It is tough to quantify everything Marcus Smart brings to the court.
Along with his defensive-minded basketball skillset, Smart has many intangible qualities as one of the leaders of the Boston Celtics.
But it took time for Smart, who is often referred to as the heart and soul of the Celtics, to grow into his leadership position, and there were certainly bumps along the way, like when he called out Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum for their lack of passing earlier this season.
Now, Smart seems to be pushing all the right buttons in that regard and is helping lead the charge for the Celtics in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
“I think we all just got comfortable with each other through experience,” Brown said on Wednesday at NBA Finals media day. “We’ve been playing together so long, so you learn each other’s tendencies and each other’s traits and how to talk and how to speak to each other and how to basically just be a better teammate.
“I think that has been probably the biggest contribution because over time you learn, you make mistakes, you argue, you fuss, you fight, but once you’ve been together for so long with a core group and you’ve been in the Celtics organization as long as Marcus’s been, you find different ways to be an example and I think that’s what he’s done.”
Al Horford, a 15-year NBA veteran who during his first stint with the Celtics played with a young Smart, has seen the guard develop into a guiding force for his teammates.
“With Marcus, so happy for him,” Horford said. “His resiliency, how he’s continued to work and stayed patient for his opportunities.”
According to Smart, he looked to try to just be himself as he became a key leader for the team.
“No, it’s just being me,” Smart said. “When I told those guys I love them, I meant it. We’ve all been through some things individually. Al, Jaylen, couple of those guys that have been here with me. My mom passed, they flew all the way to Dallas for the funeral. That was for real. It wasn’t no tactic. It was nothing. That was me being who I am and it was being true. We have a special bond outside of basketball and to be able to go to war with those guys makes that bond even stronger.”
Smart and the Celtics will take on the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals beginning on Thursday. Game 1 is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.
