Smart Defense

Celtics fans love a smart, scrappy guard who can defend in the mold of K.C. Jones. Marcus Smart gained a reputation as a tenacious defender and earned All-Defense First Team honors in 2019, 2020 and 2022. He was also named 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. “I guess sometimes you take it for granted,” Jayson Tatum said of his teammate’s defensive prowess. “One of the best if not the best defender that we have in this league, and just extremely special, especially on that side of the ball. Shows it night in and night out.”