Veteran Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart continues to be undervalued in some assessments despite winning 2022’s Defensive Player of the Year award and leading his team within two wins of an NBA title. In a recent ranking of the top floor generals in the league by the Sporting News’ Stephen Noh, Smart checked in at No. 14.
Ranked behind the Toronto Raptors’ Fred VanVleet and just ahead of the Sacramento Kings’ De’Aaron Fox, one could make the case to rank Smart even higher.
“Smart, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, is as fierce a competitor as you’ll get,” writes Stephen Noh. “He’s not a great shooter, but he seems to hit a lot of big 3-pointers.”
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And while it is true Smart’s shot is far from optimal, to focus on that misses the value he brings to Boston on both ends of the floor.
To have the Flower Mound native ranked where he is may not be outrageous, but it should still be low enough to help give Smart some bulletin board material for the season to come.
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