Celtics guard Marcus Smart wins Defensive Player of the Year
Monday turned into a historic win for the little guys.
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been named the Defensive Player of the Year for the 2021-22 season, marking the first time that a guard has won the award since Gary Payton won it at the conclusion of the 1995-96 season.
Smart is just the sixth guard to win the award since its inception in the 1982-83 season, joining Payton, Sidney Moncrief, Alvin Robertson, Michael Cooper and Michael Jordan.
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert won the award last season, and also won it in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo won the award in 2019-20, putting a wrench in Gobert winning three in a row.
The last player to win the award three straight times was Dwight Howard from 2008 to 2011.
Monday, Payton was on-hand to deliver the award to Smart.
"You're a guy that reminds me of myself," Payton said. "Everybody asks me [who reminds me of myself] all the time and I say you. You play that D the way you supposed to. You play with a chip on your shoulder and some heart."
For the season, Smart consistently made winning plays on the defensive end of the court for the Celtics, becoming the only player in the NBA this season to have at least 200 deflections (204), 75 loose balls recovered (75), 15 chargers drawn (16), and 115 steals (118).
This season, opposing players made just 43.3% of their shots when Smart guarded them, which is the seventh-best in the league among players who’ve played at least 60 games this season, and the culmination of the individual brilliance paid off in a major way for the Celtics on the season.
They ranked first in points allowed (104.5), opponent field goal percentage (43.4%), defensive rating (106.2) and opponent 3-point percentage (33.9%).
"It's not easy playing in this league full of guys like Jayson [Tatum] and Jaylen [Brown] … and getting the recognition on the defensive end and trying to guard these guys every night," Smart said.
The Celtics currently hold a 1-0 series lead over the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
