Now an experienced vet, with a newfound leadership role on the horizon, the 2019-20 season should be a big one for Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart.
Entering his sixth season, Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is ready to take on an expanded role. Spending the summer with Team USA may have gone a long way to help prepare him for future success.
Playing on that team with three Boston teammates didn’t hurt, either.
Putting the lost season of 2018-19 behind them, the Boston Celtics will rely on Smart to be a leader. The shoes will be big ones to fill, with Al Horford off Philadelphia. (And perhaps not so big ones to fill in those of Kyrie Irving‘s, as far as leadership goes.)
If there’s one player who can rise to the occasion, it’s Smart.
Marcus Smart has been a fan favorite in Boston over the years, even though that temperature can run hot and cold, much like Smart’s shooting. For the most part, though, Smart has been an important player in this franchise since being drafted with the sixth pick in the 2014 draft.
The stats may not reflect a player taken that high, but in each season Smart’s contributions continue to expand.
Coming off his first selection to the NBA All-Defensive 1st team, Smart is as stingy on defense as ever. And on the offensive end, their has been improvement, something Smart has steadily done in each season.
Here are three keys for Marcus Smart to have success in the upcoming ’19-20 season.
Passion, and a lot of it
If there’s one thing Marcus Smart doesn’t lack, it’s passion. Whether it’s getting teammate’s amped up, controlling the action on the court or simply flashing his smile, Smart is full of passion and energy.
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It’s a quality that doesn’t show up in the box score, but it’s definitely something Smart prides himself in.
In 2019-20, Smart will need to translate that intensity to one of leadership and being a strong voice in the locker room and on the court. We’ve seen glimpses of it — more and more, in fact — over the past couple of seasons.
Being a veteran on the team, the leadership role will expand, especially with rookies like Grant Williams, Romeo Langford, and Carsen Edwards on the roster. Mentoring these players will be a must and hopefully Smart helps lead the way in welcoming them to the team.
Smart be asked to do a variety of things and, based off his actions with Team USA this summer, Smart’s leadership role on the Boston Celtics should be an easy one to slide into.
Improvement on offense
Last season, Marcus Smart avoided injuries that had derailed previous seasons and it showed.
Smart played in the most regular season games of his NBA career (80), with 60 of those coming as a starter. While some the main stat categories many look at it (points, assists, rebounds) were down, there were other key components to Smart’s game that got better.
Shooting the ball at a 42.2 percent clip marked the highest of Smart’s career. This included a rate of 35.3 percent from behind the arc. Some of Smart’s shots can be erratic, leaving fans to scream in frustration, but even these shots weren’t as prevalent as in year’s past.
Smart had a fantastic March, averaging 11.2 points and 4.1 assists per game, all while shooting 48 percent from the field.
To have a successful season, these are the types of numbers Smart should be putting up on the offensive end. The field goal percentage might be a little out of range for him over the course of 82 games, but 45 percent is not out of the realm of possibility. It could even be expected for Smart to average close to five assists per game.
A definitive defender
Make no mistake about it, Smart’s true power lies on the defensive end. And he was finally acknowledged for that in 2018-19, at least as far as hardware goes. Being named NBA All-Defense first team was probably long overdue and last season, it was truly earned.
Smart set a career-high with 143 steals, averaging 1.8 per game. To go along with his strong month of March on the offensive end, Smart also averaged 2.1 steals per game.
Of course, there’s more to defense than just the steal. Smart is a strong perimeter defender, but can also matchup in the inside game just as well.
A key to success will be for Smart to not lose any of that edge he carries on the defensive side. Keeping that same intensity, while carrying more of a responsibility in other areas of the game, will be vital. As will defensive rebounding from the guard position, helping start the fast break and keeping this team in motion.
That’s when the Boston Celtics work best. The isolation, settle for a three system hurt Boston a lot last season. Marcus Smart can help control that and it will partially start with his play on the defensive end.