Even after seeing Boston Celtics veteran point guard Marcus Smart win the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, questions about whether the Flower Mound native is even the most important defender on his own team persist.
To be fair, until he injured his knee late in the 2021-22 season, teammate Robert Williams III was also in the running for the coveted defensive hardware. But his torn meniscus took him out of the running and cleared a path for Smart to be the first guard to win the award since Gary Payton Sr. in the 1990s. So after Boston’s middling defensive start to the 2022-23 NBA season sans Timelord, is it a hot take to say the Celtics’ defense can dominate — but only with Williams back in the fold?
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley recently made the case.
Should the Boston Celtics add another big man as soon as possible? https://t.co/Vesf4VqnbE
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 30, 2022
“Last season, the Shamrocks paced the league in defensive efficiency, per NBA.com. This season, they’ve slipped all the way to 25th in the category,” writes Buckley.
“What gives: tricky matchups? Extra-hot opponents? Still sorting out the puzzle pieces following the offseason changes?”
This is every player in Boston’s history who wore the Celtics’ No. 24 jersey for at least one game as of September 2022. https://t.co/wCt4qVfDZl
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 30, 2022
“All of the things are true to some degree, but the biggest difference is the Robert Williams III-sized hole on this frontcourt,” he adds.
“Boston can’t create nearly as much chaos without his length, athleticism and activity. The good news is the Celtics should have him back at some point. The bad news is that timeframe is unclear. The bouncy big man had knee surgery in September and is “unlikely to resume basketball activities until December,” per NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg.”
Does that mean the team’s defense is doomed without him based on what we have seen on the court so far this season?
Got a chance to catch up with @JahlilOkafor c/o of the @CapitanesCDMX to talk w/ him about playing w/ them this season, his desire to return to the NBA, potential fit with the @celtics and friendship with @jaytatum0 . Check it out! https://t.co/vETgiIqhWX
— Dr. Justin Quinn (@justinquinnn) October 30, 2022
In the Celtics’ 112-94 win over the Washington Wizards, we saw a team able to use its defensive skills not only to hold the Wiz under 100 points — the first game they’d done so this season — but to generate offense off turnovers.
Given Boston returned all of the key players to the league-leading defense they closed last season with (even without Timelord), we’re going to have to go ahead and deem this a hot take, albeit not the spiciest of them.
When it comes to criticism that the St. Louis native flopped for the Celtics on the league’s biggest stage, Tatum flatly rejects such a characterization. https://t.co/MPp9H7LZUo
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 31, 2022
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