Defensive Player Of The Year: Marcus Smart’s rant

Rudy Gobert, Draymond Green, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Mikal Bridges. These are the main favorites for the title of defender of the year, according to a recent progress report made by a betting platform. Absent from the mark: the representatives of the Celtics who have nevertheless had the best defense in the league for a while.

To the chagrin of Marcus Smart whose reputation in the sector has been known for years. “ Not even being brought up in the discussion let alone winning it is bullshit to me, crudely describes the player selected twice among the best defenses. We all know it: it’s a popularity contest. There is Rob (Williams) and me, and we’re not even in the discussion for this title while being on the best defensive team in the league.“

Their names could indeed be mentioned to reward the collective defense of the Celtics in which Al Horford, and the two stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, are also very mobilized.

For his personal case, Marcus Smart, who did not receive a single vote in last year’s vote, is aware that the candidacy of a full-back is systematically more complicated to “defend” than that of an interior, likely to impress more with his counters for example.

He did not fail to recall recently on Twitter that Gary Payton is the last back to have achieved this small feat in 1996.

” I don’t see why it’s so hard for a fullback to win it. We talk about what the interiors do, I don’t take anything away from them. But you have to understand that an attacker has to pass in front of us, the backs. Most of the time we make it so hard that by the time it gets past the inside all there is to do is send it the other way “, Details the leader of the Celtics, author of 20 points and 5 interceptions against the Pistons this night.

“I think I should be in the running for Defensive Player of The Year. Who else but me can defend on the five positions? “

This finding is frustrating for him who believes that his counterparts ” sacrifice themselves, dive on the majority of balls lying around. You are the one who takes the offensive faults, the one who takes the blows to direct towards the interiors. A soldier’s work may be less visible or spectacular in the eyes of voters.

Even if Rudy Gobert won the trophy in 2021, ahead of Ben Simmons, backs and outsiders had obtained votes: Jrue Holiday, Jimmy Butler, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Matisse Thybulle. Players capable of defending in several positions. Like Smart.

” I think I should be in the running for Defensive Player of The Year. Who else but me can defend on the five positions? asks Smart. ” The last fullback to win that trophy was Gary Payton, and he wasn’t defending at the pivots. Me, I defend on the backs and the pivots. I don’t think the question even arises… What sets me apart, I would say first of all is my way of defending on the inside. I’m small and I’m able to stop players like Kristaps Porzingis, Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love… Really big interiors. Players with different styles, some are not real scoring threats, but they are powerful. Even though I’m able to defend on Steph Curry, LeBron (James), John Wall, James Harden… You don’t see insiders who can defend on an inside and then defend on a fullback. “