Warriors head coach Steve Kerr respects what Marcus Smart brings to the court night in and night out. The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year is certainly not liked by Dubs fans after he was involved in injuring Steph Curry on March 16 while diving for a loose ball--resulting in a foot injury that put Curry on the pine until the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
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Despite some Warriors fans still being mad at Smart's "dirty play," three days before the start of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Kerr held a press conference where he compared Smart to another brash and defensive-orientated player -- Draymond Green.
“His strength and his anticipation, he’s got an incredible feel for the game at that end,” Kerr told reporters on Monday. “He’s like the guard version of Draymond [Green]. He’s reading angles, he’s guarding all five positions, if he switches on to a five man, he’s so strong, he can hold them off. He’s quick enough to chase point guards around, big enough to guard wings so he can literally guard 1-5 in the modern game.
"He’s appropriately named, very smart player and really versatile and great, great defender."
Some may think Kerr is crowning Smart a bit too early but the three-time All-Defensive performer did make history this season as the first guard to win the prestigious defensive award since Gary Payton in 1996. Smart finished the 2021-22 season among the top 10 in the league for steals and was the unquestioned leader of Boston’s No. 1 ranked defense.
Although Green and Smart play two different positions, the level of intensity they bring to the court strikes fear in opposing teams. When either player is not on the floor, their respective teams certainly feel the effects of their absence.
According to NBA.com, Smart has a plus/minus of nearly +10 when he's on the court. When he is off it, that total gets cut in half at +5.
Smart will have the task of stopping Curry during the Finals. If we look at the numbers, the matchup certainly leans in favor of Smart, holding Curry to 29% from the field during his career when he’s been the closest defender, according to Second Spectrum. During their first matchup in December of last year, Curry scored 30 points but shot just 8-of-21 from the field and 5-of-14 from deep, turning the ball over six times.
Things didn't get better for eight-time All-Star. In their matchup in March, Curry scored only three points on 1-of-4 shooting with four turnovers before leaving the game in the second quarter when Smart landed on his foot while diving for a loose ball.
Boston split the regular season series matchup with the Warriors at one a piece.
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