Boston Celtics: 3 starters who could be traded before next season

Marcus Smart

This one stings, but the cold hard reality of the situation is that as vital as Marcus Smart is to the Boston Celtics in really every way possible, that importance somewhat empowers Smart to shoot the ball at will.

That isn’t his strong suit, although he has drastically improved that facet of his game. That said, the improvement in his 3-point shooting in no way makes him an elite long-ball threat…despite the way Smart likely feels when he hits a heat-check 3-pointer.

The Cs now have four former Team USA members as well as two All-Stars and a budding All-Star in Jaylen Brown. Smart is a former Defensive Player of the Year in his own right. It may be that very achievement that enables him to let loose from all over the floor, despite the fact that it is an award predicated on defensive abilities.

The NBA is a player’s league, and unless the coach is Gregg Popovich or Pat Riley, players often run the show. As great of an X’s and O’s guy as Brad Stevens is, he is not exactly an elite manager of egos.

The 2018-19 team is easy to justify for the former Butler coach because volatile personalities like Kyrie Irving and Marcus Morris were disrupting things in the locker-room. Good luck with that $64 million investment on Morris by the way, LA.

That this year’s team had issues in the postseason is worrisome given the team’s cohesion all season. Yes, competitors compete and get fiery. But this many consecutive years of locker-room issues is concerning to say the least.

Given Smart’s role in the issues, perhaps he can be scapegoated for an upgrade in the frontcourt or a more offensively-oriented option.