Fans of the Boston Celtics have long learned to love and trust the defensive wizardry we regularly see from the team’s longest-tenured player, Marcus Smart. The Flower mound native consistently puts forth the same elite defensive play that made him the first guard to win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award since Gary Payton, Sr. in the mid-1990s.
But the question of how Smart does what he does so well is less often discussed. The Oklahoma State alumnus relies on his size, unusual strength and resiliency as a guard coupled with innate timing, basketball IQ and well-honed technique to make it happen.
While most of that is stuff you are either born with or spend years learning, the man himself gave YouTuber Ryan Razzooky an 18-minute masterclass on defensive tactics in the clip embedded below.
Be sure to check it out!
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
