Do not disrespect Marcus Smart in front of Cedric Maxwell.
Maxwell has long defended Smart's talents, even when some have been quick to criticize his mistakes. But the former Boston Celtic took his assessment of Smart's on-court abilities one step further Tuesday during his self-titled podcast.
Not only does he think Smart is an incredible defender, Maxwell believes the 26-year-old guard might be one of the best defensive players in Celtics history. Period.
"Other than those two big guys, when I think of (Kevin) Garnett and (Bill) Russell, are the only better two defensive players I've ever seen other than Marcus Smart on this team," Maxwell said without hesitation. " ... The only one I think about from that standpoint, and I played with him, is Dennis Johnson. Dennis Johnson is not as good as Marcus Smart, reason being Marcus Smart takes on more defensive responsibilities.
" ... Maybe I should just say under 7 feet tall," he later added. "I can't think of anybody that's played defense like Marcus has since he's been in this league."
Bold.
Smart, as Maxwell noted, has become "the heart and soul" of the Celtics' backcourt. His impressive defensive efforts have led to two All-Defensive First Team nods (2019, 2020) and seventh place in this year's Defensive Player of the Year voting.
