Throughout this season, teammates of Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart have served as his campaign staff, pushing for the defensive stalwart to be named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year.
So when Smart received the high honor on Monday, his teammates were thrilled to shower him — quite literally — in celebration.
Celtics star forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown then took to Twitter to keep praising and supporting Smart, who became the first guard since Gary Payton in 1995-96 to be recognized as the league’s best defensive player.
“Hell Yeah!!!” Tatum wrote. “Happy for you bro, first guard since GP that’s legendary! Nobody more deserving you earned it.”
Brown had a similar tone to Tatum, congratulating Smart, who twice was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team in his career, on an award that has just been out of Smart’s grasps in past years.
“YGC (Young Game Changer, Smart’s nickname) you a legend, keep it going!!” Brown wrote.
The Celtics with their newly named Defensive Player of the Year take on the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday at TD Garden.
