All season, the Boston Celtics have had trade rumors swirling around their team. While they are obviously lacking consistent shooters, the one position everyone feels they should upgrade point guard.
Some fans have been waiting for Marcus Smart to be traded and, as the deadline approaches, multiple mock trades are coming out with the veteran being shipped out.
While the defensive guru has been having a good year, his last six games may be the most impressive six-game stretch of his young career as a full-time starting one.
Since coming back from COVID protocols on January 23rd, Marcus Smart has played all six games and the Boston Celtics are 5-1.
Just for reference, while he was out, the C’s went 3-3 over six games.
During his absence, the Boston Celtics struggled, shooting 47 percent and wound up outscoring opponents by about two points with 24 assists per game. During his six-game hot streak, the C’s are shooting 48 percent and average three more assists with him back in the lineup.
This may not sound like they were struggling too much with the point guard out, but what really stands out is with Smart back in the lineup, the Boston Celtics are outscoring opponents by 19 points.
The reason for this is the stingy defense that the 27-year-old plays, which he obviously what he is known for.
Their opponents’ shooting percentage has dropped from 47 percent to 39 percent with the 2x All-Defensive talent back in the lineup.
But a point guard’s job isn’t just to play defense at the utmost highest level, but, more importantly, they must direct the offense.
Before the guard went out with COVID, he was struggling a bit.
He had a lingering quad injury and he wasn’t playing as well as he could, shooting only 36 percent on 11 attempts per game.
With him struggling, the shamrocks were struggling with him.
Since getting back to 100% health, he is playing at a higher level making 54 percent of his shots on only eight attempts per game.
When it comes to his 3-point shooting, Smart has always been criticized for his lower-than-average stroke. Before going out, the guard was averaging 30 percent on five attempts per game. Since coming back, however, he’s averaging 37 percent with the same amount of attempts per game.
Not only is he getting pickier with his shot selection, but he’s also starting to become a better passer.
Before going out, the point guard was averaging five assists per game. Now, he’s averaging seven.
It’s also worth noting that in the past six games, Marcus Smart is leading the league in overall +/- with a +20.5.
Teammate Robert Williams is in second place with a +20 and All-Star forward, Jayson Tatum, is in third with a +19.5.
If the Boston Celtics guard continues to play at such a high level, the trade deadline will become a lot more interesting.
Maybe the Boston Celtics like what they see in their defensive-minded point guard and, instead, look to shop point guard, Dennis Schroder instead.
Or, perhaps Smart is just boosting his trade value with his impressive play.
If Boston does end up trading him, they need to get a big haul because of his recent production.