Toughest Matchups? Marcus Smart Reveals NBA Players Hardest To Defend

There are a ton of gifted scorers in today’s NBA, which Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart knows as well as anybody.

Smart on Monday was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2021-22 season, becoming the first guard to win the award since Gary Payton in 1996. The C’s star edged out Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, a three-time winner, to earn the honor.

Charles Barkley subsequently asked Smart on TNT’s NBA coverage which opponents require a “good night’s sleep” to guard the next day. Smart pointed to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets — whom the Celtics are facing in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs — before adding in a few others.

“We’re playing against two of them right now in this series,” Marcus Smart said. “Everybody saw the game we had (Sunday) and what it came down to. I’m going to need all the sleep I can get. Those two, for sure.

“You got guys like LeBron (James), Bradley Beal, and I could keep going on. There are plenty of guys — Jayson (Tatum), Jaylen (Brown). When you have guys like that, as a competitor, as a defender, you want to get to bed early so you can get up early and do everything you can to figure out how you’re going to contain or stop these guys.”

Smart always has been a tenacious defender, but the 28-year-old has elevated his game to another level this season — not only locking down opponents but also developing into a skilled playmaker as Boston’s starting point guard.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Smart being voted DPOY opens the floodgates for more guards and perimeter defenders to start winning the award, which historically has been dominated by big men.