Marcus Smart Reaching Untouchable Status

Marcus Smart is morphing into one of the scrappiest defenders in the NBA directly before our eyes.

Last Friday night, Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green accomplished the unthinkable. On a night when he notched just four points, the two-time All-Defensive First Team selection still managed to record a triple-double, garnering the shocking stat line of 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and an absurd 10 steals.

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While Green may have become the first player ever to accomplish a triple-double without netting at least 10 points, he could be joined shortly by a man making a push to join the 2015 NBA champion on the lineup of All-Defensive First Teamers: Marcus Smart.

In the absence of shooting guard Avery Bradley for the better part of the 2017 calendar year, Smart has emerged into a piece untouchable in any trade discussions. He is transforming into the NBA’s most feared perimeter defender, one of just a handful of players in the league that you witness actively ripping the ball way from penetrating players on a nightly basis. Not only can he matchup against guards, Smart can also utilize his 220-pound frame to stifle any position on the floor.

In Monday’s 111-98 victory over the Mavericks in which Smart received the starting nod as rookie Jaylen Brown was forced to sit out due to a hip injury, fans were treated to a plethora of instances in which Smart was handed the tall task of guarding the seven-foot Nowitzki. Despite holding an eight-inch height advantage over Smart, the former NBA MVP was unable to outmuscle him for favorable position deep inside the block. This led to Nowitzki shooting a multitude of stepback jumpers from further from the basket than he would otherwise desire. The result? A 7-for-17 shooting night for Nowitzki and just one make on five attempts from three-point range.

Offensive options forced to cope with Smart encroaching on their personal space must follow one cardinal rule: never bring the ball below the waistline. Smart makes a killing on swiping the ball away from weaker opponents when they attempt to whip the ball across their body while setting up a dribble move. Once the ball is loose, the fight has already ceased, as Smart is dynamic at beating his competition to the ground and stripping loose balls into his own possession with brutal remorse.

This has led to a substantial streak of defensive performances that the Celtics have not witnessed since the days of Rondo. After grabbing a career-best eight steals from a collection of helpless 76ers in Wednesday night’s 116-108 triumph, Smart is averaging an incredible 3.3 steals per game in the month of February. In addition to his outburst against Philadelphia, Smart has registered five-steal outings in wins over the Lakers and Trail Blazers so far this month. These showings have fed into Smart upping his steals per 100 possessions average to a career-best 2.8.

Green Teamers watching his performance against Dallas were treated to another facet of the Smart show: his improved passing. With 10 minutes remaining in the contest and Boston clinging to a one-point lead, Smart pulled down a rebound, noticed point guard Isaiah Thomas streaking across the floor, and whipped an outlet pass that Tom Brady would admire for a superb assist. This dime sparked a 24-11 Celtics run that concluded any chance of a Mavericks victory.

Two nights later against the 76ers, Smart posted five assists, his fifth game with at least five dimes thus far in February. Smart’s ability to see the floor has received a facelift in 2016-17, with his average of assists per 100 possessions skyrocketing from 5.4 last season to 7.4 and his assist percentage jumping from 15.4 percent to 21.8 percent, displaying the markings of a floor leader in the making.

Smart’s three-point shooting has long been a vulnerability for critics to harp on. However, this season, his shot selection has vastly improved, leading to him shooting 36.7 percent from deep in January and 33.3 percent this month after converting on just 26.9 percent of his long range looks in December. Wednesday’s win saw him knock down three shots from deep, including three momentum-swinging three-pointers in the second half en route to his second 20+-point performance of the season.

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Overall, it would take an MVP-caliber talent to even stir the pot for general manager Danny Ainge in trade discussions involving Smart. Even then, there is little reason to believe that Smart would even be dangled in front of other general managers considering that he has altered himself into arguably the second-most valuable player on the Celtics roster besides Thomas.