Boston Celtics: Marcus Smart believes surprise Celtic will be in MVP discussion

The Boston Celtics have an All-NBA First Teamer in their ranks, but reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart believes he isn’t the only member of the Cs that’ll find his way into the MVP conversation by season’s end.

Smart believes not only Jayson Tatum, but also Jaylen Brown, will be talked about for the Association’s most prestigious award come spring 2023 when the regular season will be in the rearview.

Smart said as much during a conversation with NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg during an October 26 exclusive that focused on the team’s performance through the first four games of the season.

Here were Smart’s comments endorsing both ‘Jays’ to be the most relevant names in the NBA during the 2022-23 campaign when asked specifically about if Tatum’s is a true candidate for the award:

"“Definitely, definitely. I think Jaylen Brown is, too. I think we don’t talk about that enough. Just as much as we talk about Jayson, you gotta talk about JB. Because he holds the fort down just as much. Especially nights where Jayson isn’t going, you can always depend on Jaylen to give you something. So I think, for us, and for this league, we need to really recognize what Jaylen has been doing and what he’s continued to do and the progression that he’s making and that player that he’s become.”"

Marcus Smart isn’t sweating Boston Celtics loss to Chicago Bulls

While the fourth game of the 2022-23 season almost singlehandedly did the goodwill built from the first three games for many Boston Celtics fans, Marcus Smart isn’t worried about the team’s dud against the Chicago Bulls this past Monday — even relaying the locker room’s goal to not freak out.

“It’s only four games. I’m not gonna freak out right now,” Smart told NBC Sports Boston. “We asked each other not to freak out. It’s one [loss]. We gotta fix it. We’re not taking it for granted. We understand what we have to fix and it’s just an effort going out there and doing it.”

Getting smoked on the boards and in the paint was a bad look for Boston, but it’s a single game following a week of traveling from the northeast to Florida and up to the Midwest to take on a team that looks improved from last year.