Marcus Smart is exactly the man you want to be defending Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons is proving to be one of the most unique threats the NBA has ever seen, and is almost impossible for any guard to account for. You simply do not find his size in back courts, and need some of the most unique versatility to try and stop him.
Good news is that the Boston Celtics have the most versatile defensive guard in the league, and you know Marcus Smart is getting ready to give Simmons a proper introduction into the NBA.
The one nice thing about defending Simmons is you do not have to worry about him using his size to shoot over you, but you have to worry about him dominating you physically. Smart, however, is maybe the hardest guard in the league to physically dominate, and he will make these coming games the hardest of Simmons’ career.
Simmons was never able to really dominate against the Celtics in the regular season, but you cannot buy too much into that. Simmons has developed tremendously this season, and the rest of the team is working with him in a lot more ways, making everything more difficult for the defense.
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The Celtics also do not have the luxury of throwing different looks at Simmons, because they have lost Jaylen Brown. That being said, Smart is the best player to guard him, and the more time he spends on Simmons the better off this defense should be.
Physically, Smart will not let Simmons push him around. It will not be easy for him to generate offense in the paint, and he will have absolutely no space to make the incredible passes we are accustomed to seeing from him. Simmons will have no margin of error, because this is the exact situation where Smart looks to step up in a special way.
The mental part might end up being more important than the physical part of this matchup. Smart is the most intelligent defender on the team. He understands where’s everyone needs to be and what needs to be done at any given time. Simmons is masterful at running this 76ers offense right now, but Smart will understand everything he wants to do and will make sure it is as difficult as possible for Simmons to get comfortable.
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Smart will be able to figure out what Simmons wants to do most, and he will push him in the complete opposite direction. Simmons is not the only player who generates offense for the 76ers, but they need him establish what they want to do. He is responsible for so much of the shooting around him, and if Smart is able to throw Simmons off, the 76ers will not get to find their best offense.