The unthinkable has happened. A guard has been named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the first time since Gary Payton in 1996 — two years after Marcus Smart was born.
And the Celtics guard was just the man to snap the skid, receiving the nod over Suns forward Mikal Bridges and three-time DPOY, Jazz center Rudy Gobert. Bridges, who led a Suns team that finished third in defensive rating, finished second to Smart.
Smart finished the season sixth in steals per game and fifth in defensive win shares. He also finished ninth in the NBA in defensive rating, fifth among guards. While running the NBA’s top defense, Smart also led the league in loose balls recovered per contest.
With this award, Smart will also receive NBA All-Defensive honors for the third time in his career.
Smart is the first Celtic to be named the NBA’s DPOY since Kevin Garnett in 2007-08. KG and Smart are the only two players in franchise history to receive the honor.
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