Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart Is Leading the NBA’s Glue Guys

It’s almost impossible to accurately quantify all the ways Marcus Smart makes the Boston Celtics a better team. 

Sometimes that can be read as a dilemma—especially for someone drafted sixth overall by a franchise that can’t afford to miss on any of the prospects it targets—but it’s also not to say Smart isn’t valuable or even already a really good NBA player. 

The numbers don’t glow—he’s averaging 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, with atrocious 35.9/29.4/55.2 shooting splits—but Smart oozes positive production (both subtle and obvious) that’s noticed by those who watch him closely.

“There aren’t a lot of guys his age that have impacted winning the way he has,” Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said after Tuesday’s practice. “Maybe not from a statistical standpoint, but more so from: You can feel it when he’s on the court. You ask anybody in here and they all know Marcus’ value.”

Three years ago, Boston handpicked Smart to replace Rajon Rondo as its long-term franchise point guard, but the script quickly changed when it acquired Isaiah Thomas midway through Smart’s injury-marred rookie year. 

Now 14 games into his third campaign, Smart is a titanium jackhammer off the bench. He does a little bit of everything, from running the offense as a traditional floor general to locking down opposing wings who are three or four inches taller than he is.

After a preseason game, one Celtics executive gushed to me about Smart’s impact. It was a game where Smart went scoreless in 13 minutes.

His makeup is four parts Tony Allen mixed with one part Stephon Marbury (sprinkle a pinch of Troy Polamalu on top for good measure). That DNA is already unusual, especially in a league that prioritizes spacing, but Smart earns time on the court by packing unparalleled energy into just about every minute he’s active.

“I think toughness, generally, is difficult to quantify,” Stevens said. “Everybody brings their own levels of skill to the table and everything else, but you have to have a competitiveness and an ability to figure out a way to win that possession. And he’s able to do that on a lot of possessions.”

Even though Smart’s numbers have yet to swell, he’s developing while still contributing in ways that can’t be measured analytically. Here’s an example from one of Boston’s biggest plays of the year.

In an on-court interview that took place moments after he sunk the game-winning bucket, Al Horford immediately credited Smart for making something out of nothing. “If Marcus wouldn’t have ran in, I wouldn’t have got that tip.”

So far as what can be measured, Smart’s quietly become an unerring conductor. According to Synergy Sports, the Celtics score 1.19 points per possession when he passes out of a pick-and-roll—a spectacular number. It’s a huge lift for Boston, a team that entered the season in need of reliable playmakers to replace departed free agent Evan Turner.

“He’s reading the defense a lot better, and he’s not rushing,” Thomas said. “He’s going at his own pace and really making the right play.”

Some of this is thanks to how Boston’s been able to space the floor. Smart can now weave bounce passes straight to the roll man without fear of a help defender squeezing in from the weak side. Last year, his options were limited. This year, he’s in front of a buffet table.

“A lot of guys I’m playing with are a lot better than the guys I used to play with,” Smart said. “These guys are pros, so they’ve been here a while longer. They’re more experienced, they know what they’re doing …

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