The Boston Celtics need to name Marcus Smart captain

Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart is off to what may be his best start to a season yet. The 28-year-old is averaging about 11 points to go along with seven assists through the first 14 games of the 2022-23 NBA season. He ranks 10th in the league for assists per game. Of the top 10, Smart is tied for the second fewest turnovers per game with just 1.6.

The aforementioned stats are in spite of the six games at the very beginning of the season where Smart suffered early struggles. In those games, he averaged 9.8 points, 6.2 assists, shot just 32% from and 22% from beyond the arc. Since then he’s gotten his act together in a big way. Over the next eight games, the nine-year veteran has boosted his averages to 12.8 points, 7.8 assists, 48% overall, and a respectable 36% from deep.

Monday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Smart led the Boston Celtics to an electrifying comeback win. He rallied the team from down 15 to a 126-122 victory. Marcus created 19 of Boston’s 37 fourth quarter points, scoring 10 himself, while dishing four assists. Not to mention he knocked down all four of his attempts, including  a big three to put the Celtics up 118-115.

Boston Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla credited Smart for motivating the team in Monday’s thrilling win, saying:

"“We’re a reflection of him and his leadership.”"

Marcus Smart has been a strong leader for the Boston Celtics

The Texas native has a long history of showing strong leadership qualities during his time with the Celtics. Last season he called out his teammates following an embarrassing 19-point collapse against the Chicago Bulls. Marcus Smart called for the ball to move more and expressed frustration with his lack of involvement in the offense. It took a while, but as the season went on, the ball began to pop around more and Smart was able to do a solid job at filling the role as the team’s starting point guard. It was the first time he’d been given the reins, with talented point guards making stops in Boston throughout Smart’s career.

Before last season started, then head coach Ime Udoka teased the idea of naming two team captains. However, the idea never came into fruition as the players didn’t seem to have a ton of interest.

The Boston Celtics haven’t had a captain since Rajon Rondo was traded in late 2014, aka Smart’s rookie season. Before that, captaincy had been a long-standing tradition in Boston. Players such as Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker, Larry Bird, John Havlicek, Bill Russell, and Bob Cousy, as well as many others.

Personally, I’d love to see the organization bring back that tradition. If they were to do so, there’s no question that Marcus Smart would be the man for the title.