Boston Celtics: analyzing votes for All-NBA Defensive Team

The NBA revealed its annual All-NBA Defensive teams on Wednesday. The results had a heavy Boston Celtics presence. Some of that was expected. Other results were shocking.

The Boston Celtics had one of their own honored on Wednesday when Marcus Smart was listed to the All-NBA Defensive First team. In a seasons full of ups and downs it was Smart who was a dog going up and down the court consistently, defending at an elite level for the Boston Celtics.

Smart provided the Boston Celtics with both a tangible impact and all of the intangibles that make a player great. On the court, perhaps his biggest impact was holding his opponents to just 33% shooting from the 3-point line. In an NBA that has become obsessed with 3-point volume, Smart being an effective stopper for the long-ball has given coach Brad Stevens a reliable rotation player.

In fact, he was so important to the team’s success on that end of the court that for much of the season he usurped Jaylen Brown as the team’s starting shooting guard.

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Smart’s off-the-court contributions when he put in the dedication to return to the court prematurely in the playoffs from an oblique injury. Simply put: you don’t risk furthering damage to your body unless you love your team. Smart showed a ton of heart and loyalty making it back to the court for the playoffs.

The usual suspects on the defensive side of the ball got some votes as well. Jaylen Brown and Al Horford were given second team votes after respectable seasons from both players. There’s not too much to say about them.

Where there’s PLENTY to say is Kyrie Irving’s All-NBA Defensive team votes. Though it was for the second team, it goes without saying that Irving is nowhere NEAR being a top four defensive guard.

But we’re not going to harp on the negatives here. Smart is deserving of his place on the defensive first team. As long as he is a member of the Boston Celtics he will continue to give it his all on both ends. Not everyone can claim to have done that in Celtics green.