Boston Celtics: Should Marcus Smart be starting?

Would the Boston Celtics be better off starting Marcus Smart over Terry Rozier?

The Boston Celtics got Marcus Smart back in their game five victory against the Milwaukee Bucks, and do not let an underwhelming box score take anything away from the game changing impact he was able to immediately have. .

Defense is always the focus with Smart, because he is one of the truly elite individual defenders in the NBA, with the kind of versatility that could transform a game against a team that embraces length as much as the Bucks.

When you take into account the depth issues created by injuries, it won’t just be on defense where the Celtics feel an immediate impact with Smart. Shane Larkin has been serviceable, but the Celtics need ball handlers in the back court with Terry Rozier, and Smart is a trusted playmaker even when he is on his worst shooting droughts.

Smart can come in and immediately become one of the most important players on this team, with some of the best impact on both ends of the court. Smart has spent a lot of time being a top player coming off the bench, but this situation might be a bit different for Boston, even if there was so much success in his first appearance off the bench.

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Rozier has been superb and has more than shown he is capable of being the starter and primary ball handler. That being said, Brad Stevens needs to think about the entire team, and that could mean putting Smart in the starting lineup.

It would have been unrealistic to expect Smart to start in his first game back, but the standards of keeping that position are officially raised for Rozier. There is a lot of uncertainty and with the rotation already in shambles, Stevens should give Smart and the rest of the roster enough time to settle in this series, before he decided to make more changes that could be disruptive.

If Stevens discovers that Smart is back to his very best and is ready to have the kind of impact this team needs from him on a consistent basis, it could be quite difficult to keep him out of the starting lineup. The Celtics need to figure out what is best for this team, and the value of Rozier’s scoring off the bench will also be a factor. After that game five victory, it looks like we will not have to wait much for Smart to have his best kind of impact.

The Celtics need Smart to be a part of their top defensive lineups, and they want all the help around him to make sure he cannot become a liability by taking too many contested shots. Off the bench, Smart would have to take matters into his own hands more, and that is a role they would much rather have Rozier in right now.

When he first comes back, it will be too early for Smart to start. Stevens still needs to gauge what kind impact Smart will have right away, and he needs to figure out how to most effectively integrate the dynamic guard. Keep in mind it is not only a matter of Smart being comfortable in the role role, because they would rather Smart come off the bench if it is the best way to get him and Rozier at their best.

Once Smart is able to establish something that Stevens can trust, I would expect him to start the defensive standout. The Celtics can get a much better scoring boost for the second unit if Rozier comes off the bench, and this top unit needs Smart on defense more than any amount of offense.

Boston’s biggest problem this series has been their three point defense, while trying to handle the length of the Bucks. Smart is the most versatile option for the Celtics, and he made all the difference in game five. Giannis Antetokounmpo could not get going, with Smart disrupting him at the rim. Khris Middleton finally came down to earth, and Thon Maker was a non factor.

It takes a complete team effort to do that on defense, but the Celtics do not get a complete team effort without Smart, who brings everything together on defense and makes the kind of plays that cannot be done without him.

You hate to see Rozier’s role reduced in any way, but bringing him off the bench should not take away too much of his impact. Marcus Morris is a great example of how important but you can be coming off the bench for the Celtics, and Rozier would be more valuable in that role than Smart would be.

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The Celtics saw their back court get decimated by injuries, so they need to make sure they get as much as possible from both Rozier and Smart. Given the impact the two of them can have on this team, it could just be a matter of time before Smart is in the starting lineup. That being said, Stevens will not rush anything, and as long as things are working with Smart coming off the bench, I would expect it to stay that way.