It has been a trying season for the Celtics, who were 18-21 after blowing a 25-point lead against the Knicks on Thursday. But Smart, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound wrecking ball, again ranks among the league leaders in steals, averaging a career-best 1.9 per game. Finding players who can defend — and defend multiple positions — has seldom been more in demand as players of all shapes and sizes continue to expand their offensive skillsets.
Consider the evolution of the game since Smart entered the league in the 2014-15 season, when teams averaged 7.8 3-pointers per game while averaging 100 points, according to Basketball Reference. Last season, teams averaged 12.7 3-pointers and 112.1 points per game, notable increases that helped spur the league to amend a few rules before the start of this season that were aimed at reducing advantages for offensive players. No more lunging forward on shot attempts to create contact and draw fouls? Smart said he was all for it. But there are still nightly challenges.
“It is a thankless job,” Razooky said. “It’s like being an offensive lineman.”
There is something of a mutual admiration society for N.B.A. defenders. Smart, for example, spoke highly of the Bucks’ Jrue Holiday and the 76ers’ Matisse Thybulle, who has unique capabilities as a perimeter defender.
“He’s blocking 3-point shots, which is something I’m not doing,” Smart said.
Yet Smart has long been known for his own defensive prowess. At Marcus High School, which is outside Dallas, his coach, Kenny Boren, recognized Smart’s uncanny instincts for the ball and had him guard the opposing team’s worst player so that he could roam the court as a free safety, picking off passes and drawing charges as a help defender. It was an unorthodox philosophy. The team won back-to-back state championships.