New Celtics coach Ime Udoka said this offseason that he plans to “put the ball in Marcus’ hands a lot more” when asked about Marcus Smart’s role. Even after signing veteran point guard Dennis Schroder, it appears the starting point guard job belongs to Smart, who signed a new four-year extension this summer.
And according to Smart, that clarity on his role should make his job “easy” this season. Smart said during Celtics media day Monday that he has always considered himself a natural point guard and that it’s where he’s most comfortable. Throughout much of his Celtics career, though, he’s been more of a two-guard who hasn’t always had the ball in his hands a lot.
With the Celtics’ ball movement looking stale for much of last season, Smart knows he is now responsible for making good decisions and getting the ball to star scorers Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in good spots.
“It’s easy. For me, it’s finding those guys in the right spot,” Smart said. “I was one of the leaders in assists last year. I think that speaks volumes about my playmaking skills and the things that I can do with the ball in my hands.
“Just having that opportunity to finally go out there and do it without looking over my shoulder or having to worry about what they’re gonna tell me if I’m too aggressive here or not aggressive there, and just really pick my spots, it’s gonna be real easy.
“Jayson and Jaylen are two unbelievable players in this league, and we’re gonna need them a lot this year and lean on them a lot. We’re gonna do a good job of making sure we get them the ball when they’re supposed to have it.”
Smart said that the Celtics still got along last season and that they “love each other," but that, “For whatever reason, it just didn’t click” on the court the way they expected. Smart believes the start of a new season combined with some new players and a new coach offers a chance for a fresh start.
“Things didn’t go as planned last year,” Smart said. “Everybody had things they were dealing with personally, on and off the court. For us, it’s just starting fresh, starting over, and just kind of rebuilding that mentality that we know we need to have and that we’ve had over the years.”
Smart also believes the addition of veterans like Al Horford, Enes Kanter, Josh Richardson and Schroder will help as well.
“Having that veteran leadership, with guys who are veterans and who have been put to the test more than younger guys, it’s always good to have older guys there who have been through it, who know what it takes,” Smart said. “We’re excited about it. We’ve got a lot of guys in here that are older, on the veteran side, that are eager to just sponge out their knowledge to the younger guys.”
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