Despite all the noise surrounding his future with the team, Marcus Smart had a great season for the Boston Celtics.
The Boston Celtics had a phenomenal run in the recently concluded season of the NBA. They leapfrogged everybody and went on a run to the NBA Finals. Even though they lost to the Golden State Warriors, there is no denying that the Celtics had a huge leap in the last season.
Marcus Smart, whose name has always been involved in trade rumors, had an unforgettable season. He won the Defensive Player of the Year award, and it’s not easy for a guard to win the DPOY.
Smart’s contribution to this Celtics team was immense, and without him, they would not have reached the Finals. Recently Marcus Smart gave his thoughts about the high and lows of what was a remarkable season for him and the Boston Celtics.
Talking about the finals loss to the Warriors, Smart said, “I have moments where it’s late at night and I can’t sleep, and all of a sudden I’m thinking about those games and what we could’ve done differently.”
Marcus Smart knows that the Boston Celtics didn’t play to their full potential. He knew the team made many mistakes against the Warriors, and he himself took full account of them.
Smart said, “And, I wish we didn’t run out of gas, Obviously, those series we went through to get to the Finals were so brutal. But, I wouldn’t change a thing about it. You hate to find your lessons in defeat, but sometimes you have to see rain before a rainbow.”
The DPOY added, “I lay in bed thinking about our execution. We had so many damn turnovers, man, it was ridiculous. Unfortunately, that’s what we’d been doing the last couple of series. We flirted with it and it finally backfired and it bit us in our butts.”
The number of turnovers that the Celtics had really cost them the championship. The three best players on Boston’s team, i.e., Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart, turned the ball over quite frequently against the Warriors.
Marcus Smart has always been doubted throughout his career in the league. He is not a typical point guard, which is why people think that he isn’t a good fit on this Celtics team. He believes that he proved all his doubters wrong this year. His Defensive Player of the Year Award supports his argument.
Smart said, “I think I proved a little bit everything, I hear the talks about ‘He’s not a true point guard’ and this and that. ‘They need a star point guard.’”
He added, “We’ve had star point guards, and yet this so-called non-point guard is the only one that’s led them to the Finals. I think that right there says enough, I don’t really need to say too much more. I think everybody sees and understands, finally, the person I really am, and what I can do given the opportunity.”
Marcus Smart here is referring to the likes of Kyrie Irving, Isiah Thomas, and Kemba Walker. All three of them were claimed to be better than Smart, but he was the only one that was able to lead this team to the NBA Finals. None of those players made an impact on this team as Smart did. As a result, he truly deserves all the flowers that he is getting.
Marcus Smart was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 6th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Since then, he has been a part of this team. Smart has seen it all. From the Isiah Thomas days to the Kyrie Irving-Gordon Hayward days
Eventually, he got his best success with the young duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The current big three of the Celtics are special, and the franchise should never break them.
Marcus Smart further talked about how his position on the team was always in doubt and said, “And, I’m still here, I’m still the longest-tenured Celtic. So for me, I take it as a compliment. It means you’re valued pretty high, and if your name is talked about, people want you.”
He added, “But I don’t pay much attention. I know what I bring to the table, and that’s what I focus on, what I bring to this team. We’ll figure everything else out. [President of basketball operations Brad Stevens] is great at what he does and he’s going to figure out the right pieces to make sure we stay going in the right direction.”
The Boston Celtics had a great season and made the Finals. However, they’ll still need to improve their team for the next season. Even though the current group of players exceeded all the expectations that were set for them, they’ll need a few more pieces to win the championship.
Just like Derrick White fit perfectly into their system, the front office will look to get another player who can make an instant impact on the team. Marcus Smart has full belief in Brad Stevens to make the right decision for the team.
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