Kyrie Irving. Kemba Walker. Isaiah Thomas. Dennis Schröder. Those are all the names the Boston Celtics have tried at point guard over the years.
They’ve all experienced their share of success and failure with the franchise. Well, all except Schröder — that was pretty much all bad. But I digress.
The point I’m making here is that the Celtics have gone through the ringer in search for a proper point guard for their team. That’s been the biggest knock on their team since Irving left for Brooklyn in 2019.
But, as it turns out, they’ve always had the answer right there in house. And it was always going to be Marcus Smart. No matter what happens through the rest of these playoffs, he is the Celtics’ answer at point right now and moving forward.
Look no further than game 2 against the Heat to see exactly why. The difference he makes for Boston is stark. He finished the game nearly pouring in a triple-double with a plus/minus of +32, which is staggering.
Marcus Smart did everything in his return.
24 PTS
9 REB
12 AST (1 TOV)
3 STL
5 3PMHe was +32. No other starter was higher than +16. pic.twitter.com/G35vkm3rwi
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 20, 2022
Single-game plus/minus isn’t the greatest stat, but when the difference is that big it’s definitely something to take note of.
What is truly remarkable is that Smart was 1-for-10 at halftime of game 2 but it’s also hard to argue that there was anyone on the Celtics’ team who’d had more of an impact to that point. He’d only scored 7 points but had 7 assists.
He was also dominant defensively — turns out it actually is harder to score on the Defensive Player of the Year. Smart held opponents to 4-15 shooting from the field and 1-9 from 3-point range.
He also did an incredible job of helping and forcing turnovers like this one Steve Jones shared in his excellent game thread here.
Jimmy/Bam P&R with an empty side again and Smart/Horford navigate without even having to get to a coverage. Great help from Smart at the end. pic.twitter.com/Ijc519E1lK
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) May 20, 2022
That’s just Marcus Smart doing Marcus Smart things, man. He’s incredible. That’s why he’s the Defensive Player of the Year from the guard spot. His impact is undeniable.
And, offensively, he isn’t flashy. Sure, he’ll hit the occasional stepback jumper and maybe he’ll slide a few people across the floor once every few games. But that’s not what makes him great.
It’s the hit ahead passes. It’s the screening. It’s making the right plays and finding the open man for 3. We’ve seen that all postseason long starting with Game 1 in the first round when everyone in the building thought he was taking the final shot.
Instead, he passes the ball up. It gets to Jayson Tatum and the rest is history. Now, the Celtics are here. And they look like they might be title favorites.
It’s been a long time. Smart has had to wait his turn and he knows it.
"I just waited my turn… I think everybody in the organization and the world is seeing what I can do at that point guard position"
Marcus Smart on running the @celtics offense and playing point guard. pic.twitter.com/dSozrWaWcq
— NBA (@NBA) May 20, 2022
“My whole career, this is what I got drafted here to do. I just waited my turn. And I’m blessed to be able to have the opportunity to show what I can do. I think everybody in the organization and the world is seeing what I can do at that point guard position.”
But the wait is over. He’s showing and proving now. That point guard slot in Boston is his until he doesn’t want it anymore.
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