A few months ago, it would have been hard to imagine the Celtics competing for the Eastern Conference’s top playoff seed. At that early juncture, the Celtics looked every bit like a fringe playoff team destined for the dreaded “play-in” round, playing .500 ball while butting heads in the locker room.
Seeking some form of accountability, Boston’s longest-tenured player and de facto team leader Marcus Smart called out stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in November, hounding them for not getting teammates more involved, particularly late in games. Those three would later hash it out in a players-only meeting days later, as the Celtics would eventually find their identity, emerging as one of the NBA’s best defensive teams.
Now barreling toward a top-four playoff seed in the Eastern Conference and the homecourt advantage that comes with it, those early frustrations are a distant memory, a mere footnote on what has been a surprisingly successful debut season for rookie coach Ime Udoka. Reflecting back on his public criticism of Brown and Tatum, Smart contends that his remarks were largely taken out of context, though he doesn’t regret what was said.
“It really did get taken out of context. And I haven't really spoken on it because it wasn't something that was worth giving my energy to,” Smart told Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. “What I said, if you really listen closely, and you were in that meeting, I said, for other teams, this is their scouting report. Other teams are saying this about our team, when it comes to our two best players.”
A leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year (especially now that his biggest competition for the award, teammate Robert Williams, will miss the remainder of the regular season with a torn meniscus), Smart has never been afraid to push his teammates, embracing his role as a veteran mentor. So when Smart noticed Boston’s offense becoming one-dimensional, he let his opinion be known.
“[Tatum and Brown] are only going to get better. But they have to get better at this for us to be good,” said Smart. “The whole team is getting better at that and it's shown, with the beginning of this year and the second half of the season for us. Those two guys have stepped up their play, developing and growing exponentially in the way this team needs.”
The Celtics will be tested over their final three games, facing difficult road assignments in Chicago, Milwaukee and Memphis to close out the regular season. Though it’s largely out of their control, the Celtics would prefer to avoid first-round matchups with Brooklyn (who eliminated them in last year’s playoffs) and Toronto. The latter would be especially problematic given Toronto’s vaccine mandate with at least two Celtics reportedly unvaccinated.
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