the offensive end as Smart has scored double digits in eight out of the last nine contests. His three-point shooting and play-making have been the difference in the Celtics' halfcourt offense. The game against the Warriors stands out. The 28-year-old netted four shots from beyond the arc and scored 20 points for just the ninth time this year. If Smart finds a way to continue to knock down shots in big contests in the postseason, Boston could be a tough out.

Even though his offensive numbers make a drastic impact on the results of Boston, his defense is what sets the tone for the entire game. Nothing on the scorecard will tell an ordinary fan the impact the Smart does on the floor each night. He is a pest to the opponents' coach and someone who will take on the task to guard the opposition's best scorer. From Durant to Antetokounmpo to Curry, Smart is up for the challenge anytime, and anywhere.

The veteran guard signed a new four-year contract to stay in Boston during the offseason and is proving he is worth every penny of that $51,999,900. The box score doesn't count how many times a player dives on the floor, hustles back on defense, or the amount of time he keeps his man in front of him. Marcus Smart does all those things, and in a league that prominently gives the DPOY award to a big man, Smart continues to get stripped of the work that goes unnoticed most of the time by the media.

Last season, Smart did not finish in the top 11 in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. In 2019, Smart finished tied for sixth in the voting with Patrick Beverley. In the previous season, Smart ended up in sole possession of eighth place, behind Draymond Green, and Kawhi Leonard who both tied for sixth. The nine-year NBA veteran deserves more credit for what he does on the side of the ball that many individuals in the NBA treat as optional.

After the blowout win over the Warriors last week, Boston's star Jayson Tatum stated, "This is the Defensive Player of the Year…I know it’s been big men lately and all that, but they gotta go back to the guards. This is the Defensive Player of the Year right here.” Tatum has a first-hand view of what his starting point guard can do. He has to go up against him in practice each day, and almost every game, Tatum draws the opposition's best defensive asset. If a player like Tatum doesn't know, the reality is, nobody does. Smart's case for DPOY does not rely on the scoresheet, but on what others are saying about his toughness and grit on the defensive end.

With Boston heading into the final stages of the regular season, Marcus Smart will continue to anchor the team that leads the league in defensive rating by a considerable margin. The Celtics are tied with the Timberwolves for the best record in the NBA in the last 15 games, and most of the credit goes to the team defense of Boston. This season has to be the year that Smart gets some flowers for his defensive contributions more than before. In the last two seasons, Smart has hit a career-high in steals at 1.8. This season he is tied with Chris Paul for fourth in the NBA in that category.

From taking charges to diving for loose balls to making the passing lane as small as it gets, Smart does it all and then some. In order to really see the impact of Smart, someone has to watch him in person. The scoresheet, nor the highlights will tell an individual what the nine-year player does. Not many players in this league are willing to play the role of a Gary Payton type player, but the former Oklahoma State guard relishes it.

He plays with a chip on his shoulder and a belief that he is the best player on both ends of the floor each night. Sometimes his shots are not the most ideal for a team that wants to create offense through movement, but Smart has without a doubt improved on that. A general manager cannot place a price tag on a player like Marcus Smart. His numbers on the box score don't jump out, but it is his leadership and intensity that makes him the engine of one of the hottest teams in the NBA today.

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