It’s been a long time coming for Marcus Smart, who the NBA finally recognized as its Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, beating out finalists Mikal Bridges and three-time winner Rudy Gobert for top billing. Smart is only the second Celtic to receive DPOY honors, following Kevin Garnett in 2008. He’s also the first guard to claim the award since Hall-of-Famer Gary Payton in 1996.
Consistent with the fleeting nature of all accomplishments in the Twitter age, Smart’s coronation was met with much resistance, facing criticism from online trolls who argued the 28-year-old wasn’t even the best defender on his team this season.
Others, including Tom Haberstroh of Meadowlark Media, dismissed Smart’s DPOY candidacy largely on the basis of his height, insisting the award should be reserved exclusively for rim protectors.
That conveniently shortsighted analysis illustrates the inherent biases associated with the award (it took the better part of three decades for a backcourt player to finally get his due) and the antiquated belief a player Smart’s size (6’4”/220) can’t be just as dominant as interior disruptors like Gobert and Bam Adebayo. Smart may not have as strong a statistical case as Gobert, who led the NBA in rebounds per game (14.7) while also finishing third in blocks (2.1), but anyone who’s watched him can acknowledge his value to the Celtics, both as a playmaker and the de facto quarterback of what many would consider the best defense in all of basketball. For instance, of the 12 buckets made by Kyrie Irving in Sunday’s playoff opener, only one came against Smart.
Teammate Robert Williams appeared to be trending toward DPOY status until he suffered a torn meniscus, costing him the final seven games of the regular season. Time Lord, however, would refute that narrative, owing his improved defensive play this season to Smart’s mentorship.
Smart is a polarizing player, both because he plays for the hated Celtics (Lord knows the sports world has grown weary of Boston’s success after two decades of nonstop duck boat parades) and because of his rugged style of play, often getting away with cheap shots and embellishing calls, particularly offensive fouls (he took a team-high 16 charges during the regular season). But the notion that he’s not a worthy Defensive Player of the Year is misguided, bordering on delusional. Smart’s impact may not always show up on the stat sheet, but he’s as determined and versatile a defender as you’ll find in the NBA, taking momentum into his own hands with hustle plays like this.
You don’t have to like Smart—in fact, most of the league doesn’t (eight years of shameless flopping will do that to a player’s reputation). But if you don’t think Smart is a difference-maker, you haven’t been watching the Celtics this year.
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