Boston Celtics Feeling the Importance of Marcus Smart

The Boston Celtics have quickly realized how big of an impact Marcus Smart has on the team

The Boston Celtics are entering the All Star break on one of their worst stretches of the season. They have been manhandled by the teams they are supposed to be on par with, and they have not been convincing against any of the lesser competition. The offense has been as bad as its been all year long, and the defense has fallen off a cliff.

The Celtics cannot seem to go a game without giving up a double digit deficit, and we are seeing it get past 20 points more and more often. The rotation has been all over the place, and almost every single player has regressed during this stretch.

To say that Marcus Smart can fix all these problems would be ridiculous, but it is times like this where they feel his absence the most. On top of all the things Smart does for their rotation and defense, he is the presence they need when nothing is going their way. Smart is the one that bullies his way back into a game by any means necessary, and plays with the kind of physicality that will prevent the opponent from playing as well as they have been against the Celtics.

Defense is obviously where you feel his absence the most, and the Celtics have been exposed in a bad way without him. Right down to something as simple as rotations, the Celtics cannot be the same on defense without Smart. He is the most important player in their small ball situation, and enables almost everything Brad Stevens wants to do with the second unit front court.

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The Celtics need Smart’s additional size in the back court and versatility to cover all five positions, if they are going to be able to use Daniel Theis and Semi Ojeleye properly. By taking Smart out of the lineup, Stevens needs to find different ways to integrate these undersized bigs, and we are yet to see a solution that really works, and the rotation has been as chaotic as we have seen all season long.

Smart is one of the most important players in allowing Stevens to put together their best defensive lineups, and he is arguably the most important individual defender on the team. The Celtics always look to put Smart on one of the more difficult matchups, and they can use him in so many different situations. Smart allows certain players to be comfortable on the court, and he makes sure no one has to deal with an assignment that is too difficult.

The Celtics do not have a defender who impacts his teammates and disrupt the opponent as much as Smart. He is one of the most unique players in the NBA, and the Celtics continue to see more and more ways that he helped this team, because no one is able to replace any of his impact right now.

Smart will never fix all the problems, and his offense can often drag down the team. That being said, we are well beyond the point where we need to question his value. There is no doubt that the Celtics are a better team with Smart on the court, and as more time passes the more it feels like he should be in discussion for defensive player of the year, even if his teammate, Al Horford, is more likely to get it right now.

Smart brings incredible leadership and the kind of toughness that cannot be replaced. He has the kind of impact that cannot be replaced, and he plays with the mentality that everyone on this team needs to adapt.

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There are a lot of problems that need to be addressed over the All Star break, because Smart is not going to come in and instantly fix everything. That being said, you cannot understate how much easier he makes it for the Celtics to get at their best, and find the extra boost they need when things are not going well.