Marcus Smart is Already a Leader in Boston

It’s not often that you see a player with just one one year of NBA experience become the leader of his team but that is exactly what is happening with Marcus Smart. The Boston Celtics are one of the youngest teams in the league so it would be fitting for them to have one of the greater young leaders in today’s game.

Last season the Celtics lacked a lot of veteran presence in the locker room and it will be even less this season. The only true veterans the Celtics had on the team were Gerald Wallace, Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass. With two of those three players gone and uncertainty surrounding the other it is becoming more and more clear that the Celtics are Smart’s team.

Oct 6, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward Brandon Bass (30) reacts after a play with teammate guard Marcus Smart (36) as they take on the Philadelphia 76ers in the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics did add David Lee who should be able to help solidify the Celtics’ locker room but the way Smart carries and conducts himself reveals that he is the greatest natural leader on the team.

The Celtics truly are all about youth right now. Almost every significant player on the team has been in the league under 5 seasons and with them having one of the youngest head coaches in the NBA makes it easy for the team to look up to young leaders.

The Celtics had to deal with an unforgiving amount of roster changes last season and they still managed to come together after the all star break and form a great cohesive core. Brad Stevens deserves the most credit but there is no doubting that Smart’s leadership is having an impact on the team.

Smart is leading by example and he does a great job of putting on display how a player can continuously contribute even if he is still not a polished offensive player. Smart does all the little things and most importantly he defends. Smart is doing a great job of setting a culture in Boston.

The Celtics are fresh off of an era with two of the greatest locker room presences in the league in Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Smart has some astronomical shoes to fill but with how the new rookies are reacting it appears as though he is on track to reestablishing a winning culture in Boston.

Apr 28, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett (5) and small forward Paul Pierce (34) celebrate against the New York Knicks during game four of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

It’s not just what Smart did last season as he is receiving endless praise for his performance in the summer league. Danny Ainge has said “You’ve got to put in the work, and Marcus is putting in the work [..] that’s the kind of leadership he needs to show, but it’s also what he needs to reach his full potential, I wish all of our players would do that”.

Smart is setting a new kind of standard in Boston and he is making it clear that lack of effort and work ethic will be unacceptable. Smart always gives everything that he has and the results are showing in the summer league. Smart has been one of the most dominant player this offseason and they example he is setting will have a tremendous impact on the rookies that are now playing alongside him.

Terry Rozier has already noticed the kind of impact Smart has on his teammates as he said “Being with him is special. Even if he’s not playing, you just feel his presence in the room. He’s leading us, but he’s also talking to us. It’s great to have him around early in the process”.

The Celtics are young enough that Smart will certainly maintain his leadership role when the regular season starts and having him set an example for the rookies before they even suit up for their first NBA game will go a long ways in helping the team develop chemistry.

The way people talk about him, it is as if Smart is already a veteran leader on the team and with so much more room for him to improve there’s no telling the kind of player Smart can develop into. After last season the Celtics were already confident they had their point guard of the future and after his performance so far in the summer league he continues to solidify his role on the team.

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