BOSTON -- Entering the 2021-22 season there was a question as to whether Marcus Smart could be the Celtics' primary ball handler on the first unit. One run to the NBA Finals and one of the franchise's best starts ever later, and it's become clear he can be.
Smart has come alive as Boston's primary facilitator, averaging a career-high 7.3 assists per game through 31 starts this season. The Celtics have implemented more cuts and set plays to give Smart options this season, which has paid off big for the team and its point guard.
"It's something I'm always talking to him and Jayson about," Smart said postgame. "When we get out and run, with their speed and athleticism, we can use it to out advantage. When (Brown) is cutting hard like that, it's hard for anybody to keep up with us.
"It's just one of those things where I give him the look and he knows to go. And he might not get it, but at least he knows we're keeping teams honest."
That "look" that Smart talked about is something that has evidently become a known commodity in the Celtics locker room.
After Brown's superb, "bullying" performance in Boston's victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night, the 26-year-old brought up the very same look -- unprompted.
"I have that connection with Smart," Brown said. "When I make eye contact with him, we don't really say much but he'll give me that look. When I get that look I know he sees me open and we can go ahead and go for it."
The look worked Thursday night. Not only did Brown drop 29 points on the Clippers, but Smart had 17 of his own -- dishing out nine assists. The high-powered scoring duo of Tatum and Brown have both taken a leap this season and there's little doubt that Smart's emergence as a pass-first point guard has something to do with it.
