Boston Celtics: 3 players who didn’t live up to the hype in 2020-21
No. 2: Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart
Marcus Smart remains an enigma of sorts for the Boston Celtics.
On one hand, you won’t find a guy that plays harder or with more passion than Smart, and that usually translates to a bevy of hustle highlights you can find anywhere on YouTube.
On the other hand, he has a stunning lack of basketball awareness, often firing up ridiculous shots regardless of the context, and his style of play seems to have taken a toll on his teammates.
Statistically speaking, this was one of Smart’s best offensive seasons of his career. He averaged the most points and assists per game in his career, and his overall field goal percentage hovered right around 40 percent.
The stats don’t tell the full story here unfortunately. Smart’s three point shooting regressed after looking like he had finally figured things out in the bubble last season, and his defensive play has clearly taken a step back. Whether it was due to injuries or something else, the main reason why Smart plays is his defense, and if his defensive play isn’t good, he becomes almost unplayable at times.
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Smart shows flashes of being the consistent guard the Celtics have been waiting for him to become. When he plays as a pass first ball-handler who helps create open shots for his teammates, while letting his shots to come him, he is arguably Boston’s best guard on the roster. But that doesn’t happen too often, as Smart will often recklessly look for his own shot at the expense of his teammates, and it results in some awful shots and numerous turnovers.
It feels like Smart’s tenure in Boston has come to a head. He is largely considered to be the heart and soul of this team, but at what point does his performance on the court become too much to handle?
Smart’s play this season was barely above the league average, and it becomes more and more difficult to justify Smart’s play with each passing season.
With only one year left on his deal, Smart may be on the move this offseason. Boston’s new front office has to decide if it’s worth holding onto Smart, despite his clear regression in play, just because he represents the team well.
Smart’s poor play this season may have been the final straw, and we may have already witnessed the fiery guard’s last game in action for the Celtics.